ACUS Adopts Four New Recommendations On Thursday, December 14, 2023, the Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS) convened its 80th Plenary Session. Following a keynote address by former OIRA Administrator Cass Sunstein on the effect of administrative burdens, or “sludge,” in federal programs, the Assembly debated, amended, and ultimately adopted four new recommendations. A […]

ACUS Publishes New Statement of Principles for Public Participation in Agency Rulemaking Since its establishment, the Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS) has issued dozens of recommendations designed to help agencies efficiently, equitably, and effectively provide opportunities for public input and dialogue when they issue, amend, or repeal rules. To assist agency staff in […]

ACUS Seeks Consultant Proposals for Three New Projects The Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS) is seeking proposals from parties interested in serving as consultants for three new projects: (1) Choice of Forum for Judicial Review of Agency Rules, (2) Using Algorithmic Tools in Regulatory Enforcement, and (3) Public Engagement in Agency Rulemaking Under […]

ACUS Assembly Adopts Four New Recommendations The Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS) convened in its 79th Plenary Session on Thursday, June 15, 2023, at The George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C. A recording of the day’s proceedings is available online via ACUS’s YouTube page. Following a report from ACUS Chair Andrew […]

ACUS 79th Plenary Session: Save the Date & Agenda Announced The Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS) will convene in its 79th Plenary Session on Thursday, June 15, 2023, at The George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C. On Tuesday, May 23, 2023, the ACUS Council assembled to consider committee-approved draft recommendations and […]

The Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS) invites readers to join us tomorrow, Thursday, May 18 (1:00-2:30 p.m. ET) to kick off the inaugural meeting of the ACUS Roundtable on State Administrative Procedural Practices. To attend, please click here to register for the virtual event. As Associate Justice Louis Brandeis famously noted, the states […]

Consultants Wanted for New Sourcebook on Public Participation in Agency Decision Making The Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS) is seeking proposals from parties interested in serving as consultants for a forthcoming project that will survey and comprehensively analyze legal requirements and policies related to public participation in agency decision making processes. The project […]

The Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS) is requesting public input on how agencies can better identify and reduce unnecessary procedural burdens faced by the public when engaging with administrative programs or participating in administrative processes. The request for information, published in the Federal Register on February 15, 2023 (88 Fed. Reg. 9851), is also […]

I am honored to join Notice & Comment to revive the briefly dormant Administrative Conference Updates Series, which will provide regular updates on the work of the Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS). This series will be your one-stop-shop for all the latest ACUS news, from information on new and ongoing projects to announcements […]

ACUS is hosting a Forum on Enhancing Public Input in Agency Rulemaking tomorrow, December 1, from 1–4 pm ET. This forum grows out of several conversations that took place during ACUS committee meetings and other forums this year. In the spring, ACUS adopted Recommendation 2021-1, Managing Mass, Computer-Generated, and Falsely Attributed Comments. The recommendation—largely based […]

I’m delighted to join Notice & Comment to highlight new and continuing projects from the Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS), as well as other news about ACUS initiatives and recommendations. Many thanks to Emily Bremer for her stewardship of the series. With that, dear reader, here is an all-things-ACUS update. Forum on Underserved […]

I joined the Notice & Comment team five years ago* and started doing a regular series reporting on the goings-on at the Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS). I’ve really enjoyed the opportunity to alert you, dear reader, to ACUS’s important work. But I must admit that my bandwidth for the series has become […]

ACUS is hosting a multi-day, virtual Forum on Underserved Communities and the Regulatory Process this November. Leading policymakers, community advocates, and other experts will discuss underserved communities’ participation in the processes, including rulemaking and adjudication, by which federal agencies make regulatory policies. The forum will address Executive Order 13985, which requires federal agencies to “pursue a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for […]

ACUS has recently begun committee meetings on a slate of new recommendation projects targeted for completion at the 76th Plenary Session, scheduled for December 16, 2021. Descriptions and basic information about the projects (pulled from ACUS) appear below. Further information, including draft documents, are (or will become) available via the included links. Public Access to […]

Over the past two days, I’ve posted a mini-symposium of separate statements filed by ACUS members in response to Recommendation 2021-1, Managing Mass, Computer-Generated, and Falsely Attributed Comments. The third and final contribution comes from Senior Fellow Richard J. Pierce, Jr. (GW Law) (it is an abbreviated version of a statement that is on the ACUS website): […]