Management and Budget Office June 2024 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP), Cost Accounting Standards Board (CAS Board or the Board), is releasing this notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to elicit public comments on proposed changes to the Cost Accounting Standards (CAS) to conform them with changes in Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) related to operating revenue and lease accounting. This proposed rule follows issuance of an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) 85 FR 70572 (November, 5, 2020), and a Staff Discussion Paper (SDP) 84 FR 9143 (March 13, 2019).

On July 19, 2023, the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a Memorandum, Broadening Public Participation and Community Engagement in the Regulatory Process, providing guidance to agencies on how to promote equitable and meaningful participation by a range of interested and affected parties, including members of underserved communities, during the regulatory process. The Memorandum also established guidance for agencies to implement the Executive Order on Modernizing Regulatory Review's call for proactive engagement to inform the development of regulatory actions and plans, with a focus on early engagement in agency priority-setting. In developing the Memorandum, OIRA drew on extensive engagement with the public, including four listening sessions and two public comment periods. In the Memorandum, OIRA anticipated organizing a follow-up listening session approximately twelve months from its issuance, to hear from members of the public about implementation of this guidance and opportunities for improvement. OIRA will hold three listening sessions to receive public input on the public's experience engaging with agency's rulemaking processes since the Memorandum's release.

Pursuant to Executive Order 12866, interested members of the public may request a meeting with the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) to present their views about a regulatory action that is under OIRA review. These meetings, known as E.O. 12866 meetings, serve as listening sessions for OIRA officials and representatives from the agency or agencies taking the regulatory action. Section 2(e) of Executive Order 14094 (Modernizing Regulatory Review) directed the OIRA Administrator to implement reforms designed to protect public trust in the regulatory process, including ensuring access for meeting requesters who have not historically requested such meetings. On December 20, 2023, OIRA issued Guidance Implementing Section 2(e) of Executive Order 14094 (Guidance), describing OIRA's E.O. 12666 meeting policy, and its strategy for inclusive and transparent meetings. To assist members of the public seeking to request an E.O. 12866 meeting, OIRA has modified its website and posted an instructional video and a step-by-step guide to requesting a meeting, in English and Spanish, on its website. As outlined in the Guidance, to encourage participation by those who have not historically requested E.O. 12866 meetings, including those from underserved communities, OIRA will offer periodic and accessible trainings on effective participation in E.O. 12866 meetings. For calendar year 2024, OIRA will be holding two virtual sessions to provide training on how to request and how to effectively participate in E.O. 12866 meetings.

The Office of Management and Budget ("OMB") is issuing a final rule revising its regulations implementing the Privacy Act and the Freedom of Information Act ("FOIA"). These revisions update OMB's regulations to reflect changes in OMB's current organizational structure and best practices. The revisions also ensure consistency between the access to records procedures in OMB's Privacy Act regulations and OMB's FOIA regulations, and with applicable law and policies that were enacted after OMB originally issued its Privacy Act regulations in 1976. Finally, the revisions align OMB's regulations with those of other agencies.