Category Archives: regulation

The economy grew by 4.1 percent last quarter, which is wonderful news. The president also announced $12 billion of subsides for farmers hurt by his trade policies and met with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, achieving a handshake truce in the brewing U.S.-European Union trade conflict. Congress geared up for its annual August recess, though the Senate will remain in session for most of the month. Meanwhile, regulatory agencies passed new regulations ranging from dumpster fire emissions to caller ID.

On to the data:

• Last week, 55 new final regulations were published in the Federal Register, after 62 the previous week.
• That’s the equivalent of a new regulation every three hours and three minutes.
• Federal agencies have issued 1,899 final regulations in 2018. At that pace, there will be 3,274 new final regulations. Last year’s total was 3,236 regulations.
• Last week, 1,643 new pages were added to the Federal Register, after 1,993 pages the previous week.
• The 2018 Federal Register totals 36,335 pages. It is on pace for 62,647 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, none in the last week.
• The running compliance cost tally for 2018’s economically significant regulations is $319.1 million.
• Agencies have published 66 final rules meeting the broader definition of “significant” so far this year.
• In 2018, 318 new rules affect small businesses; 16 of them are classified as significant.

Highlights from selected final rules published last week:

• A correction to a rule banning phthalates in children’s toys which originally “contained typographical and technical errors.”
• Correction: make that two corrections.
• Information collection for caller ID.
• A literal dumpster fire regulation? Air quality standards for waste incinerators at hospitals in Ohio.
• New referendum procedures for the federal government’s mission-critical Sorghum Promotion, Research, and Information Order and Lamb Promotion, Research, and Information Order.
• Natural gas exports.
• Spearmint oil handling.
• The Homeland Security Department is giving itself some exemptions from the Privacy Act of 1974.
• 18 years after the fact, the federal government still has a Millennium Challenge Corporation. Here are new Freedom of Information Act rules for some of its records.

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

The big news this week was Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court, plus a proposed 10 percent tariff on $200 billion of Chinese goods that could take effect in late August. Things were less uneventful at regulatory agencies, with a lower-than-usual 51 new final regulations, ranging from skin disability ratings to garage door openers.

On to the data:

• Last week, 51 new final regulations were published in the Federal Register, after 64 the previous week.
• That’s the equivalent of a new regulation every three hours and 17 minutes.
• Federal agencies have issued 1,782 final regulations in 2018. At that pace, there will be 3,300 new final regulations. Last year’s total was 3,236 regulations.
• Last week, 1,115 new pages were added to the Federal Register, after 809 pages the previous week.
• The 2018 Federal Register totals 32,697 pages. It is on pace for 60,550 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, none in the last week.
• The running compliance cost tally for 2018’s economically significant regulations is $319.1 million.
• Agencies have published 63 final rules meeting the broader definition of “significant” so far this year.
• In 2018, 299 new rules affect small businesses; 16 of them are classified as significant.

Highlights from selected final rules published last week:

• Garage door opener safety standards.
• Rating skin disabilities.
• Information collection for Massachusetts cranberries.
• Piper airplanes.
• Fireworks at an upcoming Pittsburgh Steelers game.
• Archaeological artifacts from Libya.

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

America celebrated its 242^nd birthday on Wednesday, and new tariffs on $34 billion worth of Chinese goods came into effect on Friday. Meanwhile, during a four-day work week, regulators added new rules ranging from documenting non-immigrants to loan seasoning.

On to the data:

• Last week, 64 new final regulations were published in the Federal Register, after 96 the previous week.
• That’s the equivalent of a new regulation every two hours and 38 minutes.
• Federal agencies have issued 1,731 final regulations in 2018. At that pace, there will be 3,329 new final regulations. Last year’s total was 3,236 regulations.
• Last week, 809 new pages were added to the Federal Register, after 1,393 pages the previous week.
• The 2018 Federal Register totals 31,582 pages. It is on pace for 60,735                                                         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, none in the last week.
• The running compliance cost tally for 2018’s economically significant regulations is $319.1 million.
• Agencies have published 61 final rules meeting the broader definition of “significant” so far this year.
• In 2018, 281 new rules affect small businesses; 16 of them are classified as significant.

Highlights from selected final rules published last week:

• Safety standards for booster seats.
• How to bring charges against representatives of the Social Security Administration.
• Loan seasoning.
• Revising the beryllium standard.
• The 574^th regulation since 1994 for preventing collisions at sea.
• Non-public information.
• Documentation of Nonimmigrants Under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
• Reducing visas for people from Caribbean countries.
• Country of origin labeling for packed honey.

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

It was a newsy week, with Justice Kennedy’s retirement announcement, along with some big Supreme Court decisions, including the Janus decision regarding public sector unions; CEI’s Trey Kovacs has plenty to say about that. Meanwhile, the 2018 Federal Register passed the 30,000-page mark and new rules are on pace to exceed last year’s total. Agencies passed new regulations ranging from changing babies to telehealth.

On to the data:

• Last week, 96 new final regulations were published in the Federal Register, after 77 the previous week.
• That’s the equivalent of a new regulation every one hour and 45 minutes.
• Federal agencies have issued 1,667 final regulations in 2018. At that pace, there will be 3,308 new final regulations. Last year’s total was 3,236 regulations.
• Last week, 1,393 new pages were added to the Federal Register, after 1,283 pages the previous week.
• The 2018 Federal Register totals 30,773 pages. It is on pace for 61,058 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, none in the last week.
• The running compliance cost tally for 2016’s economically significant regulations is $319.1 million.
• Agencies have published 54 final rules meeting the broader definition of “significant” so far this year.
• In 2018, 277 new rules affect small businesses; 15 of them are classified as significant.

Highlights from selected final rules published last week:

• A rule regarding veterans’ health care in foreign countries.
• A June 25 regulation announces a June 20 opening date for subsistence hunting of fur seals.
• Baby-changing products.
• The Environmental Protection Agency is involved in the business of local infrastructure building. Here is a new rule for a credit assistance program it runs for water infrastructure projects.
• Changes to the federal Rural Physician Training Program.
• And a bit of housecleaning for the National Health Service Corps Program.
• As well as the Ricky Hay Hemophilia Relief Fund Program.
• A Department of Homeland Security rule for conduct at the El Centro sectoralong the U.S.-Mexico border.
• A glossary of acronyms for federal employees’ travel expense. The full 312-page document for federal employee travel policy is here.
• Iranian sanctions.
• Establishment of the Dahlonega Plateau viticultural area.
• From the Department of Neologisms, a new regulation for telehealth.

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