[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 229 (Friday, November 27, 2020)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Page 75893]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-26023]



[[Page 75893]]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

45 CFR Subtitle A


Policy on Redundant, Overlapping, or Inconsistent Regulations

AGENCY: Immediate Office of the Secretary, Department of Health and 
Human Services (HHS).

ACTION: Policy statement.

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SUMMARY: The Immediate Office of the Secretary (IOS) is issuing this 
policy regarding redundant, overlapping, or inconsistent regulations.

DATES: November 27, 2020.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department believes that its decision-
making ought to be transparent, rational, and well-honed to achieve 
legitimate government objectives with minimum transaction costs to the 
affected sector. This policy furthers those objectives and the 
objectives of the Richardson Waiver (see 36 FR 2532 (Feb. 5, 1971)), 
and various Executive Orders by requiring that all regulations issued 
by this Department are necessary, understandable, and provide clear 
guidance to the public and regulated entities regarding the standards 
to be met and procedures to be followed. Redundant, overlapping, or 
inconsistent regulations undermine these goals by injecting 
uncertainty, creating potentially conflicting regulatory regimes, and 
increasing transactions costs with no discernible benefit to the 
public.
    Effective immediately, all agencies and offices of the Department 
that prepare regulations must ensure that any rule is not inconsistent 
with, and does not overlap with, any regulation that has already been 
issued through an agency within the Department. In the event an agency 
proposing that the Secretary issue a rule discovers that such rule is 
inconsistent or overlaps with another Department rule, the proposing 
agency shall not recommend issuance until it also recommends to the 
Secretary the steps to be taken to avoid duplicative or overlapping 
regulations.
    Collection of information requirements: This document does not 
impose information collection requirements.

Brian Harrison,
Chief of Staff, Department of Health and Human Services.
[FR Doc. 2020-26023 Filed 11-24-20; 8:45 am]
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