View source for Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs

{{Short description|Subagency within the US Government}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox government agency
| agency_name     = Office of Information<br />and Regulatory Affairs
| nativename      = OIRA
| seal            = US-OfficeOfManagementAndBudget-Seal.svg
| seal_width      = 150
| seal_caption    = 
| preceding1      = Office of Regulatory and Information Policy
| parent_agency   = [[United States Office of Management and Budget|Office of Management and Budget]]
| formed          = 1980
| jurisdiction    = [[Federal government of the United States]]
| headquarters    = [[Washington, D.C.]]
| employees       = 
| chief1_position = Administrator
| chief1_name     = [[Richard Revesz]]
| budget          = 
| website         = [https://www.reginfo.gov/public/ Official Website]
| footnotes       = 
}}
{{US administrative law}}
The '''Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs''' ('''OIRA''' {{IPAc-en|oʊ|ˈ|aɪ|r|ə}} {{Respell|oh|EYE|rə}}) is a division within the [[Office of Management and Budget]] under the [[Executive Office of the President]]. OIRA oversees the implementation of government-wide policies in, and reviews draft regulations under, [[Executive Order 12866]], the [[Paperwork Reduction Act]], and the [[Information Quality Act]].

==Tasks==
OIRA reviews draft rules that it receives from federal agencies under the three laws noted in the preamble to this article, and develops and oversees the implementation of government-wide policies in the areas of information technology, information policy, privacy, and statistical policy.

As one step in the entire rulemaking process (as explained in more detail in [[United States administrative law]]), OIRA reviews draft rules and regulations under [[s:Executive Order 12866|12866]] from 1993.<ref>as amended by Executive Orders 13258 and 13422 in 2007, [[s:Executive Order 13563|13563]] in 2011 and Executive Orders 13771 and 13777 in 2017.</ref> Executive Order 12866 describes OIRA's role in the rulemaking process and directs agencies to follow certain principles, such as consideration of alternatives and analysis of impacts, both benefits and costs. OIRA reviews draft regulations to ensure agency compliance with this executive order.

==History and jurisdiction==

===Cost/benefit analysis—Executive Order 12866 and its predecessors===
Presidential regulatory principles and the centralized review of draft regulations had been part of U.S. regulatory development for decades. [[President Nixon]]'s "[[Quality of Life]]" program involved such review, and [[President Ford]]'s {{Executive Order|11821}} in 1974 required agencies to prepare [[inflation]]/economic impact statements. 

A predecessor office had existed at [[Office of Management and Budget]], OMB, an agency within the Executive Office of the President for many years; from 1977 to 1981, it was briefly at the Department of Commerce. It continued with President [[Jimmy Carter]]'s {{Executive Order|12044}} on "Improving Government Regulations."

Today, about 20% of all regulations [https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/eoPackageMain flow through] OIRA for cost-benefit regulatory review under [[Executive Order 12866]].

===Paperwork Reduction Act, 1981===
[[Congress of the United States|Congress]] passed the [[Paperwork Reduction Act]] of 1980 ({{USPL|96|511}}) and its successor, the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 ({{USPL|104|13}}), that established OIRA in the OMB. 

The OMB review process became more formalized in 1981 with President [[Ronald Reagan]]'s {{Executive Order|12291}}. During his administration, the White House had reviewed 2,000 to 3,000 regulations per year.<ref name=Copeland/> It continued during the [[George H. W. Bush]] Administration and the first nine months of the [[Presidency of Bill Clinton|Clinton administration]].

In September 1993, President Bill Clinton issued {{Executive Order|12866}}, and the total dropped to between 500 and 700 annually.<ref name=Copeland>Curtis W. Copeland. 2009. [https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL32397.pdf Federal Rulemaking: The Role of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs]. Congressional Research Service.</ref> 
The executive order states OIRA should focus on "economically significant" rules.<ref name=EO12866>{{Executive Order|12866}}</ref> Of the 500 to 700 rules reviewed by OIRA annually, about 100 have been classified as "economically significant".<ref name=Copeland/> In 1995, the Paperwork Reduction Act was updated.

