ACUS adopts a series of recommendations to improve agency practices and reduce administrative burdens.
When the Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS) met in December 2023, it adopted four recommendations designed to improve administrative processes.
ACUS was founded in 1968 as a non-partisan federal agency “dedicated to improving administrative law and federal regulatory processes.” ACUS recommendations have prompted reform efforts from both Congress and the executive branch improving regulatory and administrative outcomes for business and citizens.
The recommendations ACUS adopted at its December 2023 plenary session encourage agency officials to (1) deploy best practices for adjudications without evidentiary hearings, (2) reduce burdens on members of the public when they engage with administrative processes, (3) seek appropriate ways to improve the timeliness of agency adjudications, and (4) deploy best practices for user fees. Taken together, these recommendations seek to improve the “efficiency, adequacy, and fairness” of administrative processes.
The Regulatory Review invited the scholars who contributed to the development of the recommendations adopted last December to share their thoughts on the importance and purpose of the recommendations. The four essays in this series highlight ACUS’s recommendations for reducing administrative burdens, improving the timeliness of adjudications, optimizing user fees, and improving public participation in adjudications.
Contributors to this series include Michael Asimow of the University of California Los Angelos School of Law, Jeremy S. Graboyes of ACUS, Pamela Herd of Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy, Erika Lietzan of the University of Missouri School of Law, Donald Moynihan of Georgetown University’ McCourt School of Public Policy, Lea Robbins of ACUS, Jennifer L. Selin of ACUS, and Amy Widman of the Rutgers Law School.
Identifying and Reducing Burdens in Administrative Processes
July 1, 2024 | Pamela Herd, Georgetown University, Donald Moynihan, Georgetown University, Amy Widman, Rutgers Law School
Scholars propose strategies to lower the procedural hurdles of obtaining benefits.
ACUS Adopts Recommendations for Best Practices in Informal Adjudication
July 2, 2024 | Michael Asimow, University of California, Los Angelos School of Law
A new recommendation aims to improve fairness of federal administrative adjudication.
User Fees Imposed by Federal Agencies
July 3, 2024 | Erika Lietzan, University of Missouri School of Law
ACUS recommends transparency and oversight be provided whenever agencies collect user fees.
Improving Timeliness in Agency Adjudication
July 4, 2024 | Jeremy S. Graboyes, ACUS, Lea Robbins, ACUS, Jennifer L. Selin, ACUS
Agencies should investigate the factors affecting adjudication timeliness and subsequently adopt the appropriate ACUS recommendations for improvement.
