October 21, 2003   FEDERAL ELECTRONIC RULEMAKING PROGRESSES, BUT MORE WORK IS NEEDED New Report Examines Public Access to Proposed Regulations   WASHINGTON, D.C.—The federal government has made progress in its electronic rulemaking process, but there is much more work to be done, according to a new General Accounting Office (GAO) report requested by Senate Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Susan Collins (R-ME) and Ranking Member Joe Lieberman (D-CT). “Unfortunately, the public remains more than a mouse click away from submitting comments on proposed federal regulations,” said Senator Collins. “I’m encouraged by the steps the government has taken, especially with the introduction of Regulations.gov. But it’s still difficult to navigate through the tangled online regulatory Web sites of individual agencies.” In 1998, Congress enacted the Government Paperwork Elimination Act, which requires that by October 21, 2003, federal agencies provide the public with the option of submitting, maintaining and disclosing information electronically. The E-Government Act of 2002 further requires that public comments should be accepted “by electronic means.” The Regulations.gov Web site was created earlier this year to meet those goals, but the site has not yet been widely embraced. “The E-Government Act requires that the public be given a greater voice in the rulemaking process through use of the Internet,” said Senator Lieberman, author of that law. “The GAO found slow and inconsistent progress towards that goal. The Regulations.gov site, although functional, is barely used. And the Environmental Protection Agency was found to have made the least progress of the major regulatory agencies, which raises questions about why the EPA was designated the lead agency for the Administration's e-rulemaking initiative.” GAO cited the following reasons for the low number of public electronic submissions: -- Some federal agencies use confusing terminology to describe their links to proposed rules; -- Some agency Web sites have limited search capabilities; -- Although Regulations.gov contains 91 percent of the government’s proposed regulations open for comment, the Web site has not been widely advertised to the public, and most agency sites fail to link to it. “We applaud GAO for identifying these issues, and we are hopeful that agencies can move forward in making needed changes to Regulations.gov,” said Senators Collins and Lieberman.   ###   Printable Version   Related File(s)   Electronic Rulemaking: Efforts to Facilitate Public Participation Can Be Improved (776.3 KBs) « previous Press Release next Press Release »   1998 - 1999 - 2000 - 2001 - 2002 - 2003 - 2004 - 2005 - 2006 - 2007 October 2003 Press Releases   October 31 - Education Secretary Pledges to Work With Chairman Collins To Combat Use of Diploma Mill Degrees   October 24 - Senate Approves Collins’ Contracting Amendment in Treasury-Postal Spending Bill   October 24 - Sen. Collins Seeks Explanation of Why Contracting Waivers Have Been Granted to MCI   October 23 - Sen. Collins Pledges to Expedite Admiral Loy’s Nomination   October 22 - Committee Approves Bills Affecting Homeland Security, the Federal Workforce, and D.C.   October 22 - Committee Approves Collins’ Bill to Provide Cutting Edge Counterterrorism Equipment to Communities   October 22 - Committee Approves Collins’ Bill to Provide Budget Autonomy to the District of Columbia   October 21 current Press Release   October 20 - Collins Commends Small Business Administration for Issuing New Contracting Regulations   October 17 - DOD Privacy Protections Questioned by Bipartisan Trio; Collection of JetBlue Passenger Information May Have Violated the Law   October 17 - Chairman Collins Introduces Bill to Create National Women’s History Museum   October 15 - Sen. Collins Takes Steps to Strengthen U.S. Seaports Against Terrorist Attacks   October 9 - Chairman Collins Commends FDA for Issuing New Food Safety Regulations   October 2 - Senate Governmental Affairs Committee Approves Department of Homeland Security Nomination   October 2 - Chairman Collins Introduces Bill to Improve Mental Health Services for Children   October 1 - Chairman Collins Calls for Federal Real Property Reform
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 340 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510