Browse regulations

The Common Rule (45 CFR 46) establishes a uniform federal framework requiring Institutional Review Board (IRB) oversight, informed consent, and ethical safeguards for human subjects research conducted, supported, or regulated by any federal agency. It defines research scope, exemptions for low-risk studies, waiver processes, and transition provisions.

Americans would be worse off because deletion would eliminate enforceable baseline protections against unethical experimentation, risking a return to historical abuses (Tuskegee, Nazi experiments) that self-regulation failed to prevent. The regulation prevents rights violations—a legitimate government function—while enabling valuable research. Compliance costs are justified to protect fundamental personhood and bodily autonomy.

Establishes uniform government-wide procedures for debarring, suspending, or denying participation to individuals and entities that have engaged in misconduct (e.g., fraud, bribery, collusion) in federal grants and agreements, protecting taxpayer dollars from corrupt actors.

Deletion would leave federal assistance programs vulnerable to waste, fraud, and abuse by convicted or suspected wrongdoers. The regulation provides an essential, uniform safeguard that balances accountability with due process, preventing ad hoc and potentially inconsistent exclusion decisions.

Regulation subjects HUD employees to executive branch-wide standards of ethical conduct (5 CFR 2635), HUD-specific supplemental standards (5 CFR 7501), and financial disclosure requirements (5 CFR 2634), governing conflicts of interest, post-employment restrictions, and financial reporting.

These ethics regulations, while well-intentioned, create an expensive compliance bureaucracy that burdens thousands of federal employees with complex reporting requirements and restrictions. The unseen cost is reduced labor market flexibility—highly qualified candidates may avoid public service due to cumbersome financial disclosure and post-employment limitations. Alternatives exist: Congress could enact simpler statutory prohibitions on specific corrupt acts (accepting bribes, insider trading, etc.) enforced by existing criminal statutes, rather than a sprawling regulatory regime that assumes guilt and forces employees to navigate thousands of pages of rules. The regulation assumes federal employees are uniquely prone to corruption and creates a compliance industry within government itself.

This regulation establishes the United States African Development Foundation's procedures for implementing the Freedom of Information Act, detailing how the public may submit requests, the fee structure for searches and copies, response timelines, appeal processes, and exemptions.

Deleting this regulation would undermine transparency and accountability at a federal agency that distributes taxpayer funds. The FOIA process is essential for citizens to scrutinize government operations, and this regulation provides a clear, structured, and fair mechanism that balances disclosure with reasonable administrative costs.

Establishes DFC's FOIA implementation procedures including request requirements, fee categories and amounts, fee waiver standards, and coordination mechanisms with other agencies.

Deletion would create uncertainty and inconsistent handling of public information requests, undermining FOIA's transparency goals. The regulation provides a predictable framework that balances public access with protection of confidential business information necessary for DFC's operations, while cost-recovery fees prevent taxpayer subsidization of requests. Without clear procedures, DFC would face increased litigation and arbitrary decision-making.

This regulation establishes eligibility requirements and selection criteria for Peace Corps Volunteers, including citizenship, age, personal attributes, medical fitness, criminal history considerations, and restrictions related to intelligence agency connections. It outlines the competitive selection process, non-discrimination policy, and procedural requirements like background investigations.

These internal personnel standards for a voluntary federal program impose no burden on the general public or private business. They are essential for ensuring volunteers can serve safely in challenging overseas conditions and maintaining the Peace Corps' independence from intelligence activities. Removing them would compromise program effectiveness, volunteer well-being, and national security interests.

Regulation establishes procedures for USAID loan guarantees backing up to $1 billion in debt issued by Republic of Iraq, pledging full US faith and credit to ensure 100% repayment of principal and interest to noteholders.

Taxpayers face $1B+ contingent liability while private lenders get risk-free returns; creates moral hazard, distorts capital allocation, and represents improper federal intervention in private credit markets that should price sovereign risk freely.

Federal policy establishing ethical framework and IRB oversight for human subjects research conducted, supported, or regulated by any federal department or agency. Requires institutional assurances, IRB review/approval, and informed consent, with specific exemptions for low-risk research, provisions for waivers, and mechanisms for federal-state coordination.

Deleting this would return America to the pre-Belmont era where research subjects face real risks of exploitation, injury, or death from unethical experiments. Federal oversight is uniquely necessary to set uniform minimum standards for interstate research funding, prevent regulatory arbitrage by researchers and institutions, and protect vulnerable populations whose state-level safeguards might be absent or inadequate; neither market discipline nor fragmented state regulation can reliably prevent the severe, irreversible harms of unethical human experimentation.

Regulation establishes a federal standard of identity and quality for frozen peas, including precise definitions, permitted ingredients, labeling rules, quality thresholds (maximum percentages of defects like blond, blemished, and fragmented peas), and detailed laboratory testing procedures (alcohol-insoluble solids, brine flotation) to enforce compliance.

