Browse regulations

Implements the Program Fraud Civil Remedies Act for the Department of Commerce, establishing an administrative adjudication system before ALJs to impose civil penalties (up to $5,500) and assessments (up to twice claim amount) for false, fictitious, or fraudulent claims or statements. Includes discovery, hearing procedures, and appeals for claims under $150,000.

Duplicates the False Claims Act; creates costly administrative apparatus for minor claims where resources would be better allocated; elaborate procedures impose regulatory burden without clear marginal benefit in fraud prevention; enforcement of legitimate fraud concerns can be handled through existing criminal statutes and prioritized civil litigation.

Prohibits the use of federal appropriated funds to lobby for covered federal actions (contracts, grants, loans, cooperative agreements). Requires certifications and disclosure forms from recipients and their subcontractors/subgrantees. Imposes civil penalties of $25,132 to $251,322 per violation. Contains exemptions for regularly employed staff and professional/technical services directly related to preparing bids or proposals.

Without this restriction, taxpayers would fund lobbying to extract more taxpayer funds—a corrosive feedback loop that expands government beyond public consent. The regulation is narrowly drawn, banning only federally-funded influence peddling while preserving all private lobbying rights. The modest reporting requirements achieve anti-corruption and transparency goals that couldn't be reliably maintained through market discipline alone.

Establishes NASA's internal procedures for responding to legal demands for official information or employee testimony, requiring employees to notify the General Counsel and prohibiting disclosure without approval. The General Counsel reviews demands based on factors like privilege, confidentiality, and agency interests.

Americans would be worse off without this regulation because it protects sensitive government information, prevents unauthorized disclosures, ensures consistent legal responses, and avoids wasteful use of NASA resources. The centralized review process achieves these goals efficiently and would be difficult to replicate through ad hoc employee decisions, which could lead to inconsistent handling, security breaches, and resource misallocation.

Establishes NASA as the civilian agency for peaceful aeronautics and space activities, outlining its authority to conduct research, develop vehicles, and operate space systems. Defines organizational structure including Administrator, field centers, and boards for contract adjustments and inventions.

Imposes massive fiscal costs ($ billions annually) on taxpayers, violates enumerated powers doctrine by claiming authority over space exploration not delegated to the federal government, crowds out private sector innovation, creates compliance burdens for contractors, and yields unseen inefficiencies typical of centrally planned enterprises.

Federal regulation establishing emissions standards (smoke, NOx, particulate matter) for civil aircraft gas turbine engines, implementing Clean Air Act requirements and ICAO international standards. Defines engine classifications, certification procedures, exemptions, and preempts state standards.

Federal overreach violating Tenth Amendment; compliance costs passed to consumers reduce air travel affordability; regulatory rigidity stifles innovation and creates barriers to entry; states better address local air quality; market mechanisms and property rights more efficiently handle externalities without centralized planning

Prohibits using federal appropriated funds to pay for lobbying activities related to federal contracts, grants, loans, and cooperative agreements, requiring certification and disclosure of lobbying payments made with non-appropriated funds.

Creates bureaucratic compliance burden costing millions in paperwork and administrative overhead while failing to prevent actual corruption, which is better addressed through criminal prosecution of bribery rather than creating complex regulatory frameworks that mainly burden honest businesses.

The Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation insures timely payment of principal and interest on Farm Credit System obligations, providing stability to agricultural lending institutions. It operates under the Farm Credit Administration Board with appointed officers.

This creates a government-backed insurance scheme that distorts market risk assessment, encourages moral hazard in agricultural lending, and represents regulatory overreach into private financial markets. The Farm Credit System already has government sponsorship - this insurance layer adds unnecessary complexity and cost while protecting established agricultural lenders from competition.

Allows federal credit unions to act as trustees/custodians for tax-advantaged savings plans (IRAs, HSAs, etc.) with funds held in share accounts. Sets conditions for transfers to non-share assets, requires individual participant records, and mandates a successor trustee provision.

Deletion would eliminate a competitive avenue for credit unions to offer retirement services, reducing consumer choice and competition. The regulation provides clear safeguards—investment restrictions, insurance disclosures, recordkeeping, and successor trustee requirements—that protect participants while enabling low-cost access to tax-advantaged savings through a trusted financial institution. These protections would be difficult to replicate without a uniform rule, and repeal would harm Americans by limiting affordable retirement planning options.

This regulation mandates that federally related real estate transactions by credit unions must use written appraisals performed by state-certified or licensed appraisers following Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP). It sets thresholds based on transaction value and complexity, requires appraiser independence, and imposes quality control standards on automated valuation models (AVMs). The rules implement Title XI of FIRREA and apply to all federally insured credit unions.

