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Improving regulatory policy
through research, education, and outreach.

 


Our Research

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Promotes best practices for regulatory analysis

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Improves regulatory processes and institutions

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Serves as a source for objective information

 


"The GW Regulatory Studies Center has done phenomenal work in cataloguing and analyzing reforms in regulatory policy...[it is] a national treasure."


Cass R. Sunstein
Robert Walmsley University Professor, Harvard
OIRA Administrator Under President Obama


Featured: The Congressional Review Act

What it does

The Congressional Review Act (CRA) establishes procedures for Congress to overturn final rules issued by federal agencies. After an agency's rule is reported to Congress, members of Congress have 60 days to introduce a joint resolution disapproving of the rule. When signed into law, these resolutions of disapproval (RDs) overturn the rule in question and bar agencies from issuing a "substantially similar" rule. The CRA offers two unique mechanisms: the Senate "fast-track" procedures and the "lookback" period. For an in-depth discussion of these mechanics and more, see our Regulatory Insight A Lookback at the Law: How Congress Uses the CRA. 

CRA Use Trending Upward for Both Major and Non-major Rules, 1996-2022

Line chart showing trends in the number of Congressional Review Act resolutions introduced by calendar year. The chart peaks in 2017, with 67 resolutions introduced in Congress at the beginning of the Trump administration.

CRA Window Exploratory Dashboard

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CRA Window Exploratory Dashboard - screen grab


This dashboard allows users to explore the set of final rules published in the Federal Register in 2024, and how various lookback dates could affect the set of rules available for congressional review at the beginning of the next session of Congress. View Dashboard.

Commentary:

Will History Repeat Itself? Forecasting CRA Use in a Second Trump Administration. Steve Balla and Sarah Hay, May 3, 2024. What policy areas are most likely to be challenged if Trump wins a second term in the 2024 presidential election?

Explore Our Coverage


Our Latest Publications

 

Cumulative Economically Significant Final Rules by Administration

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Cumulative Econ Significant Rules by Presidential Month - PNG

View All Charts

 

Regulators’ Budget for a New Era

Proposed improvements to long-running data on the costs of regulation

After Midnight: Prospective Uses of the Congressional Review Act in the Second Trump Administration

A look at rules the Trump administration may target for recall in its second term

The Economic Impact of Uncertainty About US Regulations of the Energy Sector

An increase in regulatory uncertainty in the energy sector reduces oil production and has certain negative effects on economic outcomes

View All Publications >> 


Current Highlights

 


"Your input and expertise during the drafting of the Early Participation in Regulations Act of 2019 and SMART Act of 2019 was invaluable."

Joint Statement (PDF)
Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ)
Senator James Lankford (R-OK)


 

Video Testimonials

GW Alum

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