There are two main areas in which Congress can enact meaningful reform. The first is to rein in regulatory guidance documents, which we refer to as “regulatory dark matter,” whereby agencies regulate through Federal Register notices, guidance documents, and other means outside standard rulemaking procedure. The second is to enact a series of reforms to increase agency transparency and accountability of all regulation and guidance. These include annual regulatory report cards for rulemaking agencies and regulatory cost estimates from the Office of Management and Budget for more than just a small subset of rules.
In 2019, President Trump signed two executive orders aimed at stopping the practice of agencies using guidance documents to effectively implement policy without going through the legally required notice and comment process.
Featured Posts
Blog
New bill would increase spending transparency, more regulatory transparency needed
Galileo may not have uttered the famous words, “Measure what is measurable, and make measurable what is not so,” but the sentiment behind that admonition…
Blog
This week in ridiculous regulations: airline fees and greenhouse gas reporting
The Federal Register grew at nearly triple its usual pace last week. It is on pace for its first-ever 100,000-page year. GDP growth slowed to…
The Center Square
Study: Mixed record on permitting reform offers some hope
CEI’s James Broughel provided comments to The Center Square about a study he authored: “Pennsylvania’s a state where energy is very important to its…
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News Release
CEI Files Comments on Proposed Travel Regulations
Full comments available in pdf format.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” /> Contact for Interviews: …
News Release
FCC Should Repeal Media Ownership Rules
Contact for Interviews:<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” /> Jody Clarke, 202.331.2252 Washington, D.C., May…
Op-Eds
OMB OTL? What good is a sleeping watchdog?
What would you do if federal lawmakers proposed increasing annual taxes by $8,000 per household? You, and many other taxpayers, would likely retaliate in…
Products
April/May edition of CEI’s Monthly Planet
Full Document Available in PDF Article in this edition:…
Op-Eds
Avoid More Mandates
As more and more Americans become investors, paternalistic regulators are demanding greater disclosure by mutual funds to protect consumers from excessive brokerage commissions…
Citation
Help Wanted
News Release
CEI President Urges DOT to Reduce Regulation of Online Travel Services
Today the Department of Transportation (DOT) is holding a public hearing regarding the latest review of its restrictions on computer reservations systems (CRSs).
News Release
Opportunity for Revolution at EPA
Contact for Interviews: <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” /> Richard Morrison, 202.331.2273 <?xml:namespace prefix…
Op-Eds
Junk Laws Can’t Cut the Spam
Unsolicited commercial junk email, or “spam,” is a huge problem. Especially the porn; I have to shoo my children out of the room whenI check my e-mail. But junk legislation offered up to presumably solve the problem can make things worse. Touted at an unsolicited press conference last week, Sen. CharlesSchumer, New York Democrat, proposed legislation that would imposesubject-line labeling requirements for commercial e-mail (it wouldhave to say “ADV”); forbid concealing one's identity; mandate an”unsubscribe” mechanism; ban the use of software capable ofcollecting e-mails from the Internet; set up stiff non-compliancefines; and establish an expensive (and likely hackable and thus worse-than-useless) Do-Not-Spam list at the Federal TradeCommission. Of course, politicians exempt themselves as possibleoffenders under anti-spam legislation, remaining free to send usjunk campaign material. The downside to an Internet in which you can contact whomever youwant, is that anyone can contact you. Spammers pay no postage orlong-distance charges. The solution is to shift those costs back tothe spammer; the question is whether to do that is legislatively ortechnologically. Plainly, peddling fraudulent merchandise or impersonatingsomebody else (such as a person or organization like AOL) in the e-mail's header information should be punished, as should breaking anagreement made with an Internet service provider (ISP) thatprohibits bulk mailing. But in the debate over the outpouring of spam, it's important toavoid unintentionally stifling beneficial e-commerce. Regulatingcommunications isn't something to be done lightly. If a law merelysends the most egregious spammers offshore to continue hammering us,that may simply create legal and regulatory hassles for smallbusinesses trying to make a go of legitimate e-commerce, or formainstream companies that are not spammers. Commercial e-mail, evenif unsolicited, may be welcome if the sender is a business sellinglegal and legitimate products in a non-abusive manner. As the market works to