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
News Release
CEI challenges Wisconsin’s treatment of election prediction-market contracts
The Competitive Enterprise Institute has filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Wisconsin voter and Green Bay radio host Joseph Giganti, Sr., challenging the…
Blog
The week in regulations: Salt substitutes and spiny lobster management
The new White House Press Secretary lasted five days before resigning. Sen. Elizabeth Warren is upset that one company makes two brands of hot…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: The future of Fusionism with Stephanie Slade
In this week’s episode we cover federal vs. state rules for prediction markets, the difference between Detroit and Pittsburgh, and a…
Search Posts
Op-Eds
The Danger of Too Much Caution
Congress has a long and ignoble history of exaggerated legislative responses to perceived health crises. They seem to be at it again.<?xml:namespace prefix…
Op-Eds
Reid May Lead on Stock Options
In the discussion of winners and losers from Election 2004, one organization that may have suffered a big blow has been overlooked. This…
News Release
FCC to Reconsider Telephone Competition
Contact for Interviews: Richard Morrison, 202.331.2273 <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” /> <?xml:namespace prefix…
Op-Eds
It’s the Infrastructure, Stupid: Amtrak, derailed
The news that the Department of Transportation’s Inspector General is deeply concerned about the dangerous state of Amtrak’s railroad infrastructure should come as…
News Release
The Battle over Interstate Wine Shipments
Full complaint available as a pdf. The Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments today in the case of…
News Release
Bracing for e-prohibition on wine?
<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” /> Contact for interviews: <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags” />Richard Morrison,…
Staff & Scholars
Clyde Wayne Crews
Fred L. Smith Fellow in Regulatory Studies
- Business and Government
- Consumer Freedom
- Deregulation
Ryan Young
Senior Economist and Director of Publications
- 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