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Bills/119th Congress · House

H.R. 9278

Introduced

To amend title 5, United States Code, to provide that judicial review under the Administrative Procedure Act requires de novo trial of the facts when agency action seeks a sanction.

Sponsor
RHarriet M. Hageman· Wyoming
Introduced
June 11, 2026
Policy area
Government Operations and Politics
Latest action
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.June 11, 2026
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9278 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 9278

To amend title 5, United States Code, to provide that judicial review 
under the Administrative Procedure Act requires de novo trial of the 
facts when agency action seeks a sanction.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

June 11, 2026

Ms. Hageman introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To amend title 5, United States Code, to provide that judicial review 
under the Administrative Procedure Act requires de novo trial of the 
facts when agency action seeks a sanction.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. DE NOVO TRIAL OF FACTS WHEN AGENCY ACTION SEEKS A SANCTION.

Section 706 of title 5, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by inserting 
after ``questions of law'' the following ``and questions of 
fact''; and
(2) in subparagraph (F), by striking ``to the extent'' and 
all that follows through ``by the reviewing court'' and 
inserting the following: ``, including the product of any 
rulemaking or adjudication conducted in accordance with the 
procedures required under section 553 or section 554''.
<all>

Plain-language analysis

AI analysis · 100% confidence

AI-generated breakdown of the bill text above, checked by an independent review pass before publishing. It is analysis, not the law itself — the verbatim text and official source are the record.

In plain terms

This bill changes how courts review actions taken by government agencies when those actions involve penalties or sanctions. It requires that courts conduct a new trial to examine the facts of the case, rather than just reviewing the agency's decision. This affects individuals or entities facing sanctions from government agencies, as they would have the opportunity for a fresh examination of the facts in court.

Hidden provisions

  • SECTION 1. DE NOVO TRIAL OF FACTS WHEN AGENCY ACTION SEEKS A SANCTION

    judicial review under the Administrative Procedure Act requires de novo trial of the facts when agency action seeks a sanction

    This provision is significant as it alters the standard judicial review process for agency sanctions.

Questionable / off-intent provisions

No off-intent or questionable provisions were flagged.

Junk / unrelated provisions

No filler or unrelated riders were flagged.

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