In January 2007, President George W. Bush signed {{Executive Order|13422}}, which changed the rules as of July 24, 2007.<ref name=house /> The Executive Order covers federal agencies' "guidance documents", in addition to regulations. Its stated purpose was to ensure that agencies comply with the regulatory principles stated in Executive Order 12866 and that the President's policies are reflected in agency rules. It also specified procedures for the resolution of conflicts between or among agencies. In July 2007, controversy arose in the U.S. Congress over this order giving the OIRA additional powers.<ref name=house>{{cite web|last1=Abrams|first1=Jim|title=House Balks at Bush Order for New Powers|url=http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/07/04/2296|website=Commondreams.org|publisher=Associated Press|access-date=15 June 2014|date=July 4, 2007}}</ref> The [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] voted to prohibit OIRA from spending federal money on Executive Order 13422.<ref name=house />

In January 2011, President [[Barack Obama]] issued Executive Order 13563 to improve regulation and regulatory review.

OIRA guides and coordinates agencies with respect to Circular A4, Information Quality Guidelines, and the Bulletin for Agency Good Guidance Practices.{{cn|date=February 2017}}

==Organization==
The office has five branches:
# Food, Health, and Labor Branch  
# Information Policy Branch 
# Natural Resources and Environment Branch
# Statistical & Science Policy Branch
# Transportation and Security Branch

==Administrators==
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!Image
!Name
!Start date
!End date
|-
|[[File:James C. Miller III.jpg|60px]]
|[[James C. Miller III]]
|January 1981
|September 1981
|-
|[[File:Christopher DeMuth - 2014.06.12 (2).JPG|60px]]
|[[Christopher C. DeMuth]]
|October 1981
|May 1984
|-
|[[File:Ginsburg-Douglas.jpg|60px]]
|[[Douglas H. Ginsburg]]
|1984
|1985
|-
|
|[[Wendy Lee Gramm]]
|October 1985
|February 1988
|-
|[[File:S. Jay Plager 1987.jpg|60px]]
|[[S. Jay Plager]]
|1988
|1989
|-
|
|Jim MacRae (acting)
|1989
|1993
|-
|
|[[Sally Katzen]]
|1993
|1998
|-
|
|Don Arbuckle (acting)
|March 1997 
|June 1999
|-
|
|John T. Spotila
|July 1999
|December 2000
|-
|
|Don Arbuckle (acting)
|January 2001
|July 2001
|-
|[[File:Graham John D.jpg|60px]]
|[[John Graham (policy analyst)|John Graham]]
|2001 
|March 2006
|-
|
|Steve Aiken (acting)
|April 2006
|March 2007
|-
|
|[[Susan Dudley]]
|April 4, 2007
|January 20, 2009
|-
|
|Kevin Neyland (acting)
|January 20, 2009
|September 2009
|-
|[[File:Cass Sunstein (2008).jpg|60px]]
|[[Cass Sunstein]]
|September 2009
|August 21, 2012
|-
|
|[[Boris Bershteyn]] (acting) 
|August 21, 2012
|June 27, 2013
|-
|[[File:Howard Shelanski April 2016.jpeg|60px]]
|[[Howard Shelanski]]<ref>[https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2013/04/25/presidential-nominations-sent-senate Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate], April 25, 2013, White House archive.</ref>
|June 27, 2013
|January 20, 2017
|-
|
|Dominic Mancini (acting)
|January 20, 2017
|July 18, 2017
|-
|[[File:Neomi Rao official photo (cropped).jpg|60px]]
|[[Neomi Rao]]<ref>[https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/04/07/president-donald-j-trump-announces-intent-nominate-personnel-key President Donald J Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Personnel to Key Administration Posts] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170408004505/https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/04/07/president-donald-j-trump-announces-intent-nominate-personnel-key |date=2017-04-08 }}, April 7, 2017, White House.</ref>
|July 18, 2017
|March 18, 2019
|-
|
|Dominic Mancini (acting)
|March 2019
|
|-
|
|[[Paul J. Ray]] (acting)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hillsdale.edu/news-and-media/press-releases/hillsdale-college-alumnus-to-lead-office-of-information-and-regulatory-affairs/|title=Hillsdale College Alumnus to Lead Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs}}</ref>
|March 2019
|January 10, 2020
|-
|-
|
|[[Paul J. Ray]]
|January 10, 2020
|January 20, 2021
|-
|
|Dominic Mancini (acting)
|January 20, 2021
|April 22, 2021
|-
|[[File:Sharon Block, May 2016 (cropped).jpg|60px]]
|[[Sharon Block (government official)|Sharon Block]] (acting)
|April 22, 2021
|February 1, 2022
|-
|
|Dominic Mancini (acting)
|February 1, 2022
|January 2023
|-
|[[File:Richardrevesz.jpg|60px]]
|[[Richard Revesz]]
|January 2023
|present
|}

