Correspondence

Dear Acting Director Zients:

Regulatory uncertainty plays a significant role in perpetuating a persistently weak economy and labor market. It undermines the ability of employers and entrepreneurs to hire new workers, plan for the future, and invest in growing their businesses. To help get the economy back on track and support job growth, the American people and their elected representatives must have an opportunity to review the regulatory proposals under development by the administration. 

The Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980 requires federal agencies to publish in April and October semiannual regulatory agendas in the Federal Register describing economically significant regulatory actions being developed. The administration failed to meet this statutory deadline. On July 12, 2012, we wrote to the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) seeking information concerning the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) latest regulatory proposals. Not only did OIRA fail to provide information by the date requested, an additional month passed before the committee received a response. In addition to being late, the letter was grossly unresponsive, failing to provide the information we requested. This is unacceptable. 

To read the full letter, click here. 

To read the committee's July 12th letter to OIRA, click here. 

To read OIRA's August 10th response, click here.