This federal regulation imposes a costly licensing monopoly on the appraisal profession, mandates expensive appraisal requirements for private financial transactions, and creates artificial barriers to entry that increase housing costs and protect established appraisers from competition. The Constitution does not grant the federal government authority to regulate professional appraisal standards or dictate valuation methods for private contracts. Private lenders can set their own collateral requirements based on risk, and market forces—through competition, liability, and reputation—would ensure quality without this one-size-fits-all mandate. The unseen costs include reduced housing affordability, stifled innovation in valuation technology, and nullification of state authority over professional licensing under the Tenth Amendment.

Establishes lending authorities for Farm Credit System institutions including Farm Credit Banks, agricultural credit banks, banks for cooperatives, Federal land credit associations, production credit associations, and agricultural credit associations. Defines loan types, maturities, participation agreements, and credit extensions to agricultural borrowers, cooperatives, and financing institutions.

Creates a complex federal lending bureaucracy that distorts agricultural credit markets, imposes regulatory compliance costs, and protects established agricultural interests from competition. The 185,000+ pages of federal regulations already suffocate economic freedom - this specialized agricultural lending framework represents regulatory capture benefiting large agricultural corporations at the expense of small farmers and market efficiency.

Prohibits use of federal funds for lobbying related to federal contracts, grants, loans, and cooperative agreements; requires certifications and disclosure forms for lobbying activities using non-appropriated funds; establishes civil penalties for violations; creates reporting requirements for agencies and Congress.

Creates costly compliance bureaucracy that burdens small businesses disproportionately while providing minimal benefit. The administrative overhead of certifications, disclosures, and reporting exceeds any potential reduction in lobbying influence. Small firms face compliance costs up to 30% higher per employee than large corporations, creating unfair barriers to federal contracting opportunities.

This FDIC regulation implements Title XI of FIRREA, requiring federally-related real estate transactions to use licensed/certified appraisers following Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP). It defines transaction thresholds, appraiser qualifications, independence requirements, and regulates Appraisal Management Companies (AMCs) for transactions involving FDIC-regulated institutions or federally-related transactions.

This represents federal overreach into a profession properly regulated by states under the Tenth Amendment. The licensing requirements create a government-created barrier to entry that disproportionately harms small appraisers and reduces competition. The regulation mandates a one-size-fits-all federal standard (USPAP) for all federally-related transactions, eliminating flexibility for market-based alternatives. The costs are substantial: compliance burdens, reduced appraiser supply, and higher fees passed to consumers. FIRREA's expansion of federal authority into state-regulated occupations exemplifies the bureaucratic mission creep Friedman warned about. The federal government has no constitutional authority to dictate who may practice appraisal, even for FDIC transactions—bank due diligence should suffice to ensure competent valuations without federal licensing mandates. Private certification, lender requirements, and market discipline would achieve quality without the unseen costs of reduced competition, consolidated AMC power, and regulatory capture by the Appraisal Foundation.

Federal regulations governing political committee debt settlement, forgiveness, and bankruptcy procedures for campaign finance compliance

Creates excessive bureaucratic oversight of campaign debt negotiations, imposing compliance costs that disproportionately burden smaller campaigns while protecting incumbent politicians from competitive pressure through complex debt settlement procedures

Prohibits use of federal appropriated funds for lobbying activities related to contracts, grants, loans, and cooperative agreements. Requires certifications and disclosure filings from recipients, with exemptions for certain professional services and routine agency liaison. Imposes civil penalties of $25,132-$251,322 per violation.

While anti-corruption goals are valid, this regulation imposes substantial compliance costs on every business and nonprofit receiving federal funds, creating a labyrinth of certification and disclosure requirements that treat all recipients as potential corruptors. The distinction between lobbying and legitimate advocacy is inherently subjective, chilling protected petitioning activity. Small businesses bear disproportionate burden navigating complex rules with exemptions that only regulators can interpret definitively. The revolving door problem this addresses would be better solved by congressional term limits on lobbying and ending agency capture, not by burdening law-abiding citizens with thousands of pages of reporting mandates that consume resources that could instead create jobs and innovation.

Comprehensive regulations governing the importation of birds and poultry into the United States, including detailed quarantine requirements, disease testing protocols, identification systems, and specific provisions for different categories of birds (pet, commercial, zoological, research, performing). The regulations establish extensive biosecurity measures to prevent the introduction of avian diseases like highly pathogenic avian influenza and Newcastle disease.

These regulations create massive regulatory burden costing millions in compliance costs, require extensive paperwork and quarantine facilities, impose complex identification requirements that favor large operations over small businesses, and represent federal overreach into what should be state and local jurisdiction over animal health. The unseen costs include reduced supply of birds, higher prices for consumers, and barriers to entry that protect established importers from competition.