Category Archives: regulation

The spring 2020 Unified Agenda was published on August 17. Due four months ago, it collects every rulemaking agency’s plans for upcoming regulations. The fall 2020 edition is due in October, and this analyst is skeptical that it will appear on time. The number of new rules this year surpassed 2,000 last week. The 2020 Federal Register surpassed 50,000 pages, and is on pace to exceed last year’s edition by more than 12 percent. Regulatory agencies issued new regulations ranging from cooking with energy to contact lens prescriptions.

On to the data:

• Last week, 78 new final regulations were published in the Federal Register, after 51 the previous week.
• That’s the equivalent of a new regulation every two hours and nine minutes.
• Federal agencies have issued 2,061 final regulations in 2020. At that pace, there will be 3,161 new final regulations. Last year’s total was 2,964 regulations.
• There were 24 proposed regulations in the Federal Register last week, for a total of 1,380 on the year. At that pace, there will be 2,169 new proposed regulations in 2020. Last year’s total was 2,146 proposed regulations.
• Last week, agencies published 392 notices, for a total of 13,911 in 2020. At that pace, there will be 21,117 new notices this year. Last year’s total was 21,804.
• Last week, 2,082 new pages were added to the Federal Register, after 1,863 pages the previous week.
• The 2020 Federal Register totals 52,024 pages. It is on pace for 79,792 pages. The 2019 total was 70,938 pages. The all-time record adjusted page count (which subtracts skips, jumps, and blank pages) is 96,994, set in 2016.
• Rules are called “economically significant” if they have costs of $100 million or more in a given year. Three such rules have been published this year. Four such rules were published in 2019.
• The running cost tally for 2020’s economically significant regulations ranges from net savings of between $1.38 billion and $4.19 billion. 2019’s total ranges from net savings of $350 million to $650 million, mostly from estimated savings on federal spending. The exact number depends on discount rates and other assumptions.
• Agencies have published 46 final rules meeting the broader definition of “significant” so far this year. 2019’s total was 66 significant final rules.
• So far in 2020, 411 new rules affect small businesses; 18 of them are classified as significant. 2019’s totals were 501 rules affecting small businesses, with 22 of them significant.

Highlights from last week’s new regulations:

• Cost-benefit requirements for energy conservation standards, as well as requirements that they actually follow congressional statute.
• Trade adjustment assistance for workers.
• Travel restrictions between the U.S. and Mexico.
• And between the U.S. and Canada.
• Mycoplasma testing.
• The Federal Trade Commission has a new rule for contact lens prescriptions.
• Energy conservation testing procedures for cooking products.
• “Electrical Stimulation Devices for Self-Injurious or Aggressive Behavior.”
• A ban on improper guidance documents in the Justice Department.
• Guidance documents from the Office of Government Ethics.
• Improved guidance documents from the Social Security Administration.
• Isotonitazene is now a Schedule I controlled substance.
• The Federal Communications Commission’s modernization initiative continues.
• COVID-related changes to H-2A visas.
• Sulfur emissions from stationary boilers in Missouri.
• Inspection reports for commercial vehicles.
• Fee changes for immigration-related services.
• Silky shark fishing.
• Another plywood regulation.

For more data, see Ten Thousand Commandments and follow @10KC and @RegoftheDay on Twitter.

What a week. COVID-19 deaths passed 150,000, and are on pace to be 2020’s third-leading cause of death in the United States. Second-quarter GDP declined  9.5 percent from a year ago and 7 percent from the previous quarter. This was the steepest drop in U.S. history. The same day that was announced, President Trump proposed delaying the election, which is a power no incumbent politician should have. Congressional Republicans quickly shot down the proposal. In more uplifting news, NASA launched the Perseverance Mars rover, which will land in February, hopefully without the coronavirus on board. It will search for evidence of microbial Martian life. Here on Earth, regulatory agencies issued new regulations ranging from crop marketing campaigns to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) officials accessing people’s medical records.

On to the data:

• Last week, 54 new final regulations were published in the Federal Register, after 79 the previous week.
• That’s the equivalent of a new regulation every three hours and seven minutes.
• Federal agencies have issued 1,877 final regulations in 2020. At that pace, there will be 3,171 new final regulations. Last year’s total was 2,964 regulations.
• There were 38 proposed regulations in the Federal Register last week, for a total of 1,284 on the year. At that pace, there will be 2,169 new proposed regulations in 2020. Last year’s total was 2,191 proposed regulations.
• Last week, agencies published 406 notices, for a total of 13,049 in 2020. At that pace, there will be 22,650 new notices this year. Last year’s total was 21,804.
• Last week, 1,473 new pages were added to the Federal Register, after 1,374 pages the previous week.
• The 2020 Federal Register totals 46,530 pages. It is on pace for 78,598 pages. The 2019 total was 70,938 pages. The all-time record adjusted page count (which subtracts skips, jumps, and blank pages) is 96,994, set in 2016.
• Rules are called “economically significant” if they have costs of $100 million or more in a given year. Three such rules have been published this year. Four such rules were published in 2019.
• The running cost tally for 2020’s economically significant regulations ranges from net savings of between $1.38 billion and $4.19 billion. 2019’s total ranges from net savings of $350 million to $650 million, mostly from estimated savings on federal spending. The exact number depends on discount rates and other assumptions.
• Agencies have published 41 final rules meeting the broader definition of “significant” so far this year. 2019’s total was 66 significant final rules.
• So far in 2020, 368 new rules affect small businesses; 15 of them are classified as significant. 2019’s totals were 501 rules affecting small businesses, with 22 of them significant.

