The Honorable Dan Quayle

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2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

What is the relationship of the Council to OMB's Office
of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) and to the
office of the OMB Deputy Director for Management
(established by the Chief Financial Officers Act of
1990)?

Please describe the Council's regulatory review
activities. How are regulatory activities referred to
or selected by the Council for review? What procedures
are followed and what standards are used to review those
regulatory activities? How are Council decisions or
comments communicated to agencies?

In what manner and under what circumstances does the Council solicit or receive comments on agency regulatory activities from persons outside the Council? What records are kept of such communications and what is done with the comments?

For each regulatory activity reviewed or otherwise discussed (including those currently under review) by the Council, please identify:

O The proposal;

O

O

The dates and length of review;

The action taken by the Council (whether informal
discussion or formal decision); and

Any record that exists of the Council's
deliberations.

To what extent was your March 22, 1991, Memorandum for Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies based on problems the Council has experienced in its review of regulatory activities? If so, what were those problems and how were they addressed by the Memorandum? Also, please explain how the Memorandum's delineation of the scope of OMB regulatory review is consistent with the Administrative Procedure Act's definition of "rule" and "rule making."

Please describe the functions, responsibilities, and
authority of the Council's Working Groups.

We appreciate your attention to this request. Answers to these questions will assist the Committee to understand the Council's activities and the scope of review exercised by both the Council and OIRA. If you or your staff have

The Honorable Dan Quayle
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any questions, please contact Leonard Weiss, Governmental Affairs Committee Staff Director, at 224-4751.

THE VICE PRESIDENT

WASHINGTON

April 23, 1991

The Honorable John Glenn
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear John:

Thank you for your letter about the President's Council on Competitiveness, The Paperwork Reduction Act reauthorization, and the Council's role in regulatory oversight.

It's always a pleasure to hear from former colleagues especially about the importance of protecting our regulatory process from interference by special interests. As you know, President Bush has asked me to make sure that there is a thorough and impartial Executive Branch review of regulations. He also expects this process to ensure that the government does not impose unnecessary regulatory burdens on the economy. A key component of this review is the Paperwork Reduction Act, which I understand would be greatly strengthened by a new, bipartisan proposal that could help break the logjam on reauthorization.

If you

Al Hubbard, the Council's Executive Director, will get back to you soon with more details about the Council's role. have further questions, please call me.

Sincerely,

Da

OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT

WASHINGTON

April 25, 1991

The Honorable John Glenn

U.S. Senate

Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Senator Glenn:

I am writing at the request of the Vice President to provide you with information concerning the President's Council on Competitiveness. In accordance with the President's directives, the Council on Competitiveness has taken up the duties of the Reagan Administration's President's Task Force for Regulatory Relief (chaired by then Vice President Bush). Specifically, the Council is charged with ensuring that the regulatory principles and the review process outlined in Executive Orders 12291 and 12498 are fully implemented. The Council coordinates closely with the Office of Management and Budget, which implements review under these Executive Orders and the Paperwork Reduction Act.

I have enclosed the following documents to help you and your colleagues understand the purposes and functions of the Council: 1. Executive Order 12291 (February 17, 1981).

2.

3.

Executive Order 12498 (January 4, 1985).

White House press release dated June 15, 1990 indicating
that President Bush has directed the President's
Council on Competitiveness to exercise the same
authority over regulatory issues as did the

Presidential Task Force on Regulatory Relief under E.0.
12291, and has designated the President's Council on
Competitiveness as the appropriate body to review
issues under E.O. 12498.

Fact Sheet describing the activities of the President's
Council on Competitiveness.

5.

6.

7.

Fact Sheet on September 27, 1990 Council meeting.

Fact Sheet on Orphan Drug Program, November 9, 1990,
and copy of President Bush's Memorandum of Disapproval
of H.R. 4638, November 8, 1990.

Fact Sheet on December 19, 1990 Council meeting.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

Fact Sheet on the Council's Report on National
Biotechnology Policy, February 19, 1991, and a copy of
the Report.

Fact Sheet on the Council on Competitiveness' Proposal
to Restructure the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, February 27, 1991.

White House Fact Sheet on the President's Economic
Growth Agenda, April 9, 1991, indicating that, when
regulation is necessary, regulatory programs should
pass strict cost-benefit tests and should seek to
harness the power of market forces to serve the public
interest, not to distort or diminish those forces (see
pages 6-7).

Fact Sheet and Press Release on S.279, Corporate
Average Fuel Economy, April 22, 1991.

Fact Sheet on Critical Technologies, April 25, 1991.

In closing I would like to assure you that, in fulfilling its charge, the President's Council on Competitiveness will take care that agency actions subject to the Executive Orders are carried out in full compliance with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations, including the Administrative Procedures Act and its requirements that govern each agency's consideration of information in the public record.

With best regards.

Enclosure

Sincerely,

знако

Allan B. Hubbard
Executive Director

Council on Competitiveness