CeRI Researchers Join the Committee on the Status & Future of Federal e-Rulemaking

JANUARY 2007

Concerns about inadequate funding, possible design shortcomings, and implementation problems in the federal government's four-year old project to move rulemaking onto the World Wide Web have prompted formation of a multidisciplinary committee of experts that includes two of CeRI's principal researchers.

Thomas Bruce, Director of the Legal Information Institute, and Cynthia Farina, Professor of Law, will join two dozen other nationally-known researchers, high-ranking former government officials, and prominent representatives of business and public interest organizations in assessing the state of regulations.gov and the Federal Docket Management System. Authorized by the E-Government Act of 2002, the website and underlying online rulemaking docket and document system is scheduled to be the sole, centralized site for all federal notice-and-comment rulemaking by the end of 2007.

Sally Katzen, Director of the Office of Information & Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) in the Clinton Administration, will chair the committee. OIRA has oversight responsibility for much of federal rulemaking; Katzen's counterpart during most of the current Administration, John Graham (now Dean of the Rand Graduate School) is a committee member as well.

Researchers on the committee include experts in administrative law, political science, and public administration, as well as computer and information science and legal informatics. Distinguished representatives of the public interest community, business and state goverment have also agreed to serve.

Cynthia Farina will be Reporter for the committee, and will draft the final report containing the committee's findings, conclusions and recommendations. The report, which is expected by the end of the year, will include both short-term and longer range suggestions for legislative, presidential, and administrative action to improve e-rulemaking.

The committee is organized under the auspices of the Administrative Law & Regulatory Practice Section of the American Bar Association.

Its work is supported by grants from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation.

Description of the Committee

List of members