The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (or OIRA) within the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is charged with overseeing the executive branch regulatory planning and review process. See

• Executive Order 13563: “Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review,” https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/inforeg/eo12866/eo13563_01182011.pdf
  
  • signed January 18, 2011
• Executive Order 12866: “Regulatory Planning and Review,” https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/inforeg/eo12866/eo12866_10041993.pdf
  
  • signed September 30, 1993

Also see

• Executive Order 13497 “Revocation of Certain Executive Orders Concerning Regulatory Planning and Review,” https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2009-02-04/pdf/E9-2486.pdf
  
  • signed January 30, 2009

1. Carefully read the provisions of these executive orders. Briefly explain the effect that each had on the other. What are your reactions to each? Why do you believe this?

2. OIRA’s website (http://www.reginfo.gov/public/) provides a real time account of the number of pending regulatory actions by agency. Answers will vary depending on when you access the data. How many total actions are there today? Which agency has the most number of pending actions? Which agency has the least number of pending actions?

3. Point your browser to http://www.reginfo.gov/public. Under the “Regulatory Review” tab (underneath headline banner), select the “Regulatory Review Dashboard” from the dropdown. Here, the summary information that you reported for question 2 is broken down by agency. You will notice that there is complete listing of rules summarized at the top of the page toward the bottom of the page. Select one pending rule to investigate. Be sure to select an example that seems to be reporting complete information on the site and not missing information as you will need it in a few moments. Briefly describe the pending rule.

4. Imagine that you are an analyst in the Office of the Secretary (of any agency with a pending rule). The Secretary’s chief of staff has asked for a very brief update on the status of the rule and does not have time to contact the main point of contact in the agency for the information. Seeing you nearby, she asks for you to look up the information. It just so happens that moments ago, you were perusing OIRA’s website and have the exact information that is needed. In a short paragraph, update the chief of staff on the most pertinent information on one of the rules you investigated in the previous section. Be concise and at the same time comprehensive.