GOVERNMENT REFORM

» Government Ethics and Lobbying Reform

» Money in Politics

» Open Government

» Stealth PACs

» Public Protections

Sign Up

To receive regular updates on our campaigns for government accountability. 

Recent Reports

June 12, 2013 - The Perils of OIRA Regulatory Review
June 6, 2013 - Lax Taxes: Industry Has Resource Advantage in Fight over Bills that Would Raise Revenue
April 3, 2013 - Ebook: Reality Check: The Forgotten Lessons of Deregulation
 March 5, 2013 - Chevron FEC Complaint and Super Connected Update
More - See More Government Reform Reports

Public Safeguards Past Due

Missed Deadlines Leave Public Unprotected

June 26, 2012 — A Public Citizen analysis of a set of public health and safety rulemakings with congressionally mandated deadlines reveals that most rules are issued long after their deadlines have passed, potentially putting American consumers at risk. Of the 159 rules analyzed, 78 percent missed their deadline and more than half remain incomplete. Federal agencies miss these deadlines for a variety of reasons, including having to conduct onerous analyses, dealing with politically motivated delays, and prolonged review at the Office of Management and Budget’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). Among rules included in the analysis, all 14 rules currently under review at OIRA have been there longer than the agency’s allotted four month review period.  At present, Congress is considering many bills that would further hinder agencies’ abilities to do their jobs. Instead, lawmakers should seek ways to alleviate the undue burdens on agencies.

Copyright © 2013 Public Citizen. All rights reserved. This Web site is shared by Public Citizen Inc. and Public Citizen Foundation.
  Learn More about the distinction between these two components of Public Citizen.


Public Citizen, Inc. and Public Citizen Foundation

 

Together, two separate corporate entities called Public Citizen, Inc. and Public Citizen Foundation, Inc., form Public Citizen. Both entities are part of the same overall organization, and this Web site refers to the two organizations collectively as Public Citizen.

Although the work of the two components overlaps, some activities are done by one component and not the other. The primary distinction is with respect to lobbying activity. Public Citizen, Inc., an IRS § 501(c)(4) entity, lobbies Congress to advance Public Citizen’s mission of protecting public health and safety, advancing government transparency, and urging corporate accountability. Public Citizen Foundation, however, is an IRS § 501(c)(3) organization. Accordingly, its ability to engage in lobbying is limited by federal law, but it may receive donations that are tax-deductible by the contributor. Public Citizen Inc. does most of the lobbying activity discussed on the Public Citizen Web site. Public Citizen Foundation performs most of the litigation and education activities discussed on the Web site.

You may make a contribution to Public Citizen, Inc., Public Citizen Foundation, or both. Contributions to both organizations are used to support our public interest work. However, each Public Citizen component will use only the funds contributed directly to it to carry out the activities it conducts as part of Public Citizen’s mission. Only gifts to the Foundation are tax-deductible. Individuals who want to join Public Citizen should make a contribution to Public Citizen, Inc., which will not be tax deductible.

 

To become a member of Public Citizen, click here.
To become a member and make an additional tax-deductible donation to Public Citizen Foundation, click here.