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 - 2008 October 2003 Press Releases   October 31 - McCain, Reed, DeWine, Lieberman to Offer Gun Show Background Check Amendment to Gun Immunity Bill   October 30 - Dodd, Lieberman Announce Grants for Connecticut Fire Fighters   October 30 - Lieberman Condemns Bush Administration Plan to Open Wilderness-like Lands to Oil and Gas Industry   October 29 - Lieberman Queries DHS on Insecurity of Plum Island   October 28 - Senators Question Weaknesses in Border Protection, Especially Risk Assessment of Cargo   October 27 - Lieberman Mourns District's First Elected Mayor   October 24 - Lieberman Seeks Investigation of Ricin Response   October 24 - Senators Seek Investigation of Impact of CIA Agent's Exposure   October 23 - Barbara Kennelly Post Office in Hartford Approved by Committee   October 22 - D.C. Should Have More Control Over Its Own Money   October 22 - Senators Question Excessive Reliance on Consultants for Proposed Outsourcing of Immigration Information Officers   October 22 - Lieberman, Durbin: GAO Study Shows Federal Regulatory Process Still not Open to the Public   October 21 current Press Release   October 17 - DOD Privacy Protections Questioned by Bipartisan Trio Collection of JetBlue Passenger Information May Have Violated the Law   October 17 - Lieberman to White House: Speed Up Document Production for September 11th Commission   October 15 - Democrats Seek Security Training for Flight Crews   October 15 - Lieberman Reacts to 9/11 Commission Decision to Subpoena Administration for Documents   October 14 - Lieberman Pushes for Bio-Terror Preparedness on Second Anniversary of Senate Anthrax Attack   October 10 - Lieberman Says DHS and Department of Education Should Work to Prepare Schools for Terrorist Attacks   October 10 - Lieberman Questions Administration Commitment to Clean Air Litigation   October 8 - Lieberman, Jeffords Seek Plans for Protection of Water, Other Vital Services   October 8 - Lieberman, Dodd Announce Grants for Connecticut Fire Fighters   October 3 - Sunshine for Iraqi Reconstruction Projects Included in Iraqi Spending Bill   October 3 - Lieberman, Levin Introduce Improved Independent Counsel Law   October 2 - Administration Preparing to Let Air Polluters Off Hook
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