Government Matters Articles

Congressional Quarterly Special Report on White House Regulatory Review

Subscribers to the OMB Watcher can now download a FREE copy of this week's CQ Weekly special report on John Graham and the regulatory review agenda of OMB's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), which has the power to reject or alter agency efforts to protect public health, safety and the environment. The package of stories and sidebars contains an overview on OIRA, plus a comprehensive analysis of the 18 "return letters" that OIRA has issued to various agencies since John Graham was confirmed as administrator, and an explanatory box on the regulatory tools Graham uses.

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John Graham Advises EPA to Improve Information Policies

John Graham, administrator of OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, today released a “prompt letter” to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) urging the agency to take three steps to improve public access to its information. Graham’s top priority is to have EPA establish an identification number for each facility reporting information to the agency.

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Bush Administration?s E-Government Strategy Released

Vice President Cheney recently (February 27) unveiled the administration’s plans to harness the Internet to make government more responsive and accessible, focusing mostly on transactions, such as the filing of taxes, while giving little attention to the dissemination of information.

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Graham Pushes Regulatory Priorities in President's Budget

As administrator of the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) -- which has authority to review and possibly reject or amend agency regulatory proposals -- John Graham is pressing agencies to adopt particular analytical methods to assess regulatory costs and benefits that would rig the result and undoubtedly lead to less protective health, safety, and environmental standards.

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DOE Forced to Turn Over Energy Task Force Documents

In a ruling that upholds the public’s right to access government information, a D.C. federal district court ordered the Department of Energy (DOE) on February 21 to hand over documents to the Natural Resources Defense Council that relate to the workings of Vice President Dick Cheney’s energy task force.

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House Passes Shays-Meehan Bill 240-189

A substitute bill sponsored by Reps. Chris Shays (R-CT) and Marty Meehan (D-MA) passed the House of Representatives at 2:40 a.m. on February 14 by a vote of 240-189. 198 Democrats and 41 Republicans voted for the bill.

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Civil Rights Group Sets Long Term Campaign Finance Reform Goals

The California-based Greenlining Institute released recommendations for campaign finance reform from a civil rights perspective on February 12, the day the House of Representatives started debating the issue. Their recommendations are based on consultations with minority and low-income community leaders and a study of campaign contribution patterns in California. While some recommendations are addressed in pending campaign finance reform legislation, others are not, and will require a continued push for reform. The recommendations are:

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    FEC To Hold Public Hearing on Proposed Internet Rules

    The Federal Election Commission (FEC) has scheduled a public hearing on its proposed rules on three Internet-related political activities.

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    Faith-Based Compromise Reached

    After months of wrangling between the House, Senate and White House, a compromise on the Administration's Faith-Based Initiative has been reached. The CARE act of 2002 (S. 1924) was introduced on February 8, and contains several major provisions. These provisions include:
    1. Tax incentives for giving,
    2. Provisions for equal treatment of nongovernmental organizations that apply for federal grants,
    3. Fast-track processing by the IRS of applications for 501(c)(3) status by small organizations applying for federal funds, and
    4. Funding for six new programs.

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    Proposed Non-Itemizer Deduction Raises Concerns

    Instead of questioning the wisdom of the tax cut enacted last summer or proposing to delay its implementation until support for key domestic investments is provided -- which is what should be done -- we now have to weigh an acknowledged valuable tax break, the non-itemizer deduction, against vitally needed federal programs.

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