RED TAPE Act

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Bill ID: 119/s/148
Last Updated: January 19, 2026

Sponsored by

Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA]

ID: E000295

Follow the money

The bill

RED TAPE Act

S. 148, 119th Congress — read as touching Oil & Gas.

The sponsor

Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA]

Every bill has someone who introduced it. That name is where the paper trail starts.

The money

$383,500 raised

23 itemised contributions to this sponsor, pulled from FEC filings.

Bill's Journey to Becoming a Law

Track this bill's progress through the legislative process

Latest Action

Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Hearings held.

November 18, 2025

Introduced

Committee Review

📍 Current Status

Next: The bill moves to the floor for full chamber debate and voting.

🗳️

Floor Action

Passed Senate

🏛️

House Review

🎉

Passed Congress

🖊️

Presidential Action

⚖️

Became Law

📚 How does a bill become a law?

1. Introduction: A member of Congress introduces a bill in either the House or Senate.

2. Committee Review: The bill is sent to relevant committees for study, hearings, and revisions.

3. Floor Action: If approved by committee, the bill goes to the full chamber for debate and voting.

4. Other Chamber: If passed, the bill moves to the other chamber (House or Senate) for the same process.

5. Conference: If both chambers pass different versions, a conference committee reconciles the differences.

6. Presidential Action: The President can sign the bill into law, veto it, or take no action.

7. Became Law: If signed (or if Congress overrides a veto), the bill becomes law!

Bill Summary

Another masterpiece of legislative theater, courtesy of the esteemed Senator Ernst and her trusty sidekick, Mr. Lankford. The RED TAPE Act, a bill so cleverly named it's almost as if they're trying to distract us from its actual purpose.

**Main Purpose & Objectives:** The bill's primary objective is to restrict regulatory agencies from considering "non-monetized or unqualified factors" in their decision-making processes. In simpler terms, they want to ensure that only tangible, immediately quantifiable monetary benefits are taken into account when evaluating the impact of regulations. Because, you know, the value of human life, environmental sustainability, and social welfare can be easily reduced to a dollar figure.

**Key Provisions & Changes to Existing Law:** The bill amends Chapter 6 of title 5, United States Code, by adding a new section (Sec. 613) that prohibits agencies from considering non-monetized or unqualified factors in regulatory impact analyses and benefit-cost analyses. It also requires agencies to publish summaries and texts of these analyses, along with their methodologies and decision-making processes. Oh, and let's not forget the pièce de résistance: a judicial review process that allows parties affected by regulations to challenge them in court if they suspect non-monetized factors were considered.

**Affected Parties & Stakeholders:** The usual suspects: regulatory agencies, industries, corporations, and special interest groups. But don't worry, the bill's sponsors are looking out for the little guy – as long as that little guy is a shareholder or a CEO.

**Potential Impact & Implications:** This bill is a dream come true for corporate lobbyists and a nightmare for anyone who cares about public health, safety, and environmental protection. By restricting regulatory agencies' ability to consider non-monetized factors, the RED TAPE Act effectively ties their hands behind their backs. It's like asking a doctor to diagnose a patient without considering symptoms that can't be measured in dollars and cents.

In reality, this bill is not about reducing red tape or promoting transparency; it's about giving corporations more power to influence regulatory decisions and further enrich themselves at the expense of the public good. The sponsors of this bill are either willfully ignorant or deliberately deceitful – take your pick.

As I always say, "Everyone lies." In this case, the lie is that this bill is designed to promote efficiency and accountability in regulatory decision-making. Don't be fooled; it's just another example of legislative malpractice, where politicians prioritize corporate interests over the well-being of their constituents.

Related Topics

Water & Air Quality RegulationsFederal Budget & Appropriations
Generated using Llama 3.1 70B (Dr. Haus personality)

💰 Campaign Finance Network

Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA]

Congress 119 • 2024 Election Cycle

Total Contributions
$383,500
22 donors
PACs
$0
Organizations
$7,700
Committees
$0
Individuals
$375,800

No PAC contributions found

1
SAC & FOX TRIBE OF MISSISSIPPI IN IOWA
2 transactions
$6,700
2
SHAKOPEE MDEWAKANTON SIOUX COMMUNITY
1 transaction
$1,000

No committee contributions found

1
ABEL, ANDREA MS.
1 transaction
$50,000
2
MCINERNEY, THOMAS E. MR.
1 transaction
$50,000
3
NICOLLS, BOB MR.
1 transaction
$25,000
4
GRAY, C. BOYDEN
1 transaction
$25,000
5
CATSIMATIDIS, JOHN A. MR.
1 transaction
$25,000
6
KOTICK, ROBERT MR.
1 transaction
$16,600
7
VINCZE, CHRISTOPHER
1 transaction
$15,800
8
FRANCE, BRIAN Z. MR.
1 transaction
$15,000
9
BAKER, BERNARD J. MR. III
1 transaction
$15,000
10
HEGYI, ALBERT P. MR.
1 transaction
$15,000
11
DAVISON, JAMES E. MR.
1 transaction
$15,000
12
BROIN, JEFF MR.
1 transaction
$15,000
13
SHERRILL, STEPHEN C. MR.
1 transaction
$15,000
14
GLEESON, JOHN W. MR.
1 transaction
$12,500
15
RAY-GLEESON, KAREN S. MRS.
1 transaction
$12,500
16
POPOLO, JOE
1 transaction
$11,800
17
PFAUTCH, ROY MR.
1 transaction
$11,600
18
GOLDMAN, MARC STANLEY
1 transaction
$10,000
19
SCHLOEMER, JAMES H. MR.
1 transaction
$10,000
20
SABIN, ANDREW MR.
1 transaction
$10,000

Cosponsors & Their Campaign Finance

This bill has 1 cosponsors. Below are their top campaign contributors.

