The 2023 Spring Regulatory Agenda

By Richard L. Revesz, Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs

Under the President’s leadership, the Biden-Harris Administration has continued its work to invest in America, lower costs for families, combat climate change, and grow the economy from the bottom up and middle out. The Administration is using every available tool to improve Americans’ lives, including Federal regulations that my office—the Office of Information and Regulatory Review (OIRA)—reviews.

Today, OIRA is releasing its Spring Regulatory Agenda , which details additional actions that Federal agencies are considering over the coming months. These actions build on and accelerate this Administration’s progress in delivering for the American people.

Some of these actions include:

• Holding airlines accountable for passenger refunds. The Department of Transportation is seeking to finalize a rule that clarifies and strengthens its requirements for air carriers to issue refunds to passengers when airlines cancel or significantly change a flight to, from, or within the United States. The rule would also require airlines to refund fees for checked bags when the bags are not delivered quickly enough, and to refund any other fees for services when the air carrier does not deliver them.

• Reducing the use of harmful climate super-pollutants. EPA is moving ahead with actions that would phase down hydrofluorocarbons and help America lead on innovation and manufacturing of next-generation technologies—steps that would make a major dent in climate-warming emissions and carry out the agency’s statutory responsibilities under the bipartisan American Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2020.

• Protecting access to baby formula for low-income women and children. The Food and Nutrition Service is seeking to finalize a rule to protect access to baby formula under its Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program. These guardrails would help protect access to baby formula for WIC participants even when there are supply chain issues and unforeseen disasters.

• Ensuring access to prescriptions through telemedicine. The Drug Enforcement Administration is seeking to finalize its rule that would update requirements for doctors to prescribe medications through telemedicine. This would help Americans receive critical medications even when they cannot visit a physical doctor’s office.

In addition to these actions, we are taking historic steps to advance regulatory policies that improve the lives of the American people by modernizing the regulatory review process. Continuing the work begun on Day One of the Administration, the President signed an Executive Order this spring that makes major strides towards modernizing regulatory review and fostering a more inclusive rulemaking process. In addition, OIRA announced proposed revisions to guidance on regulatory analysis, Circular A-4, that will help agencies better account for the full range of benefits and costs of their regulations.

Effective regulation can provide critical benefits to the public such as clean air and water, reliable transportation, consumer protections, employment protections, and a stronger economy. We look forward to continuing to ensure that federal regulations deliver the most value to the American people, helping them at work, at home, and in their communities.