House passes REINS Act, HHS Secretary limits access to Plan B, Senate blocks CFPB nominee, and more.
- The U.S. House of Representatives passed the REINS Act, which would require both houses of Congress to approve major regulations before they can take effect. See related The Regulatory Review essay.
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius blocked a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decision that would have allowed over-the-counter access to the emergency contraceptive Plan B to females under 17.
- The U.S. Senate blocked the confirmation of Richard Cordray as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
- In the wake of the collapse of the brokerage firm MF Global, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) unanimously finalized a rule further limiting how firms can invest their customers’ funds.
- Michael Huerta became Acting Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) when former Administrator Randy Babbitt resigned after being arrested for drunk driving.
- The interagency Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force released its long-term plan to restore the Gulf of Mexico after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster.
- Data.gov, which stores federally generated data for public use and is aimed at increasing government transparency, released portions of its source code as part of an initiative to allow state and foreign governments to copy its platform.
- Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Michael Copps announced his plan to resign at the end of the year.
- The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) ordered the electricity seller Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) to end preference given to hydropower generators by forcing wind power generators to shut down when water levels were high.
- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a draft report indicating likely groundwater contamination in Wyoming from hydraulic fracturing used in natural gas extraction. See related The Regulatory Review essay.
- U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA) introduced a bill that would liquidate Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, set up an interim federal program that would provide guarantees to high-quality mortgage securities, and move to a totally privatized system in a decade.
- The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) determined that the NC State Board of Dental Examiners illegally limited competition when it restricted non-dentists from providing teeth-whitening services. The Commission ordered the Board to lift its restrictions.
