New Regulations In Final Months Of Bush Administration

With the end of the Bush Administration in sight and several possible regulatory changes in the pipe at Social Security, it is a good time to review what the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is telling federal agencies. What OMB says matters since OMB has to approve any proposed regulations before they go in the Federal Register. Here is an excerpt from a recent memo from OMB to federal agencies:

Every regulatory agency and department has a responsibility for continuing to ensure regulations issued in this final year are in the best interests of the Alnerican public. To the extent pennitted by law, the heads of executive departments and agencies should continue to minilnize costs and maxilnize benefits for each of their upcoming regulations, and should avoid issuing regulations that are unnecessary. Except in extraordinary circumstances, regulations to be finalized in this Administration should be proposed no later than June 1, 2008, and final regulations should be issued no later than November 1, 2008.