Browse regulations

Regulation establishes the waiver process for NASA contractors to obtain ownership rights to inventions developed under NASA contracts, despite default government ownership under the National Aeronautics and Space Act. It governs petitions to the NASA Inventions and Contributions Board, criteria for granting or denying waivers, government reservations (including an irrevocable license and march-in rights), and post-grant requirements including utilization reports.

Americans would be worse off without this regulation because it creates the sole mechanism for private ownership of NASA-funded inventions, preserving the incentive structure necessary for private sector participation in space R&D. Deleting it would mean the government automatically retains all patent rights, eliminating contractors' ability to commercialize their innovations, reducing competition, and stifling the translation of publicly-funded research into marketable products. While the process creates administrative overhead, the waiver pathway itself is essential to balance government's legitimate interests with the free enterprise principle that innovators should be able to own and profit from their work.

NASA-specific ethics regulation implementing federal conflict of interest statutes (18 U.S.C. 208, 207) with detailed waiver procedures, designated ethics officials, and post-employment restrictions for former employees making scientific/technical communications to NASA.

Creates a costly bureaucratic apparatus with multi-layered waiver approvals, designated ethics officials, and compliance paperwork that imposes significant administrative burden on NASA operations and deters outside employment. The regulation implements already-existing federal ethics statutes; NASA's supplemental procedures add little marginal benefit while increasing complexity, chilling legitimate scientific collaboration, and raising barriers to attracting talent. Ethics enforcement can occur through existing Inspector General mechanisms and criminal statutes without this elaborate agency-specific regime.

Requires air carriers to report on-time performance data, flight delays, cancellations, and mishandled baggage to the Department of Transportation and computer reservations systems to provide consumers with service quality information.

Creates massive compliance burden with 185,000+ pages of CFR regulations, costs $2+ trillion annually, disproportionately harms small businesses, and represents unconstitutional federal overreach into state matters. Consumers can access this information through market forces and private rating systems without government coercion.

This regulation prescribes procedural requirements for filing Federal Tort Claims Act claims against the FAA for negligence, and establishes an indemnification program for aeronautical chart publishers who accurately depict defective FAA-promulgated flight procedures.

This regulation imposes administrative burdens and compliance costs on the FAA and claimants, adding to the $2 trillion regulatory burden. The indemnification program distorts the aeronautical publishing market by providing a government-backed liability shield, creating moral hazard and preventing proper private risk allocation through contracts and insurance. Eliminating it would reduce bureaucratic expansion, lower hidden costs on taxpayers, and restore market discipline.

Interpretive rule clarifying the definition of 'byproduct material' under the Atomic Energy Act for DOE-owned radioactive waste, specifically to determine RCRA applicability. It limits 'any radioactive material' to actual radionuclides dispersed in waste, leaving nonradioactive hazardous components subject to RCRA regulation.

This rule ensures hazardous components of DOE radioactive waste remain subject to RCRA's essential cradle-to-grave protections. Deleting it would create regulatory ambiguity that could enable loopholes, reducing oversight of mixed waste and risking catastrophic contamination. The rule merely interprets existing statutory authority without imposing new burdens, preventing mission creep while maintaining critical public health safeguards.

DOE regulation prohibiting unauthorized aircraft operations and air deliveries on designated nuclear sites under its jurisdiction, with exemptions for federal government aircraft, state/local law enforcement with notification, and emergency landings. Requires prior authorization for aircraft movement/removal on sites and establishes a 2,000-foot voluntary minimum altitude.

Nuclear facilities present uniquely catastrophic national security risks if compromised; this is the least restrictive means to protect them from aerial threats while preserving liberty interests through narrow geographic scope, clear exemptions for emergencies and government operations, and a petition process for affected parties. Deleting it would create a security vacuum at sites where the consequences of breach are existential, and the compliance burden on the public is negligible—merely avoiding known high-risk locations or seeking permission.

Establishes licensing procedures for operators and senior operators of nuclear facilities, including medical requirements, written examinations, operating tests, and ongoing compliance with safety standards.

Nuclear facility operation requires specialized training and licensing to ensure public safety and prevent catastrophic accidents. The complex technical knowledge, medical fitness requirements, and rigorous testing protocols protect against human error that could lead to radiation releases or meltdowns.

Regulates licensing and radiation safety for use of radioactive materials in well logging, requiring training, equipment standards, inspections, leak testing, and recordkeeping to protect against radiation hazards.

