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Ways people can influence government agencies
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write to agency, write to congress, Freedom of Information Act, Sue in court
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How many agency inspector generals are there
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64
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What do agency inspector generals do?
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Conduct independent investigations, audits of agency personnel, essentially the internal police within agencies
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Hatch Act (1939)
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a congressional law that forbade government officials from working on political campaigns
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What political rights do employees of the federal government not have
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Can't run in partisan elections, can't campaign on the job for other candidates, can't use position to influence an election
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Rulemaking
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The procedure government agencies use to adopt regulations
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1. Proposed Rule
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Agency drafts this, then the department of agency approves it.
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OMB regulatory impact rule
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If the proposed rule will impact the private sector by $100 Million or more per year it is considered a "major rule" and a regulatory impact analysis is required
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2. Cost- Benefit review
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performed by the agency but overseen by the Office of Management and Budget where the analysis is sent
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3. A notice and comment period
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when the agency publishes the proposed rule in the federal register (will reference statutory authority that gives it a power to adopt regulations)
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4. Receives and Digests Comment
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Most of this happens electronically, Agencies receive only a small fraction of comment in hard copy. It will often disclose on its website the individual comments and on a federal government website called regulations.gov. Agency staff provides analysis of the number of comments.
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5. Agency may tailor the final rule based on public comment
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The agency will make reference to some of the comment, cannot change the proposed rule in a significant way otherwise the agency will have to start over.
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6. Part I
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Draft of final rule must go to OMB if a major rule.
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6.
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The final rule will be posted in the federal registry with a date that is effective
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7. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
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The rules are then put in the code of federal regulations
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This was
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Informal rulemaking
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Some agency rulemaking is exempt from the notice and comment requirements in the APA. What would be an example of this?
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Coast guard closing off boating because of bridge repair- a rule of emergency action.
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Rulemaking may not have a definite end due to
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agencies being sued and congress invoking congressional review act
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Different types of rules
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Procedural, interpretive, substantive (this one requires notice and comment period).
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Advisory opinions
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Issued by a regulatory entity to give some indication of how an administrator understands exising law
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Agency Adjudication
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The function of an administrative agency to hear complaints, similar to a judicial function.