Browse regulations

Federal regulations governing bathhouses at Hot Springs National Park, requiring physician registration, employee certification, prescriptions for baths, health restrictions, and business practice controls. Creates extensive licensing/approval requirements for medical professionals, employees, and operators, with fines up to $100 for violations.

Imposes substantial compliance costs and barriers to entry on private businesses. Duplicates state licensing, creates regulatory capture through superintendent-controlled registration, restricts voluntary exchange (prescription mandates, tip ban, price controls), and paternalistically limits choices. Public health goals achievable via local health codes, tort liability, and market competition. Violates federalism by federalizing occupational licensing and medical practice—powers reserved to states under the Tenth Amendment.

This regulation maps the Coast Guard's internal command structure—two Area Offices (Atlantic and Pacific), multiple Districts, and Sector offices—defining precise geographic boundaries and jurisdictional responsibilities for maritime operations including search and rescue, security, and inspections. It specifies the chain of command and delineates Marine Inspection Zones and Captain of the Port Zones, extending to territorial seas, contiguous zones, and the exclusive economic zone.

Clear jurisdictional boundaries are critical for life-saving search and rescue and maritime security coordination. Deleting this would create confusion over which unit responds during emergencies, leading to delays, duplicated efforts, or gaps in coverage that could cost lives, property, and national security. The Coast Guard's operational effectiveness depends on unambiguous command areas, making this foundational infrastructure indispensable.

Internal procedures for classification, declassification, safeguarding, and handling of classified national security information within the Office of the Vice President, including security clearance processes, storage protocols, transmission rules, and designated classification authorities in accordance with Executive Order 12065.

Protecting classified national security information is a core executive function essential to national defense. Unlike economic regulations burdening private citizens, these internal procedures impose costs only on the government itself to safeguard secrets whose compromise could endanger American lives and interests. The stated purpose directly serves the legitimate government interest of preventing unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information; deleting these procedures would create predictable gaps in security protocols.

Regulation establishes classification, declassification, and safeguarding procedures for national security information within the Office for Micronesian Status Negotiations (OMSN), based on Executive Order 12052 from 1978. It creates classification levels, declassification timelines, mandatory review processes with fees, access controls, and oversight committees for this specialized agency involved in Micronesian status negotiations.

This regulation is obsolete. It relies on E.O. 12065 (1978), superseded by later executive orders. The OMSN's mission—negotiating Micronesian status—was completed decades ago (Compacts of Free Association finalized 1980s-90s). The regulation creates unnecessary administrative overhead (Security Officers, committees, fee systems) for a defunct/minimal office. General classification regulations already cover all agencies; this redundant layer imposes compliance costs without marginal security benefit. Eliminate and let any remaining functions fall under current government-wide classification rules.

Regulation establishes the National Security Council Staff Information Security Program, governing classification, declassification, downgrading, and safeguarding of national security information. It sets policies to avoid unnecessary classification, allows classification extensions up to 20 years under specific conditions, provides procedures for declassification requests and appeals, and establishes oversight committees.

Deleting this regulation would compromise national security by removing standardized procedures for protecting sensitive executive branch information. The safeguards prevent over-classification while ensuring critical information—intelligence sources, communication security, foreign relations matters—remains protected. The oversight mechanisms and appeal processes balance transparency with security, preventing both excessive secrecy and dangerous disclosure.

DLA Magistrate System regulation establishes procedures for handling minor federal offenses (traffic violations, petty crimes) on Defense Logistics Agency installations through U.S. Magistrate courts, using DD Form 1805 violation notices with mail-in fine options and mandatory appearance requirements.

This regulation creates a parallel federal court system for minor offenses on military installations, adding bureaucratic complexity and costs without clear constitutional authority. The mail-in fine system and specialized violation forms represent regulatory capture by the legal profession, while the Assimilative Crimes Act application creates federal jurisdiction over local traffic matters that should be handled by state authorities.

Air Force regulation governing the provision of counsel, bail, and payment of court costs for military personnel and dependents in foreign legal proceedings. Sets eligibility criteria (official duty, significant US interest, etc.), outlines counsel selection from local approved lists, establishes contracting procedures, and details payment mechanisms using appropriated funds.

Expands state power and taxpayer liability for private legal matters, creating moral hazard and dependency. Unseen costs include distorted incentives (personnel less careful abroad), administrative bloat, and precedent for expanding government benefits beyond core defense functions. Military members should bear responsibility for their own legal representation through private means or personal insurance, not taxpayer-funded entitlements.

Regulations governing loan of Army property to veterans' organizations for conventions and tournaments, including equipment lists, request procedures, and liability terms.

Unnecessary federal involvement in veterans' events - veterans' organizations should arrange their own accommodations without government property loans, which creates administrative burden and potential liability.

