Regulatory Policy and Practice Seminar Brings RSC Expertise to Capitol Hill

The Regulatory Studies Center was pleased to host a special seminar and luncheon on Regulatory Policy and Practice for Congressional staffers at the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center. Director Roger Nober presented the fundamentals of separation of powers, recent Supreme Court administrative law decisions, regulatory procedure, the rulemaking process, agency structure and actions, and oversight. 

Nober’s public service experience provided unique perspectives on the challenges of regulatory policy and oversight. He was chief counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure from 1996 to 2001. From 2002 to 2006, Nober was chairman of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board, an independent regulatory commission.

Regulatory policy and administrative law are having a moment of heightened relevance as the Trump administration and his White House’s U.S. DOGE Service pledge to overhaul the federal regulatory agencies and the civil service workforce. While the administration issues executive orders and clashes with the judiciary and Congress over authority, businesses and other stakeholders have grown increasingly stressed about abrupt changes of the regulatory “pendulum” effect, and agency actions that can lead to regulation by enforcement and adjudication.

The March seminar was a great opportunity for the Center to engage with legislative staff at a time when regulatory process and administrative law are more relevant than ever for the public interest. The RSC team plans to offer additional seminars on Capitol Hill in the coming months to explore regulatory topics in further detail.