shift costs of commercial e-mail back tothe sender, we must be on guard against legislative confusion inapproaches like Mr. Schumer's: How might the definition of spamexpand beyond unsolicited and commercial e-mail? What about unsolicited political or nonprofit bulk e-mailings,press releases, resume blasts and charitable solicitations? Whatabout newsletters that contain embedded ads? Or what about one'spersonal e-mail signature line with a link back to one's employer?That's a subtle solicitation, whether we admit it or not. At thevery least, unwise legislation would create serious headaches fornoncommercial e-mailers like nonprofit groups. Would pop-up adsbecome suspect in the aftermath of spam legislation? They're not e-mail, but they are unsolicited and commercial. Finally, legal bans on false e-mail return addresses, as well asbans on software capable of hiding such information, have worrisomeimplications for free speech and anonymity for individuals, and willbe ignored by spammers anyway. Well-meaning individuals can use”spamware” to create the contemporary version of the anonymousflyers that have played such an important role in our history.Individuals should retain the ability to safeguard their anonymityeven in (or perhaps especially in) a mass communications tool like e-mail. In an era in which so many people are concerned about onlineprivacy, a law that impedes a technology that can protect suchprivacy would be curious indeed. Smarter approaches to the spam epidemic include better e-mailfiltering, such as setting the owner's screen to delete bulk mailand to receive only from recognized and approved e-mail addresses.That's particularly appropriate for children's e-mail accounts.Emerging “handshake” or “challenge and response” systems capable oftotally blocking spam show promise: Because the most offensive spamis sent by automatic bulk-mailing programs that are not capable ofreceiving a reply, spam no longer appears in the in-box. Identifiers or “seals”' for trusted commercial e-mail could beanother means of helping ISPs block unwanted e-mail. A newconsortium including America Online, Microsoft, and Yahoo, toestablish “certified” e-mail would bolster this approach. Given the perfectly understandable desire to stop unsolicited e-mail, it is all too easy for Congress to undermine legitimatecommerce, communications and free speech. And crippling Internetcommerce would be especially pointless if spam continued pouring infrom overseas. A better target is unsolicited press conferences,like the one at which Mr. Schumer dropped his bill. $25,000 fine, atleast. Send payment to [email protected]. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” />…
Op-Eds
When Molecules Fly
Should the federal government fund scientific research with taxpayer dollars? Boondoggles like the Superconducting Supercollider, the space station, energy research programs, the Supersonic…
Op-Eds
Real-Time Dragnet: Cracking down on Internet innovation
“To serve and protect” is a longstanding slogan of police departments everywhere. It’s also an accurate description of a political dragnet against e-commerce, a scenario…
Op-Eds
Utopian Policymaking: The Inherent Dangers of “Inherently Safer Technology”
What would you say if the federal government proposed phasing out large commercial airplanes? After all, they could argue that using only small planes with…
Citation
Few Groups Challenge Regulatory Data Under Act
CEI Planet
February Edition of CEI Monthly Planet
Full Document Available in PDF Articles in this edition:…
News Release
New Federal Rule on Alcohol Ads and Public Health
<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags” />Washington, D.C., February 28, 2003—Today the U.S. Treasury’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (formerly…
News Release
New SEC Rules Create Added Costs, Little Benefits
Washington, D.C., January 29, 2003 – Despite opposition from many sources, the Securities and Exchange Commission recently adopted new rules on forced disclosure…
News Release
Environmental, Other Regulations Under Scrutiny
Washington, D.C., December 20, 2002—From energy conservation standards for washing machines to labels on genetically modified food, many federal regulations are coming…
Study
How to Drive Competition in a “Deregulated” Market
View Full Document as PDF…
Op-Eds
EPA’s $32 Trillion Negligible Risk
It is no surprise that federal agencies often tailor their interpretation of the facts and the law to support various policy goals. It should…
Study
CEI Senior Fellow Publishes New Book On EPA’s Regulatory Enforcement
Out Of Bounds, Out Of Control: Regulatory Enforcement At The EPA CEI Senior Fellow James DeLong Publishes New…
Products
August/September 2002 Edition of CEI Update
Full Document Available in PDF Articles in this edition: “Nothing But Hot…
Op-Eds
Getting The Rails Back On Track
As the recent crash of an Amtrak passenger train in Maryland illustrates, our nation's railroad tracks are in dire need of maintenance or replacement.
