Regulatory Stakes
Oct 9th
From: The New York Review of Books
Cass R. Sunstein
The Hidden Stakes of the Election
It is not exactly news that there are big differences between judges chosen by Republican presidents and judges chosen by Democratic presidents. Of course the most visible differences involve constitutional law. For all the high-flown talk about the Constitution’s original meaning, the role of precedent, and the virtues and vices of the “living Constitution” (the idea that the meaning of the Constitution changes over time), the fact is that the views of Republican and Democratic appointees on questions of constitutional law tend to overlap with the views of Republican and Democratic presidents on questions of public policy.
“Regulating the Regulators: A Conversation with Former OIRA Administrators” Public Talk
Oct 8th
From: The Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University
Rethinking Regulation at KIE and Duke Law School are hosting Sally Katzen and John Graham, administrators of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) in the Office of Management and Budget during the Clinton and Bush administrations, respectively. They will discuss the evolving challenge of regulatory policy making over the last quarter century. Event flyer available for download.
October 24, 5:00-6:30 pm Duke Law School Room 4042 Reception to follow
Eliminating Red Tape to Boost Trade & Economic Growth
Sep 12th
Fom: Office of Management and Budget
Posted by Boris Bershteyn
Today the Administration is publishing a joint U.S. and EU request for public input on how to promote greater transatlantic regulatory compatibility. By eliminating unnecessary burdens to trade, we can promote economic growth and job creation here in the United States, while ensuring the protection of health, safety, welfare, and the environment.
Sunstein joins Bloomberg View, BGov board
Aug 27th
From: Politico
By DYLAN BYERS
Cass Sunstein, President Obama’s former Information and Regulatory Affairs administrator, is joining Bloomberg View as a columnist and joining Bloomberg Government’s advisory board as one of seven board members.
Sunstein, who left his post at OIRA earlier this year, will write about law, economics, and government at Bloomberg View, the opinion site launched last year.
He joins former Obama White House energy adviser Carol Browner; former New Hampshire Governor John Sununu; publishing veteran Bob Merry; former Reagan White House Chief of Staff Ken Duberstein; former U.S. Rep. Jack Buechner; and former U.S. Rep. Vin Webber on the Bloomberg Goverment advisory board.
Excerpt from White House Press Briefing on August 23rd
Aug 24th
Q Jay, thanks. The New York Times is reporting today that this administration has close ties to Exelon, which may have helped foster greater access to the upper reaches of this administration, may have been proven helpful in terms of securing some grants and loans. Do you have a reaction to this report? Is it a fair report?
The President’s Super-Regulators: What’s Next for OIRA?
Aug 13th
From: Advisory Commitee on Transparency
Aug. 20, 2012
2 p.m.- 3:30 p.m. 2203 Rayburn House Office Building
The president’s power over regulations is vested in a little-known unit within OMB called the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. These handful of staffers review any regulation that imposes more than $100 million in annual compliance costs for affected industries, and their influence extends even more broadly. With the imminent departure of OIRA’s administrator, Cass Sunstein, the time is ripe to evaluate the Obama administration’s approach to rulemaking, its transparency, and how OIRA should fit into the rulemaking process.
A Regulatory Reformer Leaves His Mark
Aug 6th
From: OMBlog Posted by Jeffrey Zients
With regret and deep gratitude, I am announcing that Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs Administrator Cass Sunstein will be leaving OMB this month. Having served in the Administration since the very start, and with the recent birth of a baby daughter and the coming of the new school year, Cass will be rejoining Harvard Law School as the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law and Director of the new Program on Behavioral Economics and Public Policy.
Sunstein To Return to HLS from D.C.
Aug 6th
From: Harvard Crimson
Cass R. Sunstein ’75 will return to Harvard Law School in August after a three-year stint as President Barack Obama’s regulatory chief, White House and Law School officials announced Friday.
Sunstein, who has directed the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) since 2009, will return to teach at the Law School and to head the new Program on Behavioral Economics and Public Policy. A White House announcement Friday said that with a newborn child and the fall semester approaching, Sunstein had made the decision to return to teaching and step down as regulatory czar just months shy of November’s presidential election.
FedStats.gov Remains Rich Source Of Government Data For Citizens
Aug 1st
From: AOL Government
By Brand Niemann
Data.gov has been around for about three years now and is touted as the prime example of the Open Government Data Initiative based on its growth in number of data sets and communities using them. However, there have been two activities that have been around much longer, with more high-quality data sets, and a larger community, namely FedStats.gov and FedStats.net, which deserve continued attention in the government data community.
Trans-Pacific Trade Delayed to 2013
Jul 17th
From: Digital Supply Chain
White House Group Delays Trade Pact to 2013
Jamie Robinson
An interagency working group led by the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs has goals to facilitate cooperation and coordination among international regulatory bodies, manufacturers, and suppliers. The Trans-Pacific Partnership will discuss adopting international standards and reporting requirements that can streamline regulatory checks and reduce overlapping ones.
The interagency group formed initially in 2012, but U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Donahue said he expects the pact will be completed in 2013, later than expected. The group wrapped its 13th round of negotiations July 2-10 in San Diego, California, discussing further the more than 20 chapters under negotiation, including proposals in intellectual property rights, and tariff packages on industrial goods, agriculture, and textiles.