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Regulatory Reform Announcement of Proposed Executive Order To Reform the Government's Regulatory Procedures.

November 17, 1977

The President today announced that he will seek public comment on a proposed Executive order to reform the Government's regulatory procedures. For the first time, an order will not be final until the public response has been received and analyzed. Executive orders have always been published in final form in the FEDERAL REGISTER with no opportunity for the public to suggest changes in the text. This order will be published in draft form with a notice inviting public suggestions and comments.

The President's regulatory reform program aims to simplify and improve Government regulations which are often unnecessarily complex, confusing, and burdensome. Federal regulation is often cited as a source of frustration by consumers, businessmen, State and local governments, and nonprofit institutions. Difficulty in making private views known to Federal regulatory agencies is another source of frustration.

The proposed Executive order addresses some of these problems by requiring agencies to take the following actions:

--Publish a semiannual agenda of upcoming regulatory actions in order to allow all interested parties an early opportunity to provide their views on the regulation. This includes consumers, business, Congress, State and local governments, and other public groups.

--Develop a plan for all significant regulations which assures that the public's views are considered in the agency's decisions; that the regulation does not conflict with those of other agencies; that the regulation is written clearly; and that there is a specific official accountable for the regulation.

--Increase oversight by policy officials of the regulation development process to assure that regulations are in the best interest of the public.

--Prepare a regulatory analysis for all major regulations to assure that feasible alternatives have been analyzed and that the most effective and least burdensome approach has been chosen.

--Undertake a review of existing regulations.

Agencies will be allowed some flexibility to adapt these requirements to meet their unique needs.

The draft Executive order has been reviewed by all departments and agencies and many Members of Congress. The FEDERAL REGISTER notice is scheduled to appear on Friday, November 18, 1977, and solicits public comments on several specific questions related to the order. The public has until December 18 to provide comments.

Jimmy Carter, Regulatory Reform Announcement of Proposed Executive Order To Reform the Government's Regulatory Procedures. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/242814

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