Citation
Accounting Rules Still Should Adopt to New Economy
Products
June/July 2002 Edition of CEI Update
Full Document Available in PDF Articles in this edition: “Daniels In The…
Op-Eds
Electricity Restructuring Is No License For Central Planning
Economists sometimes gets confused—specially when the real world doesn't fit into their…
Business Week
Harvey Pitt: Thunder to the Left, Thunder to the Right
Op-Eds
Laws Can’t Protect Kids from Porn
When it comes to protecting kids from porn on Internet Web sites, should “community standards” apply that would restrict materials regarded by the…
Business Week
New Laws are Unnecessary
Politicians of all stripes are rushing into the Enron fray, eager to use this event as the pretext for enacting new regulations and laws against…
Op-Eds
New Laws Are Unnecessary
Politicians of all stripes are rushing into the Enron fray, eager to use this event as the pretext for enacting new regulations and…
News Release
Nation Goes Back To Work Of Economic Recovery
Washington, D.C., September 20, 2001— The terrorist attacks of last week have left a heavy burden on the United States – psychologically, politically,…
News Release
Wall Street Journal Advises President Bush to Follow CEI’s Lead on Regulatory Reform
Review & Outlook Father Knows Best As commander in chief, George W. Bush now outranks his dad. But there are still things he…
Op-Eds
Old Law vs. The New Economy: How New Deal-era Regulations Stifle Flexible Work Arrangements
Delong Article Published In Reason Magazine<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” /> In August 1997, a certain Mr. T. Trahan of CSC…
Comment
Michael Greve Testifies on Internet Sales Tax Issue
View Full Document as PDF Michael S. Greve cites CEI research in his testimony on Internet sales taxation before the U.S. Senate…
Op-Eds
Second Wind for the Global Economy: Kemp Nationally Syndicated Column
Copyright 2001 Copley News Service Kemp Column Distributed by Copley News Service July 9, 2001 Even as the…
News Release
Cost of Government Day
The Deadly Cost of Fuel Economy Regulations Statement of Sam Kazman, General Counsel Competitive Enterprise…
News Release
White House Listening on Regulatory Reform
Washington, DC, June 29, 2001 — With the fight over taxes over for now, the Bush Administration may soon be taking a hard…
News Release
Federal Court Dismisses Alcohol Advertising Case
Washington, DC, June 26, 2001— A federal district court last week dismissed a challenge to a federal agency’s ban on advertising the medical…
News Release
Little-Known Regulations Contribute to Cost of Government
Washington, DC, June 19, 2001 — Many American know that they must work, on average, from January 1 to May 3 (Tax Freedom…
News Release
Benefits of Moderate Alcohol Consumption to Get Their Day in Court
Washington, DC, June 11, 2001— The Competitive Enterprise Institute and Consumer Alert will present their case for freedom of speech in alcohol labels…
News Release
Statement from CEI President Fred Smith Regarding New CBO Report on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
Washington, DC, May 23, 2001 – The latest figures from the Congressional Budget Office indicating that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac receive more than $10…
News Release
Washington’s 10,000 Commandments Place Heavy Burden on American Families
Washington, DC, May 21, 2001 — The Competitive Enterprise Institute today released the study 10,000 Commandments: An Annual Policy Maker’s Snapshot of the…
News Release
Public Interest Group Criticizes Attack on OMB Nominee
Washington, D.C., March 13, 2001—The Competitive Enterprise Institute is accusing critics of the Administration’s new Office of Management and Budget nominee, John D.
Business Week
Tax Cut Fast Track
Virtually everyone agrees that George W. Bush confronts a rapidly weakening economy as he assumes the presi- dency. Cutting marginal tax rates was at the top…
Business Week
Tax Reform Can be Everyone’s Agenda
While the marathon presidential election in Florida grinds to a conclusion, in Washington, D.C., members of Congress returned in lame-duck session to finish up this…
Business Week
In Obscurity, Clinton Regime Saves Worst Regulations for Last
Americans have developed a fetish-like fixation on the “first hundred days” of incoming ‘administrations in the era of promise-us-everything politics. They use the honeymoon period…
Op-Eds
With Cheney, Smart Economics in Supply
Richard Cheney, George W. Bush’s choice for running mate, understands that this marvelous “new” economy we enjoy today began with the across-the-board tax-rate reductions…
Business Week
Spending on Red Tape is Rising
News Release
10,000 Commandments — New Report Details REAL Cost of Government
Washington, DC, May 9, 2000 – As last minute filers rushed to finish their taxes and write their checks to the government recently, Congress…
News Release
Shadow Insurance Regulation Committee Statement on Regulatory Restructuring
Washington, DC, May 5, 2000 – The Shadow Insurance Regulation Committee concludes that the two main objectives of any restructuring of insurance regulation…
Business Week
Gorging on Regulations
Congress is now debating the $1.8 trillion federal budget. While federal spending consumes an awesome 18 percent of nation’s economic product, the official budget at least…
News Release
Shadow Insurance Regulation Committee issues statements on Commercial Insurance Deregulation, Workers’ Comp, and Electronic Comm
