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The House passed S.J.Res. 11, a resolution to overturn a Bureau of Ocean Energy Management rule regarding marine archaeological resources, by a 221-202 margin.
This vote was about S.J.Res. 11, a joint resolution using the Congressional Review Act to block a regulation from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). The rule was intended to update standards for how historical sites and artifacts, such as shipwrecks or ancient settlements, are protected during offshore development like wind or oil projects. By passing this resolution, Congress acted to prevent those new requirements from taking effect. In the U.S. Congress, a joint resolution like this must be passed by both the House and the Senate and then signed by the President to have the force of law. Because this was a final vote on passage, it represented the House's definitive approval of the measure. Under the Congressional Review Act, such resolutions allow Congress to quickly nullify rules made by executive branch agencies. The resolution passed narrowly, with Republicans voting almost unanimously in favor and Democrats almost unanimously against. Because the measure was subsequently signed into law, the BOEM rule is now void, and the agency is legally barred from issuing a similar rule in the future without a new law from Congress.
Following this House passage, the resolution moved forward and was eventually signed into law as Public Law 119-3.
OPEN BILL →Why it matters. This vote determined whether new, stricter standards for protecting underwater heritage would apply to offshore energy and construction projects.
Who’s affected. Offshore Industries: Companies in wind, oil, and gas avoid new compliance costs associated with the canceled archaeological rule. · Archaeologists and Historians: Preservationists will not see the implementation of updated federal standards for protecting shipwrecks. · Federal Agencies: The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is now prohibited from enacting this specific rule or anything substantially similar.
Democrats. Almost the entire Democratic caucus voted against the resolution, supporting the agency's new archaeological protections.
Republicans. Republicans voted almost unanimously to cancel the rule, citing concerns over regulatory requirements for offshore industries.
On Passage
Mar 6, 2025
The House passed S.J.Res.
11, a resolution to overturn a Bureau of Ocean Energy Management rule regarding marine archaeological resources, by a 221-202 margin.
This is a vote on whether to approve a joint resolution using the Congressional Review Act. This law allows Congress to overturn rules made by federal agencies with a simple majority vote in both chambers.
Following this House passage, the resolution moved forward and was eventually signed into law as Public Law 119-3.
This vote determined whether new, stricter standards for protecting underwater heritage would apply to offshore energy and construction projects.
The vote followed strict party lines, with Republicans voting to overturn the regulation and Democrats voting to keep it in place.
Almost the entire Democratic caucus voted against the resolution, supporting the agency's new archaeological protections.
Republicans voted almost unanimously to cancel the rule, citing concerns over regulatory requirements for offshore industries.
One independent member voted in favor of the resolution.