Order clarifies federal laws' execution

[Ron Burgundy]

AP - President Bush has signed an executive order giving the White House more say over how federal departments and agencies carry out laws approved by Congress.

Under the order, each department and agency must put a presidential appointee in charge of the rules and the guidance that it plans to issue. Also, under the order, agencies must now satisfy a higher standard of justification before taking any new regulatory action.

The order gives the White House budget office more power over guidance documents, which don't have the weight of federal regulations but which still heavily influence how companies, schools and other agencies comply with laws.

Significant guidance documents — ones which could have an annual impact of more than $100 million or have other major effects on the public — may now come under scrutiny by the White House budget office before they are released.

The White House says that Bush's order will improve coordination among federal agencies and ensure that regulators are held accountable for decisions. The order has drawn praise from business groups, which have long complained about the cost and burden of federal regulations. But some consumer advocates are wary that the White House is taking on too much power.

source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070130/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_order [link]