Browse regulations

This regulation establishes policies for responding to demands for NARA records or employee testimony in legal proceedings, requiring prior approval from the General Counsel and imposing conditions on disclosure of information.

This regulation creates unnecessary bureaucratic barriers to accessing government information and testimony, imposing complex approval processes and fees that can delay justice and increase costs for litigants. The extensive discretion given to officials allows arbitrary denial of legitimate requests, while the fee structure creates a financial barrier to accessing public records. These provisions protect government interests at the expense of transparency and due process, violating principles of open government and equal access to legal proceedings.

Federal TEACH Grant program provides education funding to students who commit to teaching in high-need fields at low-income schools for four years within eight years of graduation, with grants converting to loans if service obligation isn't met.

Creates perverse incentives and bureaucratic overhead while distorting education labor markets. The program forces students into specific career paths with financial penalties, undermining free choice in education and employment. It also creates a complex regulatory framework that imposes compliance costs on institutions while failing to address the root causes of teacher shortages - instead using government coercion to solve what should be market-driven employment decisions.

Establishes federal procedures for approving standardized tests used to measure educational gains in adult education programs, requiring extensive documentation of test validity, reliability, and alignment with National Reporting System (NRS) educational functioning levels, with seven-year review cycles and detailed state/local implementation requirements.

Creates massive federal bureaucracy for test approval that imposes costly compliance burdens on states and local providers, stifles innovation in educational assessment, and represents unconstitutional federal overreach into education - a domain reserved to states under the Tenth Amendment. The extensive documentation requirements and seven-year review cycles create regulatory capture opportunities while preventing agile adaptation to changing educational needs.

Establishes mandatory compensatory mitigation framework for impacts to U.S. waters under section 404 permits, creating a credit-based system with preference for mitigation banks and in-lieu fee programs. Requires watershed-based planning, performance standards, and adaptive management to offset unavoidable aquatic resource losses.

Imposes massive hidden costs and bureaucratic complexity that raise housing and infrastructure prices for all Americans. Centralizes ecological decision-making, favors large corporations over small businesses, and creates regulatory capture opportunities through complex credit markets. The open-ended 'watershed approach' expands agency discretion without improving environmental outcomes, exemplifying the knowledge problem inherent in centrally planning ecological systems.

Establishes ODNI policies for implementing Privacy Act requirements, including procedures for collecting personal information, individual access/amendment rights, disclosure parameters, and exemptions for national security purposes.

Americans would be worse off if deleted because this protects citizens' privacy rights regarding government-held personal information, provides legal recourse for data access/correction, and prevents unauthorized disclosure of sensitive personal data by intelligence agencies.

This regulation implements the Solomon Amendment (10 U.S.C. 983), which requires colleges receiving federal funds to provide military recruiters equal access to campuses and students, or face loss of federal funding. It establishes procedures for determining violations, appeals processes, and enforcement mechanisms across multiple federal agencies.

This regulation represents federal coercion of private institutions' speech and association rights. It forces colleges to host military recruiters despite potential conflicts with their institutional values, creates a massive administrative compliance burden, and uses federal funding as a weapon to compel behavior that should be left to voluntary market relationships between employers and educational institutions.

Regulation governing private non-Federal entities operating on DoD installations, imposing extensive requirements for permits, documentation, insurance, non-discrimination, and prohibiting competition with DoD activities while restricting use of military insignia and requiring disclaimers.

Imposes substantial compliance costs that deter small organizations, includes anti-competitive protections for DoD revenue services, and micromanages operations; legitimate objectives of preventing government endorsement and liability can be achieved through simpler, less burdensome rules.

This regulation establishes the framework for determining acceptable collateral that financial institutions must pledge to secure deposits of public funds and other federal financial interests. It applies to Treasury programs involving government depositaries, tax payments, and bond acceptance. The specific types and valuation of collateral are detailed in Treasury procedural instructions and posted on the Bureau of the Fiscal Service website, rather than being codified in the regulation itself.

