FEDERALhearing transcript

Senate Hearing on the Role of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA)

Original title: REVIEWING THE OFFICE OF INFORMATION AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS' ROLE IN THE REGULATORY PROCESS

January 1, 2015

regulatory policy OIRA federal rulemaking government efficiency OMB

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The Frame

What this does

The hearing provides insight into how the federal government reviews and approves new regulations, which directly impacts the cost, scope, and implementation of federal rules affecting businesses and the public.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Federal Agencies

Agencies must submit significant regulations and guidance documents to OIRA for review before they can be finalized.

OIRA Employees

The staff of 47 individuals are responsible for the technical review and coordination of federal regulatory processes.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2015.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

This document is a transcript from a 2015 Senate subcommittee hearing examining the functions and responsibilities of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (). The hearing focused on how OIRA oversees federal agency rulemaking, reviews significant regulations, and manages government information collection.

Key Facts

OIRA was created by Congress in 1980 under the Paperwork Reduction Act.
OIRA is located within the White House's Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
OIRA reviews between 500 and 700 federal rules annually.
OIRA employs approximately 47 staff members.
OIRA's responsibilities include reviewing significant regulations, guidance documents, and retrospective review plans.
OIRA coordinates interagency compliance with laws regarding information quality.
The hearing took place on July 16, 2015, in the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is OIRA?

stands for the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, a small office within the White House's Office of Management and Budget that oversees federal agency rulemaking.

How many rules does OIRA review each year?

According to the hearing testimony, reviews between 500 and 700 rules annually.

Why It Matters

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Expansion of OIRA Scope

OIRA's role evolved from primarily managing paperwork under the Paperwork Reduction Act to acting as a central gatekeeper for all significant federal regulations via Executive Orders.

Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs

Connected Entities

personHeidi Heitkamp“Ranking Member of the Subcommittee”Map →

organizationOffice of Management and Budget“Parent agency of OIRA”Map →

organizationOffice of Information and Regulatory Affairs“The primary subject of the hearing”Map →

personHoward Shelanski“Administrator of OIRA”Map →

personJames Lankford“Chairman of the Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance60
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy20
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment10
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz5
Current news / social attention level

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