OIRA Reiterates: The Data Quality Act “applies to all information disseminated from Federal websites”
Nov 10th
Editor’s Note: Memorandum M-17-06, Policies for Federal Agency Public Websites and Digital Services, signed the Director of OMB, the Administrator of OIRA, and the Federal CIO is available here. Below is an excerpt.
From: The White House
11. Ensure Information Quality and Accuracy
The Internet enables agencies to communicate information quickly and easily to a wide audience, which, while of great benefit to society, also increases the potential harm that can result from disseminating incorrect information. Taking this into account, information disseminated from Federal Government websites and digital services, or from third-party services on behalf of the Government, is expected to be authoritative and reliable.
The next ‘regulatory czar’
Nov 9th
From: Greenwire
Robin Bravender, E&E News reporter
Jim Tozzi, a former longtime OIRA official, said it’s not clear how a Trump administration would steer the regulatory review shop.
Given what Trump has said, “there are certain programs he either wants to increase regulation a lot or others where he certainly wants to decrease regulation.” In the case of decreasing regulation, Trump “would probably want a very strong OIRA office because, as some people said, that’s the cockpit of the regulatory state, and those people are pilots.”
Announcing a New Privacy Office within OIRA
Oct 21st
Editor’s Note: OIRA’s responsibilities are being increased, will the increased resources it needs to protect privacy follow?
From: The White House Blog
Summary: We’re creating a team of privacy professionals dedicated to making privacy a more comprehensive, strategic, and continuous function of Government.
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Today, we’re taking it a step further.
To build on and institutionalize this progress, I am establishing a new Privacy office and creating a dedicated senior career position for privacy within the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The new office and career official will be dedicated to strengthening the Government’s privacy practices and continuing to make privacy a more comprehensive, strategic, and continuous function of Government.
Former Agency Officials Bring Benefits to Regulatory Debate
Sep 26th
From: Bloomberg/BNA
by
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“I want to express, as long as we’re still here, our great appreciation for your cooperation,” said Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), the ranking member of the subcommittee. “And our interest in continuing this relationship in the next Congress.”
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Indeed, the subcommittee has benefitted over the last several years by connecting with former OIRA heads, noted Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), the subcommittee’s chairman.
White House considers changes to presidential records rule
Sep 21st
From: The Hill
The White House is reviewing a proposal that apparently would change the rules for when electronic records created by a president can be kept confidential, a move that comes just four months before President Obama leaves office.
The National Archives and Records Administration sent a proposal to the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) on Monday that appears to propose a change to the Presidential and Federal Records Acts Amendments of 2014.
Retrospective Review, by the numbers
Sep 2nd
From: The White House | Blog
by Howard Shelanski
Summary: Over the past five years, we’ve been creating a cost-effective, 21st century regulatory system through retrospective review. Here’s a look at what we’ve accomplished:
In 2011 the President launched an unprecedented, government-wide review of existing regulations—known as retrospective review—as part of efforts to create a more cost-effective, evidence-based regulatory system for the 21st century. From maximizing savings and reducing burdens for State and local governments and industry, to eliminating tens of millions of hours of paperwork burdens for our nation’s citizens and businesses, to removing duplicative and burdensome regulatory provisions from the books altogether, this Administration has made more progress on retrospective review and achieved more cost savings than any prior Administration.
Time to Step Up Transition Activities, Agencies Told
Aug 8th
From: FEDweek
With the major parties’ political conventions now over, Presidential transition activities will accelerate, adding new responsibilities for agencies while at the same time they will need to fill in for increasing numbers of vacancies in leadership, according to the Partnership for Public Service’s Center for Presidential Transition.
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If they haven’t done so by now, it’s time for agencies to finish identifying and training senior career officials responsible for temporarily assuming the positions of departing political appointees during the transition. By this point agencies should have sent OPM an inventory of positions that may be filled by non-competitive appointment in order to list them in the “plum book,” it added. Also, it said, they should be watchful for a possible OMB directive to halt regulatory activity, avoiding so-called “midnight” rule making.
The Global Antitrust Economics Conference
Aug 5th
Friday, October 7, 2016 from 8:30 AM to 6:30 PM (CDT) Chicago, IL
Event Details
8:00 – 8:30 am
Registration & Continental Breakfast
8:30 – 8:45 am
Welcome Remarks
Matthew L. SPITZER | Howard and Elizabeth Chapman Professor, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law; Director, Searle Center on Law, Regulation, and Economic Growth, Chicago
8:45 – 9:15 am
Opening Keynote Speech
Frank H. EASTERBROOK | Judge, US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, Chicago
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Managing Federal Information as a Strategic Resource
Jul 27th
From: The White House
by Tony Scott, Howard Shelanski, Anne Rung, Marc Groman
Summary: Today, OMB is releasing an update to Circular A-130, the Federal Government’s governing document for the management of Federal information resources.
Today the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is releasing an update to the Federal Government’s governing document for the management of Federal information resources: Circular A-130, Managing Information as a Strategic Resource.
How Independent is The Independent Republic?
Jul 14th
The Independent Republic a newsletter we were not acquainted with until it published this article on Arctic Drilling suggests that it provides unbiased information to its readers.
CRE merely made a comment on the aforementioned post calling to the attention of its readers a letter (Pritzker Letter June 16 i ) CRE sent to Secretary Pritzker. The moderator of the website decided not to publish the CRE letter.
Unlike the “Independent” Republic, CRE allows all readers with views that may be different from those of CRE to post on its website; thus the reason it has a substantial federal readership.
The Independent Republic states: