U.S.
Office of Personnel Management
Statement
of Regulatory and Deregulatory Priorities
Fall
2018 Unified Agenda
OPM works in several broad categories to recruit, retain and honor a
world-class workforce for the American people.
We
manage Federal job announcement postings at USAJOBS.gov, and set policy on
governmentwide hiring procedures.
We
conduct background investigations for prospective employees and security
clearances across government, with hundreds of thousands of cases each year.
We
uphold and defend the merit systems in Federal civil service, making sure that
the Federal workforce uses fair practices in all aspects of personnel
management.
We
manage pension benefits for retired Federal employees and their families. We
also administer health and other insurance programs for Federal employees and
retirees.
We
provide training and development programs and other management tools for
Federal employees and agencies.
In
many cases, we take the lead in developing, testing and implementing new Governmentwide
policies that relate to personnel issues.
Altogether,
we work to make the Federal Government America's model employer for the 21st
century.
OPM's Regulatory Philosophy
and Principles
Executive
Order 13777, "Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda" (February 24, 2017),
required OPM to appoint a Regulatory Reform Officer to oversee the
implementation of regulatory reform initiatives and policies and establish a
Regulatory Reform Task Force (Task Force) to review and evaluate existing
regulations and make recommendations to the agency head regarding their repeal,
replacement, or modification, consistent with applicable law.
These
reform initiatives and policies include Executive Order 13771, "Reducing
Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs" (January 30, 2017), section 6 of
Executive Order 13563, "Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review" (January
18, 2011), and Executive Order 12866.
In relation to Executive Order 13771, many of OPM's agenda items are either
exempt under section 4(b) of the order, or deregulatory. OPM published the
following deregulatory item in fiscal year 2018.
Federal
Employees Health Benefits Program Flexibilities--This final rule added
additional flexibility to the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program
so that all carriers will be able to offer three plan options, one of which may
be a High Deductible plan option. Employee Organization and Comprehensive
Medical plans already have this flexibility. In the past not all carriers could
offer more than two options. This change will level the playing field in terms
of options offered to Federal employees, annuitants, and their eligible family
members. This action was necessary to promote a competitive environment where
carriers have an incentive to offer higher quality benefits at affordable
prices and broader provider networks. This regulation fully aligns with the
Administration's goal of promoting affordable health plan choices.
The agenda includes one rule that promotes open
government and uses disclosure as a regulatory tool.
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Regulations--This proposed rule seeks to remove obsolete sections
of OPM's FOIA regulations and incorporate all FOIA amendments, inclusive of the
FOIA Improvement Act of 2016.
OPM also has a number of regulatory items that focus on Administration
priorities and Executive Orders. These include:
Administrative Law Judges - The
U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing interim regulations
governing the appointment and employment of Administrative Law Judges (ALJ).
This rule will implement changes to the appointment and employment of ALJs as
required by Executive Order 13843.
Direct-Hire Authority for Agency Chief Information Officers-This
proposed rule revises OPM direct-hire authority (DHA) regulations for the
implementation of Executive Order (EO) 13833 titled, "Enhancing the
Effectiveness of Agency Chief Information Officers," which requires OPM to
issue proposed regulations necessary to grant DHA for information technology
(IT) positions under certain conditions.
A fully searchable e-Agenda is available for viewing in its entirety at
www.reginfo.gov. Agenda information is also available at
www.regulations.gov, the government-wide website for submission of comments on
proposed regulations. Our fall 2018 agenda follows.
FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alexys Stanley, (202) 606-1183
or alexys.stanley@opm.gov.