Highlights from last week’s new regulations:

• The definition of “principal place of business,” which one supposes has changed for a lot of people in the COVID era.
• The Postal Service has an updated postal product list.
• Procedures for denying immigrant surety bonds.
• Due to China’s recent illiberal actions in Hong Kong, export rules for sending products there are tightening.
• Safety standards for handheld infant carriers.
• Existing Arizona landfills.
• Rules for OSHA officials accessing peoples’ medical records.
• Now that it’s 2020, safety reports for new animal drugs may be submitted electronically.
• Eligibility requirements for the federal government’s Softwood Lumber Board.
• Taconite iron ore emissions—not to be confused with taco night emissions.
• Scholarship loan repayment requirements for military veterans who work in health care.
• The Agricultural Marketing Service has new rules for issuing research and promotion orders.
• Long-chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylate and perfluoroalkyl sulfonate chemical substances.

For more data, see Ten Thousand Commandments and follow @10KC and @RegoftheDay on Twitter.

Confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States surpassed 4 million last week. Deaths surpassed 140,000. Congress returned to session after its July 4 break and is putting together another stimulus package. The 2020 Federal Register also surpassed 45,000 pages. It is averaging 315 pages per day than in past years, about 10 percent more than last year. On the bright side, baseball is back, the NBA is about to resume its season, and this analyst has missed them both. Regulatory agencies issued new regulations ranging from small satellites to lithograph emissions.

On to the data:

• Last week, 79 new final regulations were published in the Federal Register, after 71 the previous week.
• That’s the equivalent of a new regulation every two hours and eight minutes.
• Federal agencies have issued 1,811 final regulations in 2020. At that pace, there will be 3,166 new final regulations. Last year’s total was 2,964 regulations.
• There were also 59 proposed regulations in the Federal Register last week, for a total of 1,246 on the year. At that pace, there will be 2,178 new proposed regulations in 2020. Last year’s total was 2,191 proposed regulations.
• Last week, agencies published 444 notices, for a total of 12,639 in 2020. At that pace, there will be 21,624 new notices this year. Last year’s total was 21,804.
• Last week, 1,374 new pages were added to the Federal Register, after 1,773 pages the previous week.
• The 2020 Federal Register totals 45,055 pages. It is on pace for 78,768 pages. The 2019 total was 70,938 pages. The all-time record adjusted page count (which subtracts skips, jumps, and blank pages) is 96,994, set in 2016.
• Rules are called “economically significant” if they have costs of $100 million or more in a given year. Three such rules have been published this year. Four such rules were published in 2019.
• The running cost tally for 2020’s economically significant regulations ranges from net savings of between $1.38 billion and $4.19 billion. 2019’s total ranges from net savings of $350 million to $650 million, mostly from estimated savings on federal spending. The exact number depends on discount rates and other assumptions.
• Agencies have published 39 final rules meeting the broader definition of “significant” so far this year. 2019’s total was 66 significant final rules.
• So far in 2020, 346 new rules affect small businesses; 14 of them are classified as significant. 2019’s totals were 501 rules affecting small businesses, with 22 of them significant.

Highlights from last week’s new regulations:

• A regulation to prevent Social Security Number fraud—from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
• The Federal Aviation Administration issued 16 new regulations.
• The Corporation for Community and Public Service issued new procedures for issuing guidance documents.
• A correction to a recent pipeline regulation.
• The Drug Enforcement Administration is revising its registration fees for listing chemicals as controlled substances or Schedule I substances.
• Four species will not be added to the endangered species list.
• Entities.
• Swap exemptions for certain entities.
• Emissions rules for tire manufacturers.
• And lime manufacturers. The cement and construction kind, not the citrus fruit.
• New Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules for satellites communicating with each other.
• COVID-related travel restrictions to and from Mexico.
• And Canada.
• The Food and Drug Administration is exempting certain Class II medical devices from premarket notification requirements—as they should during a pandemic.
• Trafficking arms to the Central African Republic.
• Now that it’s 2020, the FCC is allowing multichannel video programming distributors, or MVPS, communications to occur electronically.
• Emissions from lithographic and letter presses in Missouri.
• “Regulatory Considerations for Human Cells, Tissues, and Cellular and Tissue-Based Products.”
• Perchlorate in drinking water.
• Sea scallops.
• Ethical standards at the National Labor Relations Board.
• Licensing procedures for small satellites are being streamlined.

For more data, see Ten Thousand Commandments and follow @10KC and @RegoftheDay on Twitter.