Economic Regulations

  • prohibition

    The government regulated the consumption of beer and other alcoholic beverages by making it illegal. This had a economic factor to it due to it closing the bars and the producers having to close down factories
  • Government regulations during WW2

    The governemnt ration important resources during the war in order to supply the troops over seas. This regulation changed the lives of citizens al over the country due to it cutting back on the supplies they are used too.
  • Choice Cutbacks: Essential Benefits Rule

    The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grabs the number 8 spot with its proposed list of “essential health benefits,” published on November 26. Under Obamacare, insurers in the individual and small group markets will be forced to cover services that the government deems to be essential. The HHS list of very broad benefits has created enormous uncertainty about the extent of essential treatment. Included in the list are mental health coverage, “wellness” services, “habilitative” servic
  • Don’t Let Them Eat Cake: School Lunch Standards

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture in January published stringent nutrition standards for school lunch and breakfast programs. More than 98,000 elementary and secondary schools are affected—at a cost exceeding $3.4 billion over the next four years. The dietary rules have drawn protests from students, including the YouTube video “We Are Hungry” from a Kansas high school and a lunch boycott by high school students in Wisconsin.
  • Mortgaging the Future: “Simplified” Mortgage Disclosure and Servicing Rules

    In July, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released its proposal for a more “consumer friendly” mortgage process, with a stated goal of simplifying home loans. The rules run an astonishing 1,099 pages. In August, the bureau proposed more than 560 pages of rules for mortgage servicing, which includes the collection of mortgage payments, maintenance of escrow accounts, and loan modifications and foreclosures. Many of the provisions would micromanage the timing, (expanded) content, and forma
  • Tracking Your Travels: Electronic Data Recorder Mandate

    The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on December 13 issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to mandate installation of electronic data recorders, popularly known as “black boxes,” in most light vehicles starting in 2014. The stated goal is to collect more information about car accidents. But manufacturers, without a government mandate, already put recorders in many models. A government mandate understandably spooks privacy advocates, who warn of possible abuse of the information on
  • PRIVACY ACT REGULATIONS

    This part contains the regulations of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (the Commission) implementing the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. 552a. It sets forth the basic responsibilities of the Commission under the Privacy Act (the Act) and offers guidance to members of the public who wish to exercise any of the rights established by the Act with regard to records maintained by the Commission
  • Equal Pay Act

    Under the EPA, the term “wages” generally includes all payments made to [or on behalf of] an employee as remuneration for employment. The term includes all forms of compensation irrespective of the time of payment, whether paid periodically or deferred until a later date, and whether called wages, salary, profit sharing