Americans would be worse off if deleted because it protects taxpayer funds by requiring collateral security for government deposits. The regulation imposes minimal costs only on institutions voluntarily participating in government deposit programs; these institutions benefit from holding government funds and can choose to comply or abstain. Deleting it would expose public monies to greater risk of loss without any offsetting reduction in meaningful regulatory burden on the broader economy.

Federal regulation implementing the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, requiring financial institutions to identify and block transactions related to illegal online gambling through designated payment systems

Creates a massive compliance burden on financial institutions for policing internet activity, imposes costs on all consumers for a narrow gambling enforcement goal, and represents federal overreach into private financial transactions that should be handled at state level

Grants program for uncertified states/tribes to reclaim abandoned mine lands and conduct reclamation activities, with detailed procedures for application, award, fund distribution, and compliance requirements.

Creates federal bureaucracy for state/tribal functions that should be handled locally, imposes costly compliance requirements, and centralizes decision-making that could be done more efficiently at state level.

This regulation governs Title IV grant distributions to states and Indian tribes certified under SMCRA for abandoned mine land reclamation. It establishes application procedures, allowable uses (including noncoal projects), restrictions (e.g., mandatory non-petroleum fuel for public facilities), reporting, audit, and compliance requirements for grants administered by the Office of Surface Mining.

The regulation imposes significant compliance costs (reporting, prior federal approvals, audits) and distorts market choices through fuel restrictions. Since states have already certified completion of coal reclamation, federal oversight of grant administration is unnecessary; states could manage funds more efficiently with far less bureaucracy. The hidden administrative burden and violation of federalism principles outweigh any marginal oversight benefits.

Administrative framework for distributing abandoned mine reclamation funds to states and tribes under SMCRA, including eligibility criteria, distribution formulas, and allowable uses for reclamation activities.

Keeping this regulation imposes massive hidden costs: $2 trillion+ in annual regulatory burden, violates Tenth Amendment federalism by commandeering state responsibilities, creates dependency that distorts state incentives, raises compliance costs for small governments, and fosters regulatory capture. The unseen effect is stifled state innovation and accountability as officials navigate federal paperwork instead of developing locally-optimized solutions through state-controlled resources and mining industry bonding.

Regulation establishes flame resistance requirements for conveyor belts used in underground coal mines, including detailed testing protocols, MSHA approval process, marking, quality control, and enforcement provisions specific to a high-hazard industry.

Underground coal mining is ultra-hazardous; conveyor belt fires can trigger explosions killing hundreds. Catastrophic externalities and information asymmetries prevent market solutions—miners cannot assess technical flame resistance. This narrow, performance-based regulation prevents mass-casualty disasters at reasonable compliance costs. Repeal risks preventable mine disasters that would harm communities and overwhelm emergency resources.

This regulation establishes procedures for accessing information about single-employer pension plan terminations initiated by PBGC under ERISA, including rights to request submitted information and administrative records with confidentiality protections.

This creates bureaucratic procedures for accessing information that could be handled through existing FOIA processes. The confidentiality provisions add unnecessary complexity while PBGC's termination decisions already involve substantial regulatory burden on plan sponsors and participants.

EEOC regulation establishing procedures for collecting debts from federal employees through salary offset, tax refund offset, administrative offset, and wage garnishment. Implements statutory authorities (5 U.S.C. 5514, 31 U.S.C. 3716, 3720A, 3720D) with due process protections including notice, hearing rights, waiver authority, and delegates collection authority to CFO/CHCO. Cross-references Treasury's Federal Claims Collection Standards (31 CFR 285.5, 285.11).

Deletion would harm Americans by creating uncertainty and potential arbitrariness in government debt collection, undermining due process for federal employees. The regulation's modest administrative costs are justified: it ensures orderly, lawful collection of legitimate debts owed to the government while protecting employee rights through notice, hearing, and waiver options. Without it, internal collection practices would become chaotic, increasing litigation risks and unauthorized deductions, ultimately costing taxpayers more. This is a procedural safeguard, not an economic regulation that distorts markets or burdens private enterprise.