HUD requests comments on regulatory reform

Today in the Federal Register, HUD published a notice requesting public comments on its implementation of two recent executive orders. Executive Order 13771, published on January 30, requires that “for every one new regulation issued, at least two prior regulations be identified for elimination.’’ Executive Order 13777, published on February 24, directs each federal agency to establish a regulatory task force to evaluate existing regulations and identify those that may merit repeal, replacement, or modification.

As explained in today’s notice, HUD is in the process of establishing a regulatory task force which must identify regulations that:

• Eliminate jobs, or inhibit job creation;
• Are outdated, unnecessary, or ineffective;
• Impose costs that exceed benefits;
• Create a serious inconsistency or otherwise interfere with regulatory reform initiatives and policies;
• Rely in whole or in part on data, information, or methods that are not publicly available or that are insufficiently transparent to meet the standard for reproducibility; or
• Derive from or implement executive orders or other Presidential directives that have been subsequently rescinded or substantially modified.

HUD is seeking specific comments on a preliminary list of topics which includes:

• What factors should HUD use when considering how to prioritize rules when implementing the regulatory offsets required by Executive Order 13771?
• Are there any HUD regulatory requirements that have been overtaken by technological developments? Can new technologies be used to modify, streamline, or do away with these requirements?
• Are there any existing HUD requirements that duplicate or conflict with requirements of another federal agency?
• What are the estimated total compliance costs of the HUD regulations to which you or your organization must comply?

The notice contains instructions for submitting comments, which are due no later than June 14, 2017.