Overnight Regulation: Obama’s reg czar takes the hot seat

Welcome to OVERNIGHT REGULATION, your daily rundown of news from Capitol Hill and beyond. It’s Tuesday evening here in Washington, where celebrities Taylor Swift and Richard Gere were spotted today on Capitol Hill.

Here’s the latest:

 

THE BIG STORY

The Obama administration’s regulatory czar will be on the hot seat Wednesday as he testifies before what promises to be a hostile group of House Republicans.

The White House’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) is responsible for scrutinizing new regulations and conducting regulatory reviews of old regulations to make sure they are cost effective and achieve their stated purpose.

OIRA Administrator Howard Shelanski will update the House Judiciary Committee on the progress his agency is making toward weeding out unnecessary regulations. http://1.usa.gov/1GkllWr

{mosads}Shelanski is expected to call for efficient regulations that protect the public while imposing reasonable costs on businesses.

But his visit comes as Republicans are pushing regulatory reform legislation that would roll back the Obama administration’s rulemaking power.

“Beneficial regulation must remain consistent with the overarching goals of job creation, economic growth, and public safety,” Shelanski will say, according to testimony released Tuesday.

“Ensuring regulatory flexibility for small businesses and reducing regulatory burdens for everyone through the retrospective review process are high priorities for OIRA,” he will testify.

Shelanski will testify again Thursday before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. http://1.usa.gov/1Cst8Gq

 

ON TAP FOR WEDNESDAY

The Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee will hold a full committee hearing on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s semi-annual report to Congress. http://1.usa.gov/1fuBtj1

The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation’s Consumer Protection, Product Safety, Insurance and Data Security Subcommittee will hold a hearing to examine the governance and integrity of international soccer. http://1.usa.gov/1f0HTp4

The House Small Business Committee will hold a hearing on small business utilization of unmanned aircrafts. http://1.usa.gov/1Gcss2U

The House Natural Resources Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the future of hydraulic fracturing on federally managed lands. http://1.usa.gov/1IYBqHy

The House Agriculture Nutrition Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the past, present and future of SNAP, the Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program. http://1.usa.gov/1gxgPPy

The House Judiciary Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law Subcommittee will hold a hearing to discuss oversight of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. http://1.usa.gov/1UKB0Jz

 

TOMORROW’S REGS TODAY

The Obama administration will publish 153 new regulations, proposed rules, notices, and other administrative actions in Wednesday’s edition of the Federal Register.

Here’s what to watch for:

–The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will consider loosening the requirements for flying clubs.

The FAA is reviewing a petition by the Aircraft Owner and Pilots Association (AOPA) that would “lower barriers” for new flying clubs as they relate to the compensation of flight instructors and the maintenance crew.

“These revisions allow flight instructors and mechanics who are club members to receive monetary compensation for services provided to club members,” the agency wrote.

The public has 30 days to comment. http://bit.ly/1Jg4PZy

–The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will propose new rules that would make it easier for elderly and disabled persons to have groceries delivered to their homes.

The USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is looking to expand the number of government and non-profit organizations that participate in a food purchasing and delivery service program.

These programs are intended to help people who are 60 years or older, or physically or mentally handicapped, by shopping for their food and delivering it to their homes.

The proposed rules would “increase the accessibility to the program for homebound elderly and disabled persons,” the agency wrote.

The public has 60 days to comment. http://bit.ly/1HIUMLy

–Financial regulators will issue a new risk-based capital rule for large international banks.

The Department of the Treasury, Federal Reserve, and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) will oversee the regulatory capital framework of international banks. The agencies are correcting errors made in the proposed rule.

The new rule goes into effect on Oct. 1. http://bit.ly/1K6hQHS

–The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) will propose new safety measures for natural gas pipelines.

The safety measures already apply to gas lines that service single-family homes, but the proposed rules would expand the protections to multi-family units and small businesses.

These devices in question, known as excess flow valves, help reduce the risk of accidents, the agency notes. 

The public has 60 days to comment. http://bit.ly/1HIUyEa

 

NEWS RIGHT NOW

Blood: Senate Democrats are urging the Obama administration to complete rolling back the lifetime ban on gay and bisexual men donating blood. http://bit.ly/1CCoGoY

GMOs: Legislation to create a federal standard for voluntarily labeling foods containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and preempting states from enacting their own mandatory labeling laws advanced Tuesday in the House. http://bit.ly/1CCoIgI

Agency funding: A Senate Appropriations subcommittee on Tuesday advanced a bill that would fund the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the next fiscal year. http://bit.ly/1HuMvf1

Boot camp: House lawmakers have introduced legislation to ban the practice of gay conversion therapy and other forms of child abuse at youth boot camps and residential treatment programs. http://bit.ly/1gzQ8d2

USPS: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is courting postal workers on the campaign trail. http://bit.ly/1Rx98cF

Disaster declarations: New research shows that states that are highly competitive in presidential elections are twice as likely to receive presidential disaster declarations — and the financial aid that comes with them, NPR reports. http://n.pr/1O4y9FX

DNA: People convicted of crimes through inconclusive or outdated DNA testing procedures should be allowed new tests using the latest technological advances without regard to a three-year time limit set by law, a federal appeals court ruled. http://bit.ly/1f0Ehn6

Spying: The American Civil Liberties Union on Tuesday asked a federal appeals court to partially shut down the National Security Agency program that collects Americans’ phone records in bulk, The New York Times reported. http://nyti.ms/1Ob39Vw

 

BY THE NUMBERS

1983: The year the gay blood donation ban was instituted at the height of the national AIDS epidemic. 

1992: The last time the gay blood donation ban was updated. 

 

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I know it’s a radical idea, but why not give the American people what they want?” Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) said during a House Agriculture Committee meeting Tuesday on a bill to keep the labeling of foods that contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs) voluntary.

 

We’ll work to stay on top of these and other stories throughout the week, so check The Hill’s Regulation page (http://digital-staging.thehill.com/regulation) early and often for the latest. And send any comments, complaints or regulatory news tips our way, tdevaney@digital-staging.thehill.com or lwheeler@digital-staging.thehill.com. And follow us at @timdevaney and@wheelerlydia.

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