Agencies Will Cut 100 Million Hours of Paperwork, White House Says

President Obama’s 2011 regulatory review process is on track to save $20 billion over five years and eliminate 100 million hours of paperwork, according to the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.

In a Tuesday blog post, OIRA Administrator Howard Shelanski commended several agencies for identifying outdated and duplicative regulations in biannual reviews, which were just released. The Transportation and Homeland Security departments, he noted, have finalized their review initiatives, along with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Successes Shelanski noted include:

The Social Security Administration’s online application to allow certain members of the public to apply for replacement Social Security Cards electronically without having to visit an office or mail in an application.

The Housing and Urban Development Department published a proposed rule regarding housing voucher portability in March of 2012 to make the voucher program more flexible and maximize family choice in locating housing.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in December finalized a fraud protection final rule that helps prevent deceptive entities from enrolling in Medicare by increasing the criteria for denying enrollment including: a felony conviction, relationship with a previously enrolled provider or supplier that had Medicare debt, or a pattern of submitting claims that don't meet Medicare standards. The rule also limits the ability of ambulance suppliers to bill for services performed prior to enrollment.  CMS anticipates that the new rule could lead to reduced payments of about $327 million dollars to such potentially fraudulent actors.

To continue progress, Shelanski said his office is focusing on reducing regulatory and compliance burdens for state and local government; reducing the regulatory burden for industry, with a focus on flexibility for small and new businesses; regulatory modernization; and identifying gaps or places where regulations need to be strengthened.

On Capitol Hill, Republicans continue a series of hearings challenging the administration’s approach to regulating, which they consider burdensome to business. On Thursday, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a hearing titled, "Examining Federal Rulemaking Challenges and Areas of Improvement within the Existing Regulatory Process.”

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