==Criticism==
''[[ProPublica]]'' released an investigation into the division as one that has since its creation had significant but little-known power to alter regulations. It has been controversial since its inception in the 1980s. It has been given significant authority over administrative agencies through executive orders signed by presidents of both parties. It also conducts much of its business in secret and is exempt from most [[Freedom of Information Act (United States)|Freedom of Information Act]] requests. It also "routinely declines to release the changes it has proposed, the evidence it has relied upon to make them, or the identities and affiliations of White House advisers and other agencies' staff it has consulted". It has also been successfully used by lobbyists to alter draft regulations, with a 2003 GAO report stating "'regulated parties,' typically corporations or their lobbyists, frequently get what they want after meetings with OIRA."<ref name=":0">{{cite news |last=Rogers |first=Heather |date=July 31, 2014 |title=Lobbyists Bidding to Block Government Regs Set Sights on Secretive White House Office |url=https://www.propublica.org/article/lobbyists-bidding-block-government-regs-sights-set-secretive-white-house |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140801022625/https://www.propublica.org/article/lobbyists-bidding-block-government-regs-sights-set-secretive-white-house |archive-date=August 1, 2014 |access-date=August 7, 2014 |work=[[ProPublica]]}}</ref>

A 2011 report from the Center on Progressive Reform stated that in 10 years, OIRA altered 84 percent of EPA rule submissions (as well as 65 percent of proposed rules from other agencies).
The EPA's new rules on ozone pollution developed since September 2009, rolled out as tougher draft standards in January 2010, were repeatedly delayed.<ref name="mj">{{cite news |last1=Sheppard |first1=Kate |date=2 November 2011 |title=Obama to Breathers: Sorry, Wait Until 2013 |url=https://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2011/11/obama-bush-environment-oira |access-date=24 June 2014 |work=Mother Jones}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

== See also ==
* [[Council on Wage and Price Stability]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{official website|1=https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/information-regulatory-affairs/|2=Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs}}
*[https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/regulatory-information-service-center Regulatory Information Service Center] in the [[Federal Register]]
*[http://www.reginfo.gov/public/ RegInfo: Where to find Federal Regulatory Information]
*[https://www.archives.gov/federal_register/executive_orders/disposition_tables.html Archive of U.S. Executive Orders]
*[http://www.thecre.com/eu-oira/what_is.htm What is OIRA?] [[Center for Regulatory Effectiveness|thecre.com]]
*[http://www.thecre.com/ombpapers/centralrev.html History OMB Regulatory Review]
*[https://whitehousetransitionproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/WHTP2021-21-OMB-an-Insiders-Guide-1.pdf#page=53 The White House Transitions Project’s Insider’s Guide to OMB]
*[https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/rego.12337 The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs and the durability of regulatory oversight in the United States]. By Susan E. Dudley for Regulation & Governance, 20 July, 2020.

{{EOP agencies}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Office Of Information And Regulatory Affairs}}
[[Category:Government agencies established in 1980]]
[[Category:United States Office of Management and Budget|Information and Regulatory Affairs]]