Deletion would risk uncontained radioactive sources contaminating drinking water and exposing populations to harmful radiation, imposing severe public health and environmental costs that far exceed compliance burdens.

Establishes the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's organizational structure, defining offices, responsibilities, and reporting relationships for nuclear safety regulation in the United States.

Creates a massive federal bureaucracy with overlapping offices and functions that could be eliminated to restore constitutional federalism and reduce regulatory burden on nuclear energy development.

This regulation authorizes USDA's Administrator (likely APHIS) to detain biological products for up to 20 days without prior judicial review if they are prepared, sold, or shipped in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act or related regulations. It establishes notification procedures (oral, preliminary written, full written within 48 hours), restricts movement of detained products, and outlines seizure and condemnation proceedings in federal court with options for destruction, sale, or release under bond.

Biological products (vaccines, blood products, therapeutics) present unique public health risks that justify temporary administrative detention to prevent distribution of potentially unsafe products while compliance issues are investigated. The 20-day limit, mandatory notification requirements, and judicial condemnation process with jury trial rights provide necessary due process. Without this enforcement tool, violative products could reach the public before injunctive relief is obtained, causing irreversible harm. The cost of a potential public health crisis from compromised biological products far exceeds the temporary economic impact on a non-compliant business.

Procedural regulations governing administrative hearings for civil penalties under immigration employment verification (8 CFR part 274a). Specifies requirements for requesting hearings within 30 days (35 if served by mail), mandates English translations for foreign language documents, and outlines consequences for failure to request a hearing.

Adds bureaucratic complexity and compliance costs (translation requirements, strict filing deadlines) that disproportionately burden small businesses. Due process rights can be vindicated through judicial review without this administrative layer. The regulation creates a procedural gauntlet that chills legitimate contestation of penalties through technical barriers, while the underlying substantive immigration enforcement itself represents federal overreach into areas of state jurisdiction (employment regulation).

This regulation implements the I-9 employment verification system, requiring all employers to verify new hires' identity and work authorization using Form I-9 within three business days of hire. It defines key terms like 'employer,' 'employee,' 'knowing,' and 'unauthorized alien,' specifies acceptable documentation ( Lists A, B, C), outlines retention requirements (3 years after hire or 1 year after termination), and establishes procedures for reverification, continuing employment, and inspection. The system forces private employers to act as immigration enforcement agents.

This regulation imposes massive compliance costs on all businesses, with small firms bearing 30% higher per-employee costs. It violates economic liberty by forcing employers to becomeDeputies in immigration enforcement, creating legal risks from vague 'knowing' standards that encourage discrimination and self-censorship. The mandate distorts labor markets, raises hiring barriers, and deputizes private entities to perform a core government function without reimbursement. The $2 trillion annual regulatory burden includes this unfunded mandate, which protects incumbents through compliance complexity while violating the rule of law through over-criminalization of private employment decisions.

Immigration and Nationality Act definitions and provisions for legalization of certain undocumented immigrants who resided in US since before 1982, including continuous residence requirements, eligibility criteria, and documentation standards.

Creates costly bureaucratic apparatus for amnesty program that distorts labor markets, incentivizes future illegal immigration, and undermines rule of law by rewarding unlawful entry while imposing compliance burdens on employers and taxpayers.

The Business and Industry (B&I) loan program provides direct and guaranteed loans to support rural business development, economic growth, and job creation in rural areas. It includes disaster assistance provisions for drought and other natural disasters, with specific eligibility criteria, loan limits, and guarantee percentages based on loan size.

This federal program represents an unconstitutional expansion of federal power into local economic development, creates market distortions by subsidizing rural businesses at the expense of urban taxpayers, and perpetuates dependency on government programs rather than free market solutions. The disaster assistance provisions create moral hazard by encouraging risky business practices under the assumption of federal bailouts.

This regulation prescribes detailed construction, land development, and technical requirements for USDA Rural Development housing loans, including mandates on building codes, plan certifications, contractor management, and project timelines for various rural housing programs.

It imposes a federal bureaucratic layer over state and local building codes, creating unnecessary compliance costs and barriers to entry for small contractors and rural applicants. The detailed prescriptive requirements—certifications, plan reviews, identity-of-interest rules, and mandated standards—represent micromanagement that should be left to market forces and existing state/local regulations, inflating costs without providing commensurate public benefit beyond what prudent lending practices would already require.