President Biden’s Executive Order “Modernizing Regulatory Review” introduces significant changes in how the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) defines the economic significance of rules and approaches public engagement. Research Professor Bridget Dooling and Senior Policy Analyst Mark Febrizio consider the proposed updates in the order and how it may impact centralized regulatory review in the executive branch agencies. For additional coverage, visit Parsing the Proposals for Modernizing Review.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is proposing a new rule for Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing that seeks to simplify compliance by program participants and focus on outcomes rather than process. Policy Analyst Sarah Hay shares recommendations from her public interest comment which HUD may consider for improving public engagement and encouraging the use of joint Equity Plans among participants. Read Sarah's full commentary.

This week we celebrate the regulatory reforms of President Jimmy Carter, who set in motion a wave of deregulation that brought lower prices and better consumer choices to the airline industry, telecommunications, rail, trucking, and more. GW Regulatory Studies Center Director Susan Dudley discusses how competition in formerly-regulated markets unleashed innovation and generated lasting benefits for consumers and society as a whole, and stands out today as an underappreciated legacy of the Carter administration. For more details, read Dudley's op-ed in The Regulatory Review.

Zoey Xie and Mark Febrizio recap ten important themes in regulatory developments over the past year. While the Biden administration continued its efforts to undo Trump-era regulations during its second year, it also broke new ground in several policy areas and sought to address emerging issues in the regulatory sphere. For more details, read the full commentary.

As part of the Biden administration’s equity agenda, the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) has proposed recommendations to increase public engagement in the federal regulatory process, especially from underserved communities. GW RegStudies Center Co-Director Steven Balla and Policy Analyst Sarah Hay discuss their recent commentary  and public interest comments to explore how OIRA can make its outreach more effective. Read the full commentary at https://regulatorystudies.columbian.gwu.edu/promise-and-potential-pitfall-biden-administrations-equity-public-engagement-initiative.