This week in ridiculous regulations: Marine ingredients and tips

The reconciliation bill process was more chaotic than usual. There were more than 100 new regulations this week, and more than 800 agency notices. The Fall Unified Agenda also appeared. CEI’s Wayne Crews analyzed it here. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from EV safety to skinks.

 On to the data:

• Agencies issued 104 final regulations last week, after 100 the previous week.
• That’s the equivalent of a new regulation every one hour and 37 minutes.
• With 3,136 final regulations so far in 2024, agencies are on pace to issue 3,213 final regulations this year.
• For comparison, there were 3,018 new final regulations in 2023, 3,168 in 2022, and 3,257 in 2021.
• Agencies issued 28 proposed regulations in the Federal Register last week, after 44 the previous week.
• With 1,707 proposed regulations so far in 2024, agencies are on pace to issue 1,749 proposed regulations this year.
• For comparison, there were 2,102 proposed regulations in 2023, 2,044 in 2022, and 2,094 in 2021.
• Agencies published 839 notices last week, after 544 notices the previous week.
• With 24,747 notices so far in 2024, agencies are on pace to issue 25,394 notices this year.
• For comparison, there were 22,902 notices in 2023, 22,505 in 2022, and 20,952 in 2021.
• Last week, 2,901 new pages were added to the Federal Register, after 4,002 pages the previous week.
• The average Federal Register issue in 2024 contains 426 pages.
• With 104,365 pages so far, the 2024 Federal Register is on pace for 106,921 pages.
• For comparison, the 2023 Federal Register totals 90,402 pages, the 2022 Federal Register has 80,756 pages, and 2021’s is 74,352 pages. The all-time record adjusted page count (subtracting skips, jumps, and blank pages) is 95,894, set in 2016.
• Rules with $200 million or more of economic effects in at least one year qualify as major under Section 3(f)(1). This replaces the former economically significant tag for $100 million-plus regulations. There are 20 such rules so far in 2024, with none in the last week.
• This is on pace for 21 3(f)(1) regulations in 2024.
• For comparison, there were 28 3(f)(1) and/or economically significant regulations in 2023, 43 economically significant rules in 2022, and 26 in 2021. Note that these are not apples-to-apples comparisons, since 3(f)(1) and economically significant rules have different thresholds.
• The total estimated cost of 2024’s 3(f)(1) major regulations ranges from net savings of $16.42 billion to net savings of $26.45 billion, per the Office of Management and Budget’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.
• For comparison, the cost tally for 2023’s 3(f)(1) major and economically significant regulations ranges from $62.60 billion to 90.48 billion. Cost estimates for 2022’s economically significant rules range $45.28 billion to $78.05 billion. In 2021, net costs ranged from $13.54 billion to $19.92 billion. The exact numbers depend on discount rates and other assumptions.
• There were 23 new final regulations meeting the broader definition of “significant” last week, after four the previous week.
• So far this year, there are 332 new regulations meeting the broader definition of “significant.” This is on pace for 340 significant regulations in 2024.
• For comparison, there were 290 such regulations in 2023, 255 in 2022, and 387 in 2021.
• So far in 2024, 752 new regulations affect small businesses, on pace for 770. Seventy-two of them are significant, on pace for 74.
• For comparison, in 2023 there were 789 regulations affecting small businesses, 79 of them significant. In 2022 there were 912 regulations affecting small businesses, 70 of them significant. 2021’s totals were 912 regulations affecting small businesses, 101 of them significant.

Highlights from last week’s new final regulations:

• Antidumping rules from the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930.
• Country-of-origin rules for rail freight.
• Venezuela sanctions.
• Energy efficiency program for commercial and industrial equipment.
• Smoke alarm rules for subsidized rental housing in rural areas.
• The General Services Administration is inflation-adjusting its civil penalties.
• The EPA issued a correction to its particulate matter rule.
• Updates to EPA chemical regulations.
• Right-of-way for pedestrians.
• Event data recorders.
• H-1B visa requirements.
• H-2 visa requirements.
• Fear screenings by the Homeland Security Department.
• Suitability and fitness.
• The Commerce Department is making its guidance documents less transparent to the public.
• The Social Security Administration is revising its FOIA requirements.
• American single malt whisky is now a standard of identity for distilled spirits.
• Record disclosures from the Bureau of the Fiscal Service.
• Russia sanctions.
• Subsidized loans to small businesses.
• Preferential treatment for small businesses in government contracts.
• Drug and alcohol tests for aircraft repair technicians outside the US.
• Accounting requirements for federal contractors.
• Biennial review of bioterrorism toxins.
• Attorney visits to federal prisons.
• Regulations for tips.
• Whistleblower rules regarding vehicle safety regulations.
• The pillar coral is moving from threatened to endangered status.
• Confidential NOAA information.
• Transformed mariner credentials.
• Wheelchair accommodations for airline passengers.
• The HUBZone program for small business subsidies.
• Work requirements for SNAP.
• Revision to subject matter from the Federal Register Office.
• The Minority Business Development Agency is removing racial and ethnic presumptions in its regulations due to a court ruling.
• A correction to a reconsideration of EPA dust-lead regulations.
• Now that it’s 2024, the Coast Guard is accepting certain forms electronically.
• Strengthening protectionist antidumping rules.
• Training to prevent human trafficking on certain air carriers.
• Certification of service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses for preferential treatment in government acquisitions.
• Compliance guide for small federal contractors.
• Certifying marine ingredients.
• EV safety standards.
• Loan guarantees for rural housing.

And from last week’s proposed regulations:

• Redactions policies from the Federal Election Commission.
• Digital music royalties.
• Special treatment for smaller federal contractors.
• Endangered species status and critical habitat for the Puerto Rican skink, Lesser Virgin Islands skink, and the Virgin Islands bronze skink; threatened species status and critical habitat for the Culebra skink; and no special status the mona skink, Greater Virgin Islands skink, Greater Saint Croix skink, and the Lesser Saint Croix skink.
• Wildlife refuge regulations.
• A rehabilitation training program from the Education Department.
• Inmate financial responsibility procedures.
• A second regulation for inmate financial responsibility procedures.
• Endangered species status for Suckley’s cuckoo bumble bee.

For more data, see Ten Thousand Commandments and follow @10KC and @RegoftheDay on Twitter.