Modernizing Regulatory Review

Overview

The Presidential Memorandum of January 20, 2021 (Modernizing Regulatory Review) directs OMB to take steps to improve and modernize regulatory review, including to enhance public participation, and improve regulatory analysis. Specifically, among other things, the Memorandum directs OMB to take steps to promote the efficiency, transparency, and inclusiveness of" the regulatory review process and to ensure that regulatory analysis "promotes policies that reflect new developments in scientific and economic understanding," "fully accounts for regulatory benefits that are difficult or impossible to quantify," and takes "into account the distributional consequences of regulations" in order "to ensure that regulatory initiatives appropriately benefit and do not inappropriately burden disadvantaged, vulnerable, or marginalized communities." More information about efforts to fulfill these directives is located below.

Modernizing Regulatory Review Presidential Memorandum

Strengthening Our Regulatory System ‐ Administrator Revesz

Executive Order: Modernizing Regulatory Review

The regulatory review process is governed by Executive Order 12866 of September 30, 1993 (Regulatory Planning and Review), as affirmed and expanded upon by Executive Order 13563 of January 18, 2011 (Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review). The Executive Order of April 6, 2023 (Modernizing Regulatory Review) takes new steps to enhance the effectiveness of regulatory review, improve public participation in the regulatory process, and increase the transparency and inclusiveness of OIRA's engagement with the public.

Modernizing Regulatory Review Executive Order

Memorandum on Implementation of Modernizing Regulatory Review Executive Order

Draft Guidance Implementing Section 2(e) of Modernizing Regulatory Review Executive Order (OIRA is soliciting public comment on this draft guidance from April 7, 2023 through June 6, 2023)

OMB Circular No. A-4

Regulatory analysis is a critical input that helps to ensure that regulatory policies are crafted to improve people's lives. OIRA is working to provide agencies with additional tools to make their analysis even stronger by reflecting new developments in scientific and economic understanding, more robustly accounting for regulatory effects that are difficult or impossible to quantify, and helping agencies take the distributional consequences of regulations into account when selecting among potential regulatory alternatives. OIRA has released proposed revisions to Circular A-4 and will be accepting public comment on those proposed revisions. The preamble to the proposed revisions provides further information as to the nature of the proposed changes and identifies issues for which public comment may be particularly useful. OIRA is also accepting recommendations for potential peer reviewers of the proposed revisions.

Proposed Circular A-4 (OIRA is soliciting public comment on the proposed revisions to Circular A-4 from April 7, 2023 through June 20, 2023)

Preamble: Proposed Circular A-4