WH: A Simpler, Smarter Regulatory System

[ProSense]

A Simpler, Smarter Regulatory System

The President outlined his plan to create a 21st-century regulatory system, calling for an unprecedented government-wide review to eliminate tens of millions of hours in annual red-tape, and billions of dollars in regulatory costs while protecting the health and safety of the American people.

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Regulation Reform

Earlier this year, President Obama outlined his plan to create a 21st-century regulatory system – one protects public health and welfare while promoting economic growth, innovation, competitiveness, and job creation. His Executive Order on Regulation, in short, said the following: Always consider costs and ways to reduce burdens for American businesses when developing rules; expand opportunities for public participation and public comment; and ensure that regulations are driven by real science.

The President also called for an unprecedented government-wide review of regulations already on the books. As a result of that review, more than two dozen agencies have identified initiatives to reduce burdens and save money. Read the agency plans and share your comments, feedback and questions.

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Shutting the Revolving Door

President Obama has taken historic steps to close the "revolving door" that carries special interest influence in and out of the government by prohibiting former lobbyists from working on issues on which they lobbied or in agencies they previously lobbied and barring them altogether from holding future positions on advisory boards and commissions.

Executive Order on Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Personnel
The President, first, prohibits executive branch appointees from accepting gifts from lobbyists. Second, he closes the revolving door that allows government officials to move to and from private sector jobs in ways that give that sector undue influence over government. Third, he requires that government hiring be based upon qualifications, competence and experience.

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Reforming Government Contracting

President Obama ordered an overhaul of government contracting policies to promote competition, curtail no-bid awards, and save up to $40 billion a year in taxpayer money.

Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies
President Obama ordered an overhaul of government contracting policies to promote competition, curtail no-bid awards, and save up to $40 billion a year in taxpayer money. Upon signing Executive Memoranda, the President stated, "We will stop outsourcing services that should be performed by the government, and open up the contracting process to small businesses. We will end unnecessary no-bid and cost-plus contracts that run up a bill that is paid by the American people. And we will strengthen oversight to maximize transparency and accountability."

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Making Classification a Two-Way Street

The executive order on “Classified National Security Information” (the Order) addresses the problem of over-classification in numerous ways and allows the public to gain timelier access to formerly classified records. Among the major changes are the following:

• It establishes a National Declassification Center at the National Archives to enable agency reviewers to perform collaborative declassification in accordance with priorities developed by the Archivist with input from the general public.
  
  
• For the first time, it establishes the principle that no records may remain classified indefinitely and provides enforceable deadlines for declassifying information exempted from automatic declassification at 25 years.
  
  
• For the first time, it requires agencies to conduct fundamental classification guidance reviews to ensure that classification guides are up-to-date and that they do not require unnecessary classification.

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Calling on Congress

“Because you deserve to know when your elected officials are meeting with lobbyists, I ask Congress to do what the White House has already done -- put that information online,” President Obama said in his State of the Union Address. It’s one as one of the ways he’s working to rebuild people’s faith in the institution of government.

The White House now discloses detailed records of its visitors and makes those records available online. The President urges Congress to adopt a similar disclosure policy. This would allow Americans to know which lobbyists and other special interests their Representatives are meeting.

[ProSense]

1. No comment? n/t

[sad sally]

2. With a two-year freeze on federal employee's pay, they must be

thrilled to have another chance to study and come up with ways to reduce their numbers.

There will be new task forces and interagency councils that will develop policies intended to implement the executive branch's concerns. Agencies and their employees will be told regulations and directives they've been following are either obsolete or wrong and new ones must now be drafted and adhered to. Keeping federal agency employees focused on the President's priorities gets tricky, especially when other new priorities distract or change the priorities.

And what about support from Congress? When agencies become distracted by competing signals or, even worse, denied the funding or flexibility necessary to implement a president’s management reform priorities, general chaos exists. While the motives may be pure, does President Obama have the sustained interest or support from Congress for his reform initiatives?

[MH1]

3. Good counter to the so-called 'jobs' plan that the GOP put out

The first point in the GOPper's plan was 'cut red tape'. So this is a counter to that.

There are some good items here:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/21stcenturygov/actions/21st-century-regulatory-system

that actually do cut red tape and reduce the burden on businesses.

I'm not sure why anyone would unrec this post.

(ok that's not true, I know exactly why they unrec this post!)