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Presidential Initiatives

E-Rulemaking

Program Managers

John Moses

Description

Allows citizens to easily access and participate in the rulemaking process. Improves the access to, and quality of, the rulemaking process for individuals, businesses, and other government entities while streamlining and increasing the efficiency of internal agency processes.

Progress to Date

  • FirstGov.gov links to all agency regulatory docket sites
  • Completed benchmarking study and evaluation of existing agency Web sites
  • Clinger-Cohen letter issued to consolidate redundant and siloed web sites
  • Public launch of cross agency front-end web application for receiving public comments on proposed agency rules
  • Reached agreement on architecture solution
  • Memo sent to President’s Management Council (PMC) directing agencies to include a link to Regulations.gov on the agency’s homepage and in the synopsis of the notice of any regulatory action requesting public comment

Next Steps

  • Consolidate existing agency e-docket systems with EPA’s system, including USDA and HUD
  • Post HUD and USDA/APHIS dockets on EPA’s on-line system as a proof-of-concept
  • Develop and deploy the federal-wide docket management system
  • Initiate Business Process Reengineering of rulemaking process

Web Site

www.regulations.gov

 

OMB Director Mitch Daniels, Deputy Assistant Secretary for EPA, Linda Fisher and Archivist John Carlin launch the Regulations.gov web site. January 23, 2003.

Businesses and individuals can access federal regulations on the Internet, but the process of gathering regulatory information on-line can be frustrating. The public must know the agencies responsible for developing a regulation in order to view it through individual agency Web sites or the Federal Register. Additionally, on-line access to comments about regulations, along with other supporting documents, is limited. Individuals and businesses should be able to easily and quickly learn about regulations that may affect them, making such gaps in on-line access to the regulatory process unacceptable.

The E-Rulemaking initiative will close these gaps and transform the current rulemaking process by improving the access to, and quality of, the rulemaking process for individuals, businesses, and other government entities while streamlining and increasing the efficiency of internal agency processes. Key initiative objectives include:

  • Creating a government-wide, centralized on-line capability to access and search all publicly available regulatory material
  • Providing an easy and consistent way for the public to find and comment on proposed rules
  • Building a unified, cost-effective “back room” regulatory management system to ensure efficiency, economies of scale, and consistency for public customers and the government

American University Provost Corneluis Kerwin, Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, OMB John Graham, Archivist John Carlin, Administrator, Office of E-Gov and IT, OMB, Mark Forman, and Deputy Assistant Secretary Linda Fisher at the launch of Regulations.gov. January 23, 2003.

The initial step of E-Rulemaking will be to create Regulations.gov, a government-wide docket system that will provide a single Internet access point to all Federal regulatory material and offer the public a centralized portal to simultaneously search all open Federal Register Notices (FRNs). Regulations.gov will be searchable by keyword and agency and will provide the public with an easy way to comment on proposed rules.

E-Rulemaking will benefit both the public and the government. It will create a more citizen-centric regulatory process by improving on-line access to regulatory material. The initiative will also improve the quality of decision-making by increasing opportunities for individuals and businesses to provide input on proposed regulations. Additionally, Regulations.gov will enable the government to achieve significant cost savings by eliminating redundant information technology systems and work processes among agencies.

Fast Fact

The current annual cost of operating docketing processes across government is estimated at over $30 million.