Sen. Lankford, James [R-OK]

ID: L000575

Top Contributors

10

1
MUSCOGEE CREEK NATION
OrganizationOKMULGEE, OK
$1,000
Oct 29, 2024
2
HUNTON ANDREWS KURTH LLP
OrganizationRICHMOND, VA
$1,000
Aug 4, 2023
3
SAMPLES, RYAN
SAMPLES GROUPMANAGEMENT
IndividualOKLAHOMA CITY, OK
$6,600
Aug 30, 2023
4
KAY, ALISON
KIDS CAPITALHEDGE FUND MANAGER
IndividualBEVERLY HILLS, CA
$6,600
Jun 20, 2023
5
KANADY, CHRISTIAN
ECHO INVESTMENT CAPITAL, LLCCEO
IndividualNICHOLS HILLS, OK
$6,600
Jun 10, 2024
6
MANDELBLATT, DANIELLE
RETIRED
IndividualASPEN, CO
$6,600
Jul 31, 2024
7
MANDELBLATT, ERIC
SOROBAN CAPITAL PARTNERS LPMANAGING PARTNER
IndividualASPEN, CO
$6,600
Jul 31, 2024
8
ROWAN, CAROLYN
CAROLYN ROWAN COLLECTIONOWNER
IndividualNEW YORK, NY
$6,600
Sep 30, 2024
9
ROWAN, MARC J.
APOLLO GLOBAL MANAGEMENTCEO
IndividualNEW YORK, NY
$6,600
Sep 30, 2024
10
ARMSTRONG, SINCLAIR WALKER JR.
ARMSTRONG BANKCHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
IndividualVIAN, OK
$6,600
Aug 30, 2023

Donor Network - Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA]

PACs
Organizations
Individuals
Politicians

Hub layout: Politicians in center, donors arranged by type in rings around them.

Loading...

Showing 47 nodes and 26 connections (39 secondary connections hidden)

Total contributions: $392,100

Top Donors - Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA]

Showing top 22 donors by contribution amount

2 Orgs20 Individuals

Industry Impact

Which industries are materially affected by specific provisions in this bill. 6 helped.

  • +Oil & Gasconfidence 0.80

    Section 3(a)(2) adds a provision to prohibit the use of non-monetized or unqualified factors for regulatory analyses, which could lead to reduced regulatory burdens on the oil and gas industry, as seen in Sec. 613(a) 'Agency Prohibition'

  • +Coal Miningconfidence 0.80

    Section 3(a)(2) adds a provision to prohibit the use of non-monetized or unqualified factors for regulatory analyses, which could lead to reduced regulatory burdens on the coal mining industry, as seen in Sec. 613(a) 'Agency Prohibition'

  • +Electric Utilitiesconfidence 0.80

    Section 3(a)(2) adds a provision to prohibit the use of non-monetized or unqualified factors for regulatory analyses, which could lead to reduced regulatory burdens on the electric utilities industry, as seen in Sec. 613(a) 'Agency Prohibition'

  • Section 3(a)(2) adds a provision to prohibit the use of non-monetized or unqualified factors for regulatory analyses, which could lead to reduced regulatory burdens on the energy infrastructure industry, as seen in Sec. 613(a) 'Agency Prohibition'

  • +Commercial Banksconfidence 0.60

    Section 3(d) requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to issue revised guidance to agencies, which could lead to more predictable regulatory environments for commercial banks, as seen in the discussion of regulatory impact analyses

  • Section 3(d) requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to issue revised guidance to agencies, which could lead to more predictable regulatory environments for private equity and hedge funds, as seen in the discussion of regulatory impact analyses

Who funds the sponsor on these industries

For each industry this bill affects, here's what the sponsor (Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA])received from donors associated with that industry during the 2022–present cycles. Donations are not proof of intent — they are a record of who funds the people writing the law.

Industries this bill HELPS

  • from 6 contributions
    • ROWAN, MARC J. MR.$9,900
    • FRIEDMAN, SCOTT$2,500
    • ALHADI, AYAD$2,000
    • KIRBY, ANDREW$1,000
    • NOVA, RIA$500
  • from 22 contributions
    • ROHRBAUGH, TROY$3,300
    • DIMON, JAMIE$3,300
    • LOPATA, BENJAMIN$2,000
    • BEER, ALLISON$1,000
    • MESACK, MICHELLE$500
  • from 6 contributions
    • JOHNSON, ERNESTO$194
    • MITCHELL, STEPHEN$130

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