The Federal Register is a daily journal of federal government activity that includes presidential documents, proposed and final rules, and public notices. It is a common measure of an administration’s regulatory activity. From March 30 to April 3, the Federal Register grew by 1,604 pages for a year-to-date total of 19,076 pages. Over the same…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that the agency would implement coronavirus guidance documents without first holding comment periods to solicit public feedback. The agency stated that it would not be feasible or appropriate to review public comments before implementing coronavirus guidance documents. Guidance documents, which advise interested parties about how agencies implement…
The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on March 17 requested $45.8 billion in emergency funding to boost agency response efforts to the coronavirus outbreak. The funding aims to help agencies “maintain [full operational] capacity and ensure that resource needs created by the pandemic response are met,” according to the request. Much of…
Federal agencies have taken steps to increase public access to agency guidance documents after the February 28 deadline passed for agencies to comply with Executive Order 13891, which required agencies to make guidance documents publicly available through an online portal. Guidance documents—non-binding agency publications that explain, interpret, or advise on rules, laws, and procedures—have been historically difficult…
Justice Gorsuch released a statement critical of applying Chevron deference to laws involving criminal penalties following the U.S. Supreme Court’s March 2 decision not to hear Guedes v. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case challenged the Trump administration’s decision to outlaw bump stocks through regulation. Under Chevron deference, federal courts must defer…
A panel of judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit decided 2-1 to uphold the structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The court’s March 3 opinion said that the legal restrictions on the president’s authority to remove the head of the agency were “valid and constitutional.” Judge Stephen Higginson,…
On March 5, the Virginia House of Delegates voted 54-46 to approve a resolution placing a redistricting-related constitutional amendment on the ballot for November 3, 2020. The ballot measure would transfer the power to draw the state’s congressional and legislative districts from the state legislature to a 16-member redistricting commission composed of eight state legislators…
The Federal Register is a daily journal of federal government activity that includes presidential documents, proposed and final rules, and public notices. It is a common measure of an administration’s regulatory activity. From March 2 to March 6, the Federal Register grew by 1,268 pages for a year-to-date total of 13,474 pages. Over the same…
The White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) reviewed a total of 44 significant regulatory actions issued by federal agencies in February 2020. The agency approved one rule without changes and approved the intent of 36 rules while recommending changes to their content. Agencies withdrew seven rules from the review process. OIRA reviewed…
The Federal Register is a daily journal of federal government activity that includes presidential documents, proposed and final rules, and public notices. It is a common measure of an administration’s regulatory activity. From February 17 to February 21, the Federal Register grew by 1,552 pages for a year-to-date total of 10,268 pages. Over the same…