Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
Encyclopedia
The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA oʊˈaɪrə ) is an office of the United States Government
that Congress established in the 1980 Paperwork Reduction Act
. OIRA is located within the Office of Management and Budget
, which is an agency within the Executive Office of the President. It is staffed by both political appointees and career civil servants, who have been carrying out the same kinds of economic analysis and related analyses for the past 20 years. In addition to reviewing draft regulations under Executive Order 12866, OIRA reviews collections of information under the Paperwork Reduction Act, and also develops and oversees the implementation of government-wide policies in the areas of information technology, information policy, privacy, and statistical policy.
Executive Order 12866 describes OIRA's role in the rulemaking process. In it, the President directs agencies, to the extent permitted by law, to follow certain principles in rulemaking, such as consideration of alternatives and analysis of impacts, both benefits and costs. As the Executive Order directs, OIRA reviews agency draft regulations before publication to ensure agency compliance with this Executive Order.
The current OIRA Administrator is Cass Sunstein
. From 2001 to March 2006, OIRA was headed by John D. Graham
, who departed to accept the deanship of the Pardee RAND Graduate School.
The issuance of Presidential regulatory principles, and the centralized review of draft regulations, has been part of regulatory development for 30 years in one form or another. This began with President Richard Nixon
's "Quality of Life
" program, and continued in the 1970s with President Ford
's requirement in Executive Orders 11821 and 11949 for agencies to prepare inflation
/economic impact statements and with President Carter
's Executive Order 12044 on "Improving Government Regulations."
The OMB review process became more formalized in 1981 with President Reagan
's Executive Order 12291, which was in effect from 1981 to September 1993 (the Reagan and Bush
Administrations and the first nine months of the Clinton administration
). In September 1993, President Clinton issued Executive Order 12866. During the Reagan administration, the White House had reviewed 2,000 to 3,000 regulations per year, but under Clinton, the total dropped to between 500 and 700 annually. http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070704/D8Q5EE800.html
As amended by President George W. Bush
's Executive Order 13,422, the Executive Order covers federal agencies' "guidance documents", in addition to regulations. The Order's stated purpose is to ensure that agencies, to the extent permitted by law, comply with the regulatory principles stated in Executive Order 12866 and that the President's policies are reflected in agency rules. It also specifies procedures for the resolution of conflicts between or among agencies.
In July 2007, a controversy arose in the U.S. Congress over George W. Bush's Executive Order 13422 (signed by Bush in January 2007 and due to take effect on July 24, 2007) giving the OIRA additional powers.http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/07/04/2296/ The House of Representatives
voted to prohibit OIRA from spending federal money on Executive Order 13422.
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
that Congress established in the 1980 Paperwork Reduction Act
Paperwork Reduction Act
The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980, Pub. L. No. 96-511, 94 Stat. 2812 , codified in part at Subchapter I of Chapter 35 of Title 44 of the United States Code, through , is a United States federal law enacted in 1980 that gave authority over the collection of certain information to the Office of...
. OIRA is located within the Office of Management and Budget
United States Office of Management and Budget
The Office of Management and Budget is a Cabinet-level office, and is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States .The current OMB Director is Jacob Lew.-History:...
, which is an agency within the Executive Office of the President. It is staffed by both political appointees and career civil servants, who have been carrying out the same kinds of economic analysis and related analyses for the past 20 years. In addition to reviewing draft regulations under Executive Order 12866, OIRA reviews collections of information under the Paperwork Reduction Act, and also develops and oversees the implementation of government-wide policies in the areas of information technology, information policy, privacy, and statistical policy.
Executive Order 12866 describes OIRA's role in the rulemaking process. In it, the President directs agencies, to the extent permitted by law, to follow certain principles in rulemaking, such as consideration of alternatives and analysis of impacts, both benefits and costs. As the Executive Order directs, OIRA reviews agency draft regulations before publication to ensure agency compliance with this Executive Order.
The current OIRA Administrator is Cass Sunstein
Cass Sunstein
Cass R. Sunstein is an American legal scholar, particularly in the fields of constitutional law, administrative law, environmental law, and law and behavioral economics, who currently is the Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in the Obama administration...
. From 2001 to March 2006, OIRA was headed by John D. Graham
John Graham (policy analyst)
John D. Graham is dean of the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs . John D. Graham began his tenure at SPEA this year. He is the fourth dean in the school’s 36-year history....
, who departed to accept the deanship of the Pardee RAND Graduate School.
The issuance of Presidential regulatory principles, and the centralized review of draft regulations, has been part of regulatory development for 30 years in one form or another. This began with President Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
's "Quality of Life
Quality of Life
Quality of Life is a 2004 drama film, telling the fictional story of two graffiti writers in the Mission District of San Francisco.Directed by Benjamin Morgan, Quality of Life stars Lane Garrison, Brian Burnam, Luis Saguar and Mackenzie Firgens. Morgan co-wrote the screenplay with Burnam, who is a...
" program, and continued in the 1970s with President Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
's requirement in Executive Orders 11821 and 11949 for agencies to prepare inflation
Inflation
In economics, inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services in an economy over a period of time.When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services. Consequently, inflation also reflects an erosion in the purchasing power of money – a...
/economic impact statements and with President Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
's Executive Order 12044 on "Improving Government Regulations."
The OMB review process became more formalized in 1981 with President Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
's Executive Order 12291, which was in effect from 1981 to September 1993 (the Reagan and Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
Administrations and the first nine months of the Clinton administration
Presidency of Bill Clinton
The United States Presidency of Bill Clinton, also known as the Clinton Administration, was the executive branch of the federal government of the United States from January 20, 1993 to January 20, 2001. Clinton was the first Democratic president since Franklin D. Roosevelt to win a second full term...
). In September 1993, President Clinton issued Executive Order 12866. During the Reagan administration, the White House had reviewed 2,000 to 3,000 regulations per year, but under Clinton, the total dropped to between 500 and 700 annually. http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070704/D8Q5EE800.html
As amended by President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
's Executive Order 13,422, the Executive Order covers federal agencies' "guidance documents", in addition to regulations. The Order's stated purpose is to ensure that agencies, to the extent permitted by law, comply with the regulatory principles stated in Executive Order 12866 and that the President's policies are reflected in agency rules. It also specifies procedures for the resolution of conflicts between or among agencies.
In July 2007, a controversy arose in the U.S. Congress over George W. Bush's Executive Order 13422 (signed by Bush in January 2007 and due to take effect on July 24, 2007) giving the OIRA additional powers.http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/07/04/2296/ The House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
voted to prohibit OIRA from spending federal money on Executive Order 13422.
External links
- www.whitehouse.gov Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
- RegInfo: Where to find Federal Regulatory Information
- Archive of U.S. Executive Orders
- What is OIRA?
- History OMB Regulatory Review