Understanding the Regulatory Process, a Five-Course Series on CD

A Capitol Learning Audio CourseTM This five-session course gives you a comprehensive look at the federal regulatory process. Five audio courses on CD covering the federal regulatory process.: Historical Overview of the Federal Regulatory Process Overview of the Rulemaking Process OMB’s Role in the Regulatory Process and Pertinent Executive Orders How to Read and Comment … Read more

Government Printing Office / Government Publishing Office / GPO / Federal Depository Libraries (CongressionalGlossary.com)

From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Government Printing Office / Government Publishing Office / GPO / Federal Depository Libraries The Government Printing Office (GPO) is a legislative branch agency. The name changed in 2014 to Government Publishing Office. GPO’s core mission of “Keeping America Informed,” dates to 1813 when Congress determined … Read more

Government Accountability Office / GAO / Comptroller General (CongressionalGlossary.com)

From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Government Accountability Office / GAO / Comptroller General The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent, nonpartisan legislative agency that works for Congress. Often called the “congressional watchdog,” GAO investigates how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars. The head of GAO, the Comptroller General … Read more

Congressional Budget Office / CBO (CongressionalGlossary.com)

From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Congressional Budget Office / CBO   Introduction to the Congressional Budget Office   The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and Government Accountability Office (GAO) principally serve congressional committees with a variety of reports. The Congressional Budget Office assists Congress in understanding the economic and fiscal environment … Read more

Agency / Department (CongressionalGlossary.com)

From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Agency photo credit: independentman Agency: No one definition of this term has general, governmentwide applicability. “Agency” and related terms, like “executive agency” or “federal agency,” are defined in different ways in different laws and regulations. For example, the provisions of the Budget and Accounting Act … Read more

Capitol Hill Workshop – 3-day Legislative-Executive Seminar in Washington, DC

Capitol Hill Workshop: Politics, Policy, and Process In this engaging workshop and seminar on legislative operations, Washington-based experts focus on these 3 P’s. They discuss the policy-making process and the legislative agenda, help you understand the congressional budget process, and demystify the culture of the U.S. Congress. photo credit: popmisa You will leave this workshop … Read more

Federal Government Departments and Agencies

Within the federal government, there are two primary types of organizations: executive departments and independent agencies. photo credit: Mr. T in DC Heading the executive departments are members of the president’s cabinet. They report directly to the president and serve at his pleasure by implementing his agenda and carrying out his policies. The heads of … Read more

Getting Involved in the Regulatory Process

While there is often a lot of debate and controversy leading up to the passage of a piece of legislation, that is only the beginning. The federal government must then implement the legislation once it becomes law. The process that handles the implementation of law is known as the regulatory process, which involves a variety … Read more

Preemption: Obama Signals a Change in Federal Rulemaking

In a memorandum to heads of executive departments and agencies, President Obama stated his administration’s policy “that preemption of State law by executive departments and agencies should be undertaken only with full consideration of the legitimate prerogatives of the States and with a sufficient legal basis for preemption.” He instructed the heads of departments and … Read more