The anti-arbitration rule issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in July is now just one short step away from elimination.
The Senate tonight voted 51-50 (with Vice President Pence casting the deciding vote) to invalidate the CFPB's rule under the Congressional Review Act (CRA). That vote follows the House of Representatives' disapproval of the rule in July.
The last remaining step is the President's signature on the legislation, which seems highly likely given the Administration's statement today urging the Senate to invalidate the rule.
The President's approval will trigger two provisions of the CRA.
First, the rule "shall not take effect (or continue)" (5 U.S.C. § 801(b)(1)). In other words, the rule no longer has the force of law and businesses are no longer required to comply with its terms.
Second, the CFPB may neither re-issue the rule "in substantially the same form" nor issue a new rule that is "substantially the same" as the invalidated rule—unless Congress enacts new legislation "specifically authoriz[ing]" such a rule (5 U.S.C. § 801(b)(2)). The scope of this "substantially the same" standard has not been addressed by the courts, but it seems clear that at the very minimum the Bureau cannot issue (a) a new rule banning class action waivers; (b) an express ban of pre-dispute arbitration clauses; (c) a rule that has the practical effect of eliminating pre-dispute arbitration clauses; or (d) any other rule that imposes similar burdens on the use of arbitration.
Invalidation of the rule under the CRA also will moot the pending broad-based industry lawsuit against the CFPB challenging the legality of the regulation. (Mayer Brown represents the plaintiffs in the litigation).
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