In the areas of government oversight, transparency, and regulation, the Obama administration has made several sharp turns from the policies of the Bush Administration. The economic downturn has given rise to proposals for major changes in the regulation of the financial sector, including a new agency devoted to consumer protection in financial transactions. Various other regulatory schemes in the area of environmental law, health care, energy trading, and financial devices such as derivatives, are all on the table. Thus re-regulation has supplanted de-regulation as the overarching policy of the federal government. In the area of information policy, Obama has adopted a FOIA-friendly regime that entails a presumption of disclosure. In the area of oversight of rulemaking, OIRA will undoubtedly differ quite sharply from Bush-era practices. The nature of cost benefit analysis and the role of the President are also under serious reconsideration. The panel of speakers will consider all these transformative changes in a roundtable discussion format.
Business Meeting at Program Conclusion.