Washington, DC, April 19, 1999 – The Shadow Insurance Regulation Committee issued three statements of consensus today, concerning commercial insurance deregulation, workers’ compensation…
Products
Regulatory Budget Check
However controversial the $1.7 trillion federal budget may be, taxpayers know what Washington officially spends in the congressionally approved budget. That places some…
Products
Proposed Regulatory Report Card
Regulatory Report Card Recommended Official Summary Data by Program, Agency, and Grand Total …with 5-year historical…
Business Week
Regulatory Cost Balance Sheet
A new report to Congress by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) finds that health, safety and environmental regulations cost between $174 billion and…
News Release
New Study Provides “How-To” Guide for Regulatory Reform
Washington, DC, February 29, 2000 –A new report released today by the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) called for congressional approval of all major regulations…
News Release
CEI Criticizes ATF’s Proposed Ban On Alcoholic Beverage Health Statements
Washington, D.C., February 23, 2000 – CEI today filed comments urging the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) to withdraw its proposed…
News Release
Clinton Budget Is Not The Full Story
Washington, DC, February 7, 2000 – President Clinton’s new fiscal year 2000 budget proposes to spend $1.84 trillion. While that enormous amount would absorb…
Products
OSHA: The 1970s Meet the 21st Century
The reaction certainly wasn’t what anybody expected, least of all at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). It was a simple letter in…
Study
Regulating Greenhouse Gases: Will EPA Take a Dive?
The International Center for Technology Assessment (ICTA) wants the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate carbon dioxide. This fall, ICTA, an anti-technology group…
Op-Eds
A Cowboy Economy?
On recent trips to Europe, I’ve become increasingly aware of a reality disconnect between the way America is and the way we’re viewed…
Study
Federal Reinsurance for Homeowner’s Insurance: Another Capitol Hill Disaster.
Storm clouds over Capitol Hill. House Banking Committee members are teetering on the brink of triggering a mega-disaster this week that is pointed…
Business Week
An Antitrust Division Run Amok (Letter to the Editor)
I would have happily signed a letter urging a cap on the Depart ment of Justice’s Antitrust Division budget if I’d been asked [`Hardball and Windows,” op-ed, Oct.
News Release
Shadow Insurance Committee to Meet October 25 to Review Catastrophe Insurance Financing & Redlining Issues
Washington, D.C., October 22, 1999 – The Shadow Insurance Regulation Committee will hold its second meeting of the year at 12 noon on October…
Op-Eds
New Pricing Plans Are Good
This isn’t your father’s telecommunications market. Long-distance pricing was once onesize-fits-all, with high, distance-sensitive rates cast in stone by regulators. Now that is changing, as…
Business Week
Tyranny of the Unelected Regulators
Congress passed and the president signed into law 241 bills in 1998. Meanwhile, federal agencies were far busier: They issued 4,899 rules and regulations — 315…
Washington Times
Unchecked Regulatory Creep
Washington Times
Feeding the Green Money Tree
The Clinton-Gore administration continues to thumb it nose at the Constitution by trying to implement a global warming treaty (the Kyoto Protocol) that has not…
Citation
Regulatory ‘Right to Know’
News Release
June 22: Cost of Government Day
“Every year on April 15, million of taxpayers across the country file their 1040 forms, and are outraged at how much they have to send…
News Release
Institute Applauds Supreme Court Decision UpHolding First Amendmen Rights of Advertisers
Washington, DC, June 15, 1999 – The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) applauds yesterday’s Supreme Court decision in Greater New Orleans Broadcasting Association v. United…
Op-Eds
Constitutional Integrity (Letter to the Editor)
A May 24 editorial, “A retreat on clean air,” suggests that holding Congress to the Constitution will make solid environmental protection a “hazy, distant prospect,”…
Washington Times
Who Makes Our Laws? (Letter to the Editor)
Surely Cass R. Sunstein is right that “greater respect for democratic government” is urgent (“The Courts’ Perilous Right Turn,” Op-Ed, June 2). But in his…
Op-Eds
Suburban Development Made Scapegoat for Urban Woes (Letter to the Editor)
The national debate about suburban development spawns many misunderstandings about the real issues. The recent USA TODAY editorial and response by Vice President Al Gore…
Washington Times
Clearing the Air on Regulatory Excess
The Clinton EPAs biggest regulatory victory was turned into its biggest legal defeat last Friday, as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of…
Op-Eds
Enemies of the Stasis
Virginia Postrel’s excellent The Future and Its Enemies (Free Press, 1998, 265 pages) details the many ways in which the forces of dynamism conflict with…
Washington Times
High Price of Regulations
Washington Times
Vice President’s Plan to Change Method to Measure GDP (Letter to the Editor)
Michael Evans’ April 6 commentary “Misguided Solution for debtors” did eh:. excellent job of refuting .Vice. President Al Gore’s plan’ to sell the gold reserves…
Study
Free Speech and Alcohol: How Much Is Too Much?
