H.R. 8162 — Regulatory Review Improvement Act of 2026

This section revises agency requirements for periodic review of rules with significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities (i.e., under the Regulatory Flexibility Act) as follows: (1) requires the review plan to include solicitation of public comments on whether each final rule should remain in effect; (2) limits extensions for completing the initial review of existing rules to not more than one year total (from up to five years in one-year increments) and requires an explanation for any delay; (3) adds to the review factors consideration of agency analyses or summaries of public comments under subsection (c) and a new factor on the cost of compliance and paperwork hours required by the rule since it took effect; (4) requires the annual Federal Register list of rules to be reviewed to include an economic analysis of each rule; and (5) requires agencies, before conducting a review, to produce a qualitative and quantitative summary of public comments on the list that includes an agency analysis of those comments.