Regulatory impact analysis

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Aregulatory impact analysis (RIA) is a process used by regulators and other government officials to assess the anticipated costs and benefits of a regulation. The process involves comparing the estimated effects of a regulation with the estimated effects of other regulatory and non-regulatory options, including inaction. RIAs are used by the federal government to inform therulemaking andregulatory review processes.[1][2][3]
Background
In 1981, PresidentRonald Reagan's Executive Order 12291 required federal regulatory agencies (excluding those defined asindependent) to conduct a regulatory impact analysis of any proposedeconomically significant rules (referred to asmajor rules at the time).[4]Executive Order 12866, issued by PresidentBill Clinton in 1993, established a framework for conducting RIAs and mandated them for allsignificant regulatory actions, including economically significant rules. Before asignificant regulatory action can bepromulgated, the regulation and supporting analysis (including the agency's RIA) must be reviewed by theOffice of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA).[1][2][5]
RIA process
Purpose
A guidance document issued by theU.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 2016 gave the following explanation of the purpose of conducting an RIA:
| “ | The most important goals of the RIA are (1) to indicate whether Federal regulation is necessary and justified, and, if so, (2) to identify the regulatory option that is most economically efficient, providing the largest net benefits to society. A well-conducted RIA has numerous additional benefits. It develops the evidence to support well-informed decision-making and supplies a record of the data, assumptions, and analyses considered – providing a reasonable basis for rulemaking as required by theAdministrative Procedure Act.[1][6] | ” |
Content
According to an RIA guidance document issued by theU.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 2016, all RIAs address the following:
| “ | The RIA describes the effects of the regulation rather than advocating a particular approach. The arguments supporting the agency’s decision are provided separately in the preamble to theFederal Register notice for the proposed and final regulation. The core of the RIA is an assessment of the benefits and costs of regulatory and other policy options in comparison to a “without regulation” (or “no action”) baseline. In addition, the RIA includes supplementary analyses that respond to various statutory and administrative requirements.[1][6] | ” |
Requirements
The framework and process for RIAs conducted by federal regulatory agencies is governed by the following policies:[1]
- Executive Order 12866 (Bill Clinton, 1993)
- Executive Order 13563 (Barack Obama, 2011)
- Guidance documents fromOMB andOIRA
- In particular, OMBCircular-A4
All RIAs include an assessment of the estimated costs and benefits of a regulation. RIAs conducted by federal agencies may also include an assessment of the distribution of a regulation's impacts or address additional requirements under the following statutes andexecutive orders:[1]
- Paperwork Reduction Act
- Executive Order 13132, “Federalism"
- Regulatory Flexibility Act
- Section 1102(b) of theSocial Security Act, pertaining to small rural hospitals
- Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act
- Unfunded Mandates Reform Act
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑1.01.11.21.31.41.5Department of Health and Human Services, "Guidelines for Regulatory Impact Analysis," 2016
- ↑2.02.1Mercatus Center, "The Role of Regulatory Impact Analysis in Federal Rulemaking," April 10, 2014
- ↑Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, "Regulatory Impact Analysis," accessed August 4, 2017
- ↑National Archives, "Executive Order 12291," accessed August 10, 2017
- ↑Environmental Encyclopedia, "Regulatory Review," 2003
- ↑6.06.1Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.