On February 5th, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), approved two wine labels containing the following statements: The proud people…
Study
The Simple ABC’s of Regulatory Reform
View Full Document as PDF Streaming out of Washington now are sometimes bizarre regulations covering, among other things; workplace ergonomics, flammability…
Washington Times
Congress Reins in Regulatory Beast
Op-Eds
Unlivable Communities
Vice President Al Gore recently announced a new “livable com munities agenda,” designed to “ensure a high quality of life” by controlling so-called “urban sprawl.” But…
Study
So, What Will This Unfunded Mandate Cost Me?
View Full Document as PDF The $1.77 trillion spending budget President Clinton sent to Congress February 2 tells just part of…
Products
What A Congress
As1998 draws to a close, it’s appropriate to look back at the most significant deregulatory successes that have been achieved during the year. Where should…
Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey
Wealthier is Healthier
Products
ATF Documents Reveal Ban on Protected Speech
We have previously reported on CEI’s pending lawsuit with the bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) challenging the constitutionality of the agency’s ban…
Products
Rethinking Insurance Regulation–1998
NATURAL DISASTERS AND CATASTROPHIC…
Study
A Disaster Waiting to Happen: Why Washington Shouldn’t Subsidize Disaster Insurance
This Thursday, April 23, the House Banking and Financial Services Committee will examine H.R. 219, the Homeowners Insurance Availability Act sponsored by Rep. Rick…
Study
Electric Avenues: Why “Open Access” Can’t Compete
Full Document Available in PDF The regulation of electricity markets…
Products
The Other Roosevelt Legacy
America’s current political dilemma the dominant progressive belief that government is a force for unlimited good — has many roots, but special honor goes…
Products
Flirting With Disaster
Congress is again exploring new ways to undermine the private market for homeowners insurance in disaster-prone parts of the country. On February…
News Release
Hidden “Taxes” Cost Families 20 Percent of Income
Washington, DC, January 22, 1998 — Federal regulations cost taxpayers $688 billion in 1997, over 40 percent more than the size of the entire…
Products
Bail Out For The Foolish
My Daddy always said never get between a fool and his mistake – it would sacrifice the only good that might come from the…
Products
The Economy of the Mind
Address to the Competitive Enterprise Institute ANA Hotel, Washington D.C. Tuesday, October 21, 1997 Thank you, Stan [Evans]. As Bill Clinton says…
Products
Abusing Discrimination
In America at century’s end, the surest way to obtain special treatment for a social group is to assert that its members suffer…
Products
Disparate Impact Dangers
On March 10 one of the nation's largest property and casualty insurers, Nationwide Insurance Company, agreed to part with $13.2 million to settle allegations…
Study
The Yellowstone Affair: Environmental Protection, International Treaties, and National Sovereignty
Full study available in pdf format Environmental regulation has gone international in recent decades. There has been a proliferation of treaties, conventions, and protocols aimed…
Products
NAIC Insures Privileged Access
Thousands of insurance executives and regulators converged on Orlando, Fla., in March to attend the spring meeting of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners…
Products
New Choices in Auto Insurance
The high cost of auto insurance is a serious concern for many people across the country. Annual premiums can run into thousands of dollars.
Products
The Power of Positive Drinking
CEI is back in federal court. On October 29th, CEI filed suit against the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) to challenge the agency’s…
Products
Message from the Executive Director: Time for Another Contract
The 104th Congress was anything but "extremist." Its leaders proposed to balance the budget — but only after seven years. They called for family tax…
Staff & Scholars
Clyde Wayne Crews
Fred L. Smith Fellow in Regulatory Studies
- Business and Government
- Consumer Freedom
- Deregulation
Ryan Young
Senior Economist
- Antitrust
- Business and Government
- Regulatory Reform
Fred L. Smith, Jr.
Founder; Chairman Emeritus
- Automobiles and Roads
- Aviation
- Business and Government
Sam Kazman
Counsel Emeritus
- Antitrust
- Automobiles and Roads
- Banking and Finance
Marlo Lewis, Jr.
Senior Fellow
- Climate
- Energy
- Energy and Environment