President Obama issued an Executive Order on “Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review”. The White House Fact Sheet below includes links to the EO and to two Presidential Memoranda on “Regulatory Compliance and Enforcement” and “Regulatory Flexibility, Small Business, and Job Creation.”
The President also has “op-ed” piece on this topic in the Wall Street Journal.
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release, January 18, 2011
Fact Sheet: The President’s Regulatory Strategy
Today, President Obama signed an Executive Order outlining his regulatory strategy to support continued economic growth and job creation, while protecting the safety, health and rights of all Americans. This strategy builds on best practices of the past, while adapting to challenges the country faces today and establishing a smart path for the future. As part of the immediate implementation of this strategy, the President also issued a memorandum to the heads of Executive Agencies and Departments calling for more transparency and accountability in regulatory compliance, as well as a memorandum emphasizing the need to reduce burdens on small businesses whenever possible.
The new Executive Order can be found HERE
Executive Order on Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review
In this Executive Order, the President requires Federal agencies to design cost-effective, evidence-based regulations that are compatible with economic growth, job creation, and competitiveness. It outlines following guiding principles:
Presidential Memorandum on Regulatory Compliance and Enforcement
As part of this Administration’s commitment to an open and transparent government, the President issued a memo requiring Federal enforcement agencies to make publicly-available compliance information easily accessible, downloadable, and searchable online. This will provide citizens with information they need to determine when entities fail to comply with the law. From highway safety and clean air to workers’ safety and toxic chemicals, smart regulations won’t work without effective enforcement.
Such disclosure is a critical step in ensuring that regulations succeed in protecting Americans. It’s also critical to supporting the continued growth of American businesses. As the economy recovers and American companies create jobs, consistent regulatory enforcement levels the playing field among regulated entities, ensuring that those that fail to comply with the law do not have an unfair advantage over their law-abiding competitors.
With this change, the Administration is supporting economic growth, providing Americans with information they need to make informed decisions, and holding Government accountable for its obligations to the public.
The new memorandum can be found HERE
Presidential Memorandum on Regulatory Flexibility, Small Business, and Job Creation
Small businesses are critical to the Nation’s continued economic recovery and the creation of jobs. To support small business growth and innovation, the President issued a memo reinforcing the need for Federal Agencies to consider ways to reduce regulatory burdens on small business and requiring that Agencies provide justifications when such flexibilities are not included in proposed regulation. Because there can be significant differences in scale and resources among businesses of ranging size, regulations can impose disproportionately high burdens on small businesses. The Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA), 5 U.S.C. §§ 601-612 requires that Agencies consider regulatory flexibilities to minimize the economic impact on small entities. Such flexibilities could include:
With the President’s memo, Agencies will not only be required to consider these alternatives for small businesses, but also to provide written justification when such alternatives are not utilized.
The new memorandum can be found HERE
Together, these initiatives will create a more cost-effective, transparent and smart regulatory system, supporting the long-term economic strength and global competitiveness of our Nation.
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