This bill requires federal agencies to utilize technology to conduct more efficient and accurate retrospective reviews of existing regulations.
Mike Lee
Senator
UT
The Modernizing Retrospective Regulatory Review Act aims to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of federal regulations by leveraging technology in retrospective reviews. It mandates a report on the availability of regulations in machine-readable format and requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to issue guidance on using technology for these reviews. Furthermore, each agency must submit a retrospective review plan detailing their strategy for implementing the technology guidance. Ultimately, this act seeks to streamline regulatory processes, reduce burdens, and ensure regulations are up-to-date and effective.
Feds to Overhaul Rule Reviews with Tech: 'Modernizing Retrospective Regulatory Review Act' Kicks Off
The "Modernizing Retrospective Regulatory Review Act" is all about bringing federal rule reviews into the 21st century. Instead of dusty file cabinets, think algorithms and databases. This bill pushes agencies to use technology to spot outdated, useless, or just plain annoying regulations.
Revamping the Rulebook
The core idea here is efficiency. Within six months of the bill's passage, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), along with other key agencies, has to report to Congress on whether existing regulations are available in a "machine-readable" format. Basically, can computers easily read and analyze these rules? (Section 2(b)).
Tech-Powered Tune-Ups
Within 18 months, the OMB must issue guidance on how agencies can use tech to do better, cheaper, and more accurate reviews (Section 2(c)). This includes finding and using tools to identify regulations that are:
- Obsolete: Like rules about fax machines in the age of email.
- Ineffective: They don't actually achieve their goals.
- Excessively burdensome: Costing businesses or individuals way too much time or money.
- Full of errors: Typos, outdated references, you name it.
- Redundant: Overlapping with other rules, creating confusion.
Agency Action Plans
Within two years, each agency has to submit a plan for how they'll use this tech guidance to review their regulations (Section 2(d)). They need to identify which rules need a closer look and explain their strategy. And within 180 days of submitting that plan, they have to actually start implementing it (Section 2(e)).
Real-World Impact (and Potential Hiccups)
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For Businesses: Imagine a small bakery that's been struggling with a confusing food safety regulation. If this bill works as intended, that regulation might get flagged for review and potentially simplified or eliminated.
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For Individuals: Think about those outdated tax forms you have to fill out every year. This could, in theory, lead to a more streamlined and user-friendly process.
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The Catch: The bill's success hinges on how well agencies actually use this technology. There's always the risk that "obsolete" or "burdensome" could become code words for gutting important protections, depending on who's in charge. The bill doesn’t specify penalties for non-compliance, which could be a challenge.
The Big Picture
This bill is part of a broader push for "regulatory reform." The idea is to make government more efficient and less of a headache for businesses and individuals. But it's crucial to make sure that streamlining regulations doesn't mean sacrificing public safety, environmental protection, or other important safeguards. It all comes down to how the bill is implemented and which regulations are targeted for review.