Browse regulations

Federal mandate requiring states to establish real-time traffic and travel condition monitoring programs with specific accuracy (85%), availability (90%), and timeliness (10-20 minutes) standards. Covers all Interstate highways and designated 'routes of significance' in metropolitan areas, with federal-aid funding matching at 90% for Interstate and 80% for non-Interstate routes.

Duplicates thriving private market (Google Maps, Waze, TomTom) that already provides superior real-time traffic data voluntarily through crowd-sourcing and commercial partnerships. Imposes significant compliance costs on states, creates administrative burden despite federal matching, and represents federal overreach into state transportation functions. One-size-fits-all performance mandates ignore regional variations and crowd out states' ability to prioritize limited resources based on local needs.

The regulation codifies a table of mailing addresses for sending different types of correspondence to the Drug Enforcement Administration, specifying which address to use for each purpose.

Maintaining trivial contact information as binding regulation wastes government resources, adds to the 185,000+ page CFR burden, and forces citizens to consult complex legal codes for mundane matters. Publishing addresses through standard agency channels is sufficient and eliminates these unnecessary costs while preserving accessibility.

This regulation establishes comprehensive restrictions on the sale, distribution, and use of tobacco products including cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and covered tobacco products. It sets age verification requirements (21+), packaging standards (minimum 20 cigarettes), advertising limitations (black text on white background), and prohibits free samples except in limited adult-only facilities. The stated purpose is to reduce youth tobacco use and associated health consequences.

The regulation creates significant compliance costs exceeding $2 trillion annually while failing to account for unintended consequences. Age verification requirements impose disproportionate burdens on small retailers, advertising restrictions protect established brands from competition, and free sample prohibitions eliminate harm reduction opportunities. The FDA's own data shows teen smoking rates declined before these regulations were implemented, suggesting they achieve minimal public health benefits while imposing substantial economic costs.

SCSEP is a Department of Labor program providing part-time community service jobs to low-income seniors (55+) with poor employment prospects, offering training and pathways to unsubsidized employment through partnerships with host agencies and the One-Stop system.

Federal job training for specific age groups exceeds constitutional limits, creates inefficient government-run employment programs, and distorts labor markets with hidden costs that burden taxpayers while providing questionable long-term value.

SEC regulations governing investment companies under the Investment Company Act of 1940, covering definitions, filing procedures, board governance standards (75% disinterested directors, independent counsel), application processes, incorporation by reference, and valuation methods. These rules mandate extensive procedural compliance for mutual funds and other registered investment companies.

Deletion would eliminate billions in hidden compliance costs passed to investors as fees. The labyrinthine requirements protect large incumbents from competition, raise barriers to entry, and centralize authority violating federalism. Unseen consequences include reduced innovation, higher minimum investments, and fund consolidation. Market discipline and state corporate law can adequately protect investors without this federal overreach.

Transitional regulation requiring reporting of historical swap transactions (pre-Dodd-Frank and early post-Dodd-Frank) to swap data repositories or the CFTC. Defines key terms (major swap participant, pre-enactment unexpired swap, transition swap, reporting entity, swap data repository, swap dealer) and assigns reporting responsibility primarily to swap dealers or major swap participants.

Obsolete: The compliance deadlines for reporting these historical swaps passed years ago; all relevant transactions have either been reported or expired. Keeping this dead letter adds to the CFR's 185,000-page labyrinth, undermining the rule of law principle that laws must be knowable. It imposes ongoing maintenance costs and creates legal uncertainty for no current benefit. The unseen cost of retaining obsolete regulations is a bloated, incomprehensible corpus that chills economic activity and wastes legal resources.

Defines terms and reporting thresholds for commodity futures/options market participants. Requires U.S. intermediaries to serve as agents for foreign brokers/traders for CFTC communications, with waivers possible via written agency agreements.

Compliance costs act as hidden tax, disproportionately burden small firms, and create barriers to entry. Centralized surveillance cannot replicate dispersed market knowledge and invites regulatory capture. Fraud prevention is better achieved through ex-post enforcement than ex-ante monitoring.

