The Hill JP Updates Senator Lieberman
Publisher’s Note: Each year hundreds of affected parties, be they NGO’s, members of the regulated community, or Congressional staff, make their way to OIRA to plead their case on a particular rulemaking. In OIRA’s thirty-five years of existence how many times have these same parties acted in a selfless manner to protect that privilege by devoting the necessary resources to improve OIRA’s operation? Here is both an opportunity and a public recognition of such efforts.
This is an invitation to participate in a public forum on the future activity of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) in the White House Office of Management and Budget. Feel free to offer your immediate impressions in the reply section below.
The concept of centralized regulatory review began some fifty years ago and initially it was implemented on a piecemeal basis until OIRA was established thirty-five years ago; most agree it is about time for a non-governmental review of this cornerstone of the regulatory state by a wide range of affected parties.
AT Kearney has stated the following with respect to future issues facing the United States:
Inspiring Possibilities
- Innovation: U. S. technology leads the world
- Higher Education: 17 of the world’s top 25 universities
- Energy: America again the world’s largest oil and gas producer
- Business: Home to 209 of the world’s largest 500 companies
- Demographics: Greatest population growth of advanced economies
Sobering Truths
- Government: Historically low public confidence
- Infrastructure: Requires at least $3.6 trillion investment by 2020
- Climate Change: Facing a ‘megadrought’ this century
- Wealth: Income inequality highest in nearly 100 years
- K-12 Education: U. S. students lagging behind global competitors
The majority of the aforementioned problems will be addressed through the issuance of regulations. In that OIRA is the cockpit of the regulatory state it is only appropriate that its role in the ensuing years be reviewed.
An examination of OIRA@2050 is of particular relevance because OIRA marks its thirty-fifth anniversary this year which is identical to the thirty-five year development plan envisioned herein—in essence we have thirty-five years of operating experience to shape the next thirty-five years of its operation.
We ask that participants present their views on the future direction of OIRA; all responses will be published as submitted on OIRA Watch.
The forum is wide open regarding the topics to be addressed; topics of particular concern include:
In the year 2050, will OIRA be:
— functioning at fifty per cent of its original staff level?
— focusing its activities on the review of individual regulations?
— establishing a cap on the total cost of regulations?
— allowing the public to police the accuracy of federal data bases by an energetic use of the Data Quality Act?
— reviewing the rules of independent agencies?
— overseeing pro-active, multi-agency and multi-administration regulatory programs aimed at addressing critical issues of national interest?
Background Information: The OIRA Teaching Module, which is made available by the continued work of dedicated online contributors, is aimed at building a national constituency for OIRA.
Please submit your responses to contact@thecre.com