Imposes costly, invasive testing and rigid quality mandates that burden small businesses, increase food waste by discarding edible but nonconforming peas, and stifle innovation. Consumer preferences are better discovered through market competition and voluntary standards; this one-size-fits-all rule substitutes bureaucratic judgments for buyer sovereignty, raises prices, and protects large incumbents via regulatory capture.

This regulation establishes mandatory standards of identity, quality, and fill-of-container for tomato juice. It specifies exact color requirements using Munsell color discs (53% Disc 1, 28% Disc 2, 19% Disc 3/4), maximum allowable defects (2 peel/blemishes + 3 seeds per 500ml), minimum tomato soluble solids (5.0%), fill not less than 90% of capacity, and detailed sampling/compliance procedures based on AOAC testing methods and AQL acceptance sampling.

This regulation imposes unnecessary compliance costs that disproportionately burden small producers, creating barriers to entry. Government cannot centrally determine optimal color, defect, or fill standards for diverse consumer preferences. The market can efficiently allocate quality through consumer choice and competition, with truth-in-advertising laws preventing deception. Unseen costs include stifled innovation, higher prices, reduced product variety, and unconstitutional federal overreach into what should be state or private standard-setting.

The HIRE Vets Medallion Program is a voluntary employer recognition award administered by the Department of Labor's VETS. Employers pay non-refundable fees to apply and are evaluated against criteria including veteran hiring percentages (7-10%), retention rates (75-85%), and various support programs like veteran resource groups, tuition assistance, and National Guard leave policies. The program includes eligibility restrictions for employers with adverse labor law decisions under USERRA or VEVRAA.

This is a purely symbolic government-run marketing program with no constitutional basis or essential public function. It imposes unnecessary bureaucracy, fees, and compliance burdens on businesses while distorting incentives toward meeting arbitrary metrics rather than genuine veteran support. Private market mechanisms (consumer recognition, veteran organizations, industry awards) can provide employer recognition more efficiently without taxpayer-funded administration. The program exemplifies regulatory overreach, creating a hidden tax through administrative costs and barrier-to-entry effects, particularly harming small businesses.

Federal regulation establishing Institutional Review Board (IRB) requirements and informed consent standards for virtually all human subjects research conducted, supported, or regulated by any federal agency that adopts it. Defines 'human subject' broadly, creates extensive compliance obligations, and mandates prior review for most research activities, with limited exemptions for low-risk categories.

This regulation imposes massive, hidden compliance costs that divert billions from actual research and innovation. It represents federal overreach—micromanaging research ethics from Washington, D.C., overriding institutional autonomy and local decision-making. The 'human subject' definition is overbroad, capturing low-risk activities, and the one-size-fits-all approach creates barriers for small institutions and startups. Private certification and institutional self-interest can protect research subjects without this coercive federal framework. The regulation's complexity violates the rule of law, as no researcher can reliably navigate its 185,000+ pages of requirements. The net effect: fewer cures, slower scientific progress, and an enormous hidden tax on every American household to fund bureaucracy that could operate through voluntary accreditation.

Procedural regulation governing service of process, record transmission, and reliquidation procedures for cases before the U.S. Court of International Trade and appeals to the Federal Circuit. Specifies who must be served, what documents must be transmitted, and timelines for implementing court decisions on customs entries.

This is a purely procedural rule governing federal court operations for international trade matters—an exclusively federal concern. It ensures orderly litigation and uniform administration of customs law. Removing it would create legal chaos, undermine the rule of law, and impose far greater costs through uncertainty than the minimal compliance burden it imposes.

Provides duty-free entry for metal articles (excluding lead/zinc/tungsten) used in remanufacturing/processing to recover metal content, requiring bonding, declaration, and proof-of-use within 3 years.

Imposes significant compliance burdens (bonding, 3-year proof, 5-year records) on importers; protectionist exclusions distort trade; simpler tariff repeal would achieve same goal more efficiently.

Regulates the transportation of imported merchandise in-bond (before duty payment and appraisement) between U.S. ports or for export. Requires electronic applications with specific data (HTSUS codes, quantities, container/seal numbers, destinations), bonded carriers, CBP movement authorization, 30/60-day transit limits, arrival reporting, and seal requirements. Restricts certain merchandise (prohibited articles, narcotics, explosives) and mandates coordination with other agencies. Establishes procedures for transfers, diversions, short shipments, and redelivery demands.

This regulation creates a massive compliance burden (electronic manifests, bond forms, tracking, reporting) that functions as a hidden tax on all international trade. The government becomes an unnecessary middleman authorizing movements between domestic ports, delaying commerce and raising costs that ultimately hit consumers. The bond requirements and liability shifts create barriers to entry, favoring large carriers over small operators. The system assumes guilt until proven secure, violating the presumption of liberty. Nothing prevents private parties from contracting their own bonded services and tracking without CBP involvement—the market could efficiently handle this through insurance, logistics contracts, and port-to-port agreements. The 'special classes' restrictions duplicate other agencies' authority and create enforcement overlaps. In practice, this bureaucratic apparatus adds billions in compliance costs while capturing industries through licensing and approvals.