This regulation governs retail foreign exchange (forex) transactions, requiring dealers and associated persons to register with the CFTC, imposing minimum capital requirements ($20M+), mandating detailed risk disclosures, and establishing reporting obligations for capital deficiencies and other events.

The regulation imposes significant barriers to entry, compliance costs, and centralized control that reduce competition, raise consumer prices, and exceed the government's proper role. Retail forex trading involves voluntary transactions between informed adults; fraud and breach of contract are already illegal under existing law. The unseen costs include stifled innovation, higher fees, regulatory capture favoring large incumbents, and federal overreach into what should be state-regulated activity. True investor protection would emerge through private certification, reputation systems, industry self-regulation, and vigorous enforcement of traditional property and fraud laws at the state level.

This regulation mandates that swimming pool and spa drain covers sold in the United States must conform to specific safety standards (ANSI/APSP/ICC-16 2017) to prevent entrapment hazards, with certain provisions exempted from compliance.

This is federal overreach into product safety standards that should be handled by states or the market. The regulation creates compliance costs for manufacturers, particularly small businesses, while imposing a one-size-fits-all federal standard that may not reflect local conditions or preferences. Market forces and tort liability already provide strong incentives for manufacturers to produce safe drain covers without federal mandates.

Federal safety standard for non-full-size baby cribs requiring compliance with ASTM F406-24 (with numerous exclusions), effective June 28, 2011 for general commerce and December 28, 2012 for child care facilities.

Exceeds constitutional authority under the Tenth Amendment, imposing compliance costs that raise prices for families and create barriers to entry. Market mechanisms—liability, reputation, and private certification—can effectively ensure crib safety without federal mandates that stifle innovation and create unintended consequences like reduced supply or substitution to riskier alternatives.

Consumer product safety standard for full-size baby cribs establishing compliance requirements, testing standards, and implementation timeline to ensure infant sleeping safety in homes and commercial settings.

Regulatory compliance costs burden manufacturers and consumers, while safety standards are already addressed by voluntary industry standards (ASTM F1169-19) and market forces. The regulation creates unnecessary bureaucratic overhead without providing meaningful safety benefits beyond what would exist through private certification and liability.

This regulation establishes a consumer product safety standard for infant walkers manufactured or imported after December 21, 2010, requiring compliance with ASTM F977-22e1 safety specifications to prevent injuries to infants using these mobility devices.

The regulation imposes compliance costs on manufacturers while creating barriers to market entry for small businesses. Parents can assess safety through market signals, reviews, and liability mechanisms without federal intervention. The regulation also potentially reduces product variety and innovation in infant mobility solutions.

Mandates infant bath seats comply with ASTM F1967-24 safety standard. Requires compliance for seats manufactured/imported after Dec 6, 2010. Incorporates private standard by reference.

Mandates unnecessary federal control over a product well-regulated by market forces (liability, private standards, parental choice). Imposes compliance costs that burden small manufacturers and raise prices, while eliminating consumer sovereignty and exceeding constitutional authority.

Provides CPSC's framework to classify products as 'children's product' (intended primarily for children ≤12) under the CPSA. Uses four statutory factors (manufacturer intent, marketing, consumer perception, age guidelines) plus detailed examples across product categories. Classification subjects items to stricter safety rules including lead limits, tracking labels, and third-party testing.

Federal overreach violating Tenth Amendment federalism. Imposes complex compliance burdens that disproportionately harm small businesses, create regulatory uncertainty, and distort market incentives. Unseen effects include stifled innovation, reduced competition, misallocation of resources to paperwork, and erosion of rule of law through vague standards. Product safety is properly a state concern; market forces and tort law provide adequate protection without centralized control.

CPSC rule outlining factors for determining civil penalties for knowing violations of consumer product safety laws, including statutory factors (violation gravity, risk severity, injuries, product volume, business size) and discretionary factors (safety programs, compliance history, economic gain, cooperation).

The civil penalty framework imposes a hidden tax through compliance costs and legal uncertainty, disproportionately burdening small businesses and protecting incumbents. It violates constitutional federalism by federalizing state and local safety matters, and its vague discretionary factors invite regulatory capture and mission creep. Unseen costs—reduced innovation, higher prices, and barriers to entry—far exceed any marginal safety benefits better achieved via market mechanisms and state regulation.