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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2001

Republican lawmakers and associated lobbyists are continuing to target on a number of federal regulations, this time by going after paperwork deemed unnecessary and unwieldy.

According to a lobbyist who attended a meeting held in a House office building, the campaign is an "underhanded" effort to gut regulations through paperwork procedures. "This was a secret campaign to circumvent the process," the anonymous source told The Washington Post.

Leading the campaign is the House Government Reform subcommittee on energy policy, natural resources and regulatory affairs, chaired by Rep. Doug Ose (R-Calif.). One of his aides, Barbara Kahlow, was contacted by the White House Office of Management and Budget and told to identify overly burdensome regulations.

Although not mentioned in the article, the OMB has approved a request to collect paperwork information about Indian preference at the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Tribal leaders fear the department's proposed reorganization will bring an end to the hiring and promotion policies for Native Americans, who make up 90 percent of the BIA's work force.

The BIA has not returned comment on why it is collecting the information, which was deemed an "emergency" request. However, a spokesperson said yesterday that Indian preference will travel with a position should it be reassigned to the Bureau of Indian Trust Assets Management.

The spokesperson promised to provide the Interior policy which dictates the transfer.

Get the Story:
Business Lobbyists Asked To Discuss Onerous Rules (The Washington Post 12/4)

Get the Indian Preference Notice:
Text | PDF

Related Stories:
BIA collecting Indian preference info (11/27)
McCaleb faces Indian preference question (11/20)