Federal regulation governing medical care, burial expenses, and property damage claims for Army National Guard personnel during training and duty, including eligibility criteria, coverage limits, and administrative procedures.

Creates special privileges for military personnel that distort market incentives and create hidden costs for taxpayers, while establishing complex bureaucratic procedures that could be handled through private insurance or state-level arrangements.

This DoD directive implements Executive Order 12114, requiring internal procedures for environmental consideration of major military actions that significantly harm foreign environments or global commons. It mandates environmental assessments or impact statements, with exemptions for national security, emergencies, and other categories.

It adds unnecessary bureaucratic overhead and potential delays to military operations, extending US regulatory reach to foreign jurisdictions where environmental protection is properly addressed through diplomacy, not internal agency procedures. The compliance burden and risk of obstructionist litigation undermine national security without clear offsetting benefits.

This regulation implements asset-blocking and transfer requirements related to the Iran hostage crisis and 1981 Algiers Accords. It prohibits transactions involving Iranian property, requires transfer of Iranian assets to Federal Reserve Bank of New York, nullifies attachments and judicial proceedings against Iran, and suspends claims pending resolution by the Iran-US Claims Tribunal.

This is a 45-year-old regulation implementing a specific historical diplomatic settlement (Algiers Accords). Its original purpose—facilitating claims resolution through the Iran-US Claims Tribunal—has been fulfilled. Maintaining this obsolete framework imposes unnecessary compliance costs on financial institutions and creates legal uncertainty for lingering legacy assets. Modern Iran policy should be conducted through current statutory frameworks, not perpetual emergency regulations tied to resolved historical events.

Regulation governing definitive (paper) Series EE and HH U.S. Savings Bonds issued from 1980 onward. It establishes rules for ownership registration, purchase limits ($5,000/year for Series EE, $20,000 for Series HH), eligible purchasers, reissuance, redemption, and handling of legal claims such as levies, bankruptcy, and divorce decrees. It defines terms like coowner, beneficiary, fiduciary, and outlines specific registration forms for individuals, trusts, corporations, and other entities.

U.S. Savings Bonds represent a legitimate federal function—borrowing on the credit of the United States. This regulatory framework provides necessary administrative structure to ensure clarity of ownership, prevent fraud, and protect retail investors in a government-issued security. The rules are straightforward, impose minimal compliance burdens, and serve a valuable public purpose by offering a safe, accessible investment vehicle to ordinary Americans while financing federal operations. The regulation does not distort markets, impose disproportionate costs on small entities, or intrude on state powers. It is constitutional and could not practically be delegated to states or private actors.

Regulation implements the Right to Financial Privacy Act by establishing formal written request procedure for Treasury law enforcement to obtain customer financial records. Requires supervisory approval, specific request content, certification of compliance, and customer notice with limited exceptions. Only used when no subpoena available and records are relevant to legitimate law enforcement inquiry.

Deleting this regulation would weaken essential privacy protections by removing mandatory supervisory approval, certification, and customer notice—key safeguards against government overreach. The regulation's clear, uniform procedures ensure the Act's privacy guarantees are consistently enforced, which would be far harder to achieve through ad hoc methods. Minimal compliance costs are justified to prevent unchecked surveillance of Americans' financial lives.

30 CFR Part 817 establishes detailed environmental performance standards for underground coal mining. It regulates signage, borehole/shaft management, topsoil removal/storage/redistribution, groundwater and surface water protection and monitoring (quarterly reporting), acid-forming material control, water diversions, sediment control structures, and discharge limitations. Mining operators must obtain permits, follow engineered specifications, conduct extensive monitoring, and maintain records to prevent water pollution and ensure land reclamation.

This regulation imposes billions in annual compliance costs, which flow to households as higher energy prices—a regressive hidden tax. Its prescriptive engineering standards create barriers to entry, protect large incumbents from competition, and represent unconstitutional federal overreach into state-reserved land-use authority under the Tenth Amendment. The mandatory monitoring and reporting burden distorts incentives, reduces mining competitiveness, and may offshore pollution to countries with weaker safeguards. While preventing genuine harms, these federal mandates achieve their goals inefficiently; states, market-based bonding/insurance, and tort liability are superior alternatives that respect liberty and federalism.

Federal regulation establishing comprehensive environmental performance standards for surface coal mining operations, including topsoil management, water quality protection, sediment control, and reclamation requirements to minimize environmental impact.

These regulations impose massive compliance costs on mining operations, ultimately raising energy costs for consumers and creating barriers to entry that protect incumbent firms. The one-size-fits-all federal standards prevent states from tailoring rules to local conditions and stifle technological innovation in reclamation. The complex permitting process invites regulatory capture, where established companies shape rules to their advantage. Environmental protection is better achieved through state-level standards, enforceable property rights, and common law remedies that directly compensate victims of pollution.