Environmental Reauthorizations and Regulatory Reform: From the 104th Congress through the 106th (CRS Report for Congress)
| Release Date |
Revised Dec. 27, 2000 |
| Report Number |
96-949 |
| Authors |
John E. Blodgett, Resources, Science, and Industry Division |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
| Older Revisions |
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Summary:
The 104th Congress addressed the environmental regulatory process by reviewing regulatory
decisionmaking processes and requiring assessments of unfunded mandates and of costs and benefits
of selected regulations; attaching specific reforms to funding bills; establishing a House corrections
day calendar for bills addressing specific regulatory problems; and incorporating regulatory reforms
into individual program reauthorization bills. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) was
directed to prepare a report on the costs and benefits of federal regulations.
The 105th Congress pursued similar regulatory reforms: proposals for comprehensive cost-
benefit/risk analysis of regulations; private property "takings" bills; revisions of individual
environmental statutes; selected riders on appropriations bills; and oversight of environmental
programs. OMB was directed to continue its report on overall regulatory impacts.
The 106th Congress permanently authorized the annual OMB report, and it enacted a 3-year
pilot
project under which Committee Chairmen or Ranking Members could ask the General Accounting
Office (GAO) to evaluate and send reports to Congress on major rules issued by federal agencies.
Section 15 of H.R. 5658 , enacted by P.L. 106-554 , required OMB to issue guidelines
for federal data quality and provided for a mechanism for public correction of erroneous data. This
report will not be updated.
