Since 2001, Regulatory Checkbook has performed scholarly research on information quality; regulatory science, economics, and procedure; and paperwork reduction. Each of our separate programs is highlighted by a tab on the left.
INFORMATION QUALITY
The federal Information Quality Act directed the US Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to issue government-wide regulations or guidelines "for ensuring and maximizing the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of information (including statistical information) disseminated by Federal agencies." The law requires OMB to direct agencies to establish administrative systems whereby affected persons (essentially anyone) may seek and obtain the correction of error. The OMB Guidelines were finalized in Febrary 2002. By October 1, 2002, each federal agency was required to issue its own agency-specific guidelines modeled on (and consistent with) the OMB Guidelines.
Regulatory Checkbook maintains a database consisting of every publicly-available error correction request submitted to each federal agency. As of September 30, 2010:
REGULATORY OVERSIGHT
Regulatory Checkbook's initial foray into regulatory oversight was the design and implementation of a scheme for grading regulatory impact analyses prepared by federal agencies. This scheme established what at the time was considered a generous standard for satisfactory performance. For example, to earn a grade of F, an agency regulatory impact analysis had to include an error so great that an agency head reasonably in tune with Congressional instructions, as contained in the statute delegating legislative authority to the agency, plausibly would have made a different decision. It was discovered that errors of this magnitude were endemic, thus destroying the grading scheme's ability to distinguish between high- and low-quality work.
Our sister nonprofit organization, Neutral Source, was established in 2006 to provide a venue for more informal communications on these issues. Both Regulatory Checkbook and Neutral Source do not engage in advocacy on substantive regulatory matters.
INFORMATION QUALITY
The federal Information Quality Act directed the US Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to issue government-wide regulations or guidelines "for ensuring and maximizing the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of information (including statistical information) disseminated by Federal agencies." The law requires OMB to direct agencies to establish administrative systems whereby affected persons (essentially anyone) may seek and obtain the correction of error. The OMB Guidelines were finalized in Febrary 2002. By October 1, 2002, each federal agency was required to issue its own agency-specific guidelines modeled on (and consistent with) the OMB Guidelines.
Regulatory Checkbook maintains a database consisting of every publicly-available error correction request submitted to each federal agency. As of September 30, 2010:
- 215 error correction requests were submitted.
- Agencies had responded to 193 of them after an average delay of 138 days.
- 61 agency responses were appealed.
- Agencies had responded to 46 appeals.
REGULATORY OVERSIGHT
Regulatory Checkbook's initial foray into regulatory oversight was the design and implementation of a scheme for grading regulatory impact analyses prepared by federal agencies. This scheme established what at the time was considered a generous standard for satisfactory performance. For example, to earn a grade of F, an agency regulatory impact analysis had to include an error so great that an agency head reasonably in tune with Congressional instructions, as contained in the statute delegating legislative authority to the agency, plausibly would have made a different decision. It was discovered that errors of this magnitude were endemic, thus destroying the grading scheme's ability to distinguish between high- and low-quality work.
Our sister nonprofit organization, Neutral Source, was established in 2006 to provide a venue for more informal communications on these issues. Both Regulatory Checkbook and Neutral Source do not engage in advocacy on substantive regulatory matters.
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