It doesn't matter which political party you belong to or abstain from participating in the political process. The sad truth is that your job relies just as much on federal regulations as it does a vibrant marketplace, healthy economy, healthy industry, and healthy company.
According to the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), the burden of 2016 federal regulations on the American public was approximately $1.9 TRILLION or nearly $15,000 per household.
The 2017 edition of "Ten Thousand Commandments: An Annual Snapshot of the Federal Regulatory State" reveals that in 2016:
- 214 laws were enacted by Congress during the calendar year, while 3,853 rules were issued by agencies. That means, 18 rules were issued for every law enacted last year.
- Some 60 federal departments, agencies, and commissions have 3,318 regulations in development at various stages in the pipeline.
- The five most active rulemaking entities–the Departments of the Treasury, Interior, Transportation, Commerce and the Environmental Protection Agency–account for 1,428 rules, or 43 percent of all federal regulations being considered.
- The 2016 Federal Register contains 95,894 pages, the highest level in its history and 19 percent higher than the previous year’s 80,260 pages.
- Rules appear to be increasing as former President Obama issued 685 major rules during his 8-year term, compared with former President George W. Bush’s 505 major rules during his 8-year term. President Trump has announced he will use executive orders to effect a roll-back in rules and rule-making.
Some of President Trump’s initiatives during his first 100 days include:
- Presidential Memorandum. Streamlining Permitting and Reducing Regulatory Burdens for Domestic Manufacturing, January 24, 2017
- Presidential Executive Order 13766. Expediting Environmental Reviews and Approvals for High Priority Infrastructure Projects, January 24, 2017
- Presidential Executive Order 13771. Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs, January 30, 2017
- Presidential Executive Order 13772. Core Principles for Regulating the United States Financial System, February 3, 2017
- Presidential Executive Order 13777. Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda, February 24, 2017
- Presidential Executive Order 13789. Identifying and Reducing Tax Regulatory Burdens, April 21, 2017
While we all can’t be tax and legislative analysts, we can scan the trade papers for notices of impending legislation and try to imagine how they might impact your industry, company, and job.