The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) has issued guidance to agencies to encourage more public feedback in Federal rulemaking, including through a new web portal that makes it easier for citizens to provide their feedback.
“This guidance is part of a broader effort by OIRA to encourage public engagement from those that have not historically engaged with the regulatory process,” Sam Berger, the associate administrator of OIRA, said in a Dec. 20 blog post.
“Federal regulations can affect many different communities – from families with children to workers to small businesses and entrepreneurs. Members of the public are often the best situated to identify and explain the potential effects of a regulation, identify impacts that can be difficult to measure, and offer creative approaches to challenging problems,” he added. “OIRA benefits from receiving a diverse array of perspectives from the public during regulatory review.”
The guidance explains that the new web portal allows citizens to easily comment on proposed regulations, find and request meetings about regulations, and view detailed information about OIRA’s pending and concluded reviews of significant rulemakings.
OIRA is also encouraging feedback by providing plain language information on its website to help individuals prepare for these meetings, posting how-to videos on how to request meetings, and offering public trainings on effective participation in these meetings.
This guidance comes after members of the public provided input to OIRA through a comment process and listening session.
While the new guidance brings several changes, OIRA stressed that the nature of these regulatory meetings will remain the same.
“These meetings will continue to be an opportunity for individuals outside the government to share whatever views, data, and analysis on a draft regulatory action they choose,” Berger said.
