Seminars
A Seminar on
Regulatory Efficiency:
Is Our Regulatory Process Working
Tuesday, September 15th, 2015
12:00PM – 2:00PM, Potomac Institute for Policy Studies
For every law that the United States Government has passed since 1976 an average of 19 final rule documents have been published per year. Those interested in policy often focus on the effects of legislation, but a piece of legislation is only as impactful as the regulations that interpret and implement it. Laws generally do not dictate the language of regulations; they instead grant authority to federal regulatory agencies to create the particular rules that govern society. The rules created by agencies through the rulemaking process have a more direct and tangible effect on the American people than laws passed in Congress. In order to ensure policies enacted by Congress are creating the desired benefits for society, in the least burdensome way, a method to measure the efficiency of our regulations and regulatory processes is needed.
This seminar is part of the 2015 Regulatory Science & Engineering Symposia Series, an initiative of the Potomac Institute’s Regulatory Science & Engineering Center. The series is intended to provide a forum to discuss the United States Federal rulemaking process in order to develop a clearer understanding for how it works, the assessment criteria used during it, the impact it has on society, and importantly its effectiveness at changing society’s behavior for the better. This seminar will focus on discussing the effectiveness of our current Federal rulemaking process and the necessary steps needed to be taken in order to develop a quantitative, reliable metric for measuring regulatory efficiency. The distinguished panelists will discuss their experiences with the Federal regulatory process and offer insight into what a metric for evaluating regulatory efficiency might look like.
Date:
Monday, September 15th, 2015 from 12:00PM-2:00PM
Place:
Potomac Institute for Policy Studies
901 N. Stuart Street, Suit 1200
Arlington, VA 22203
Agenda:
12:00 PM: Welcome & Opening Remarks
12:05 PM: Participant Introductions
12:10 PM: Panel discussion
1:30 PM: Questions & Answer Session
1:55 PM: Concluding Remarks
The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies is an independent, 501(c)(3), not-for-profit public policy research institute. The Institute identifies and aggressively shepherds discussion on key science and technology issues facing our society. From these discussions and forums, we develop meaningful science and technology policy options and ensure their implementation at the intersection of business and government.
Workshops
A Workshop on
International Traffic in Arms Regulations:
Impact on Science, Technology, and National Security
Monday, July 27th, 2015
12:00PM – 3:00PM, Potomac Institute for Policy Studies
The Department of State’s International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) controls the export of defense articles. The goal of ITAR is to maintain the United States’ edge in defense technology and safeguard national security by denying advanced military technologies to potential foreign adversaries. In order to achieve this goal, ITAR restricts the ability of companies to develop and export technologies with potential military use and limits the ability of researchers to collaborate with international partners and share technical information. The State Department’s most recent ITAR amendments attempt to address concerns about the impact of ITAR on domestic innovation, but there is an ongoing debate among commercial, government, and academic stakeholders about the impact of ITAR on national security and science and technology research.
This workshop aims to discuss the ITAR’s impact on domestic science and technology research, foreign defense capabilities, and national security. The distinguished participants in this discussion will provide insight on their experiences with ITAR and its current ability to deter foreign adversaries from obtaining advanced military technologies. We hope that this workshop will lead to a beneficial discussion on the current effects of ITAR and implications for reform.
Date:
Monday, July 27th, 2015 from 12:00PM-3:00PM
Place:
Potomac Institute for Policy Studies
901 N. Stuart Street, Suit 1200
Arlington, VA 22203
Agenda:
12:00 PM: Welcome & Opening Remarks
Michael Swetnam, CEO, Potomac Institute for Policy Studies
Charles Mueller, Ph.D., Director, Regulatory Science & Engineering Center, Potomac Institute for Policy Studies
12:10 PM: Participant Introductions
12:30 PM: Roundtable Discussion
Moderator: Robert Hummel, Ph.D., Chief Scientist, Potomac Institute for Policy Studies
2:00 PM: Break
2:15 PM: Informal Discussion on Findings & Recommendations
2:55 PM: Concluding Remarks
Discussion Questions:
- Does the United States Munitions List include defense articles in which the U.S. does not have a substantial technological lead?
- What is the impact of current regulations and proposed amendments on commercial, government, and academic stakeholders involved in science and technology research? What are the national security implications of these effects?
- Domestic firms in the science and technology sectors that focus their resources on non-defense technologies are not concerned with ITAR compliance. Do you know of cases where companies have stopped doing defense work or avoided defense work because of ITAR?
- How does ITAR impact foreign development of military technologies? Do current regulations and proposed amendments debilitate foreign defense capabilities or increase the profits and resources of foreign weapons manufacturers?
- Do you know of cases where ITAR violations with respect to technical information have threatened U.S. national security?
- To what extent could the protections of ITAR be jeopardized by cyber threats?
The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies is an independent, 501(c)(3), not-for-profit public policy research institute. The Institute identifies and aggressively shepherds discussion on key science and technology issues facing our society. From these discussions and forums, we develop meaningful science and technology policy options and ensure their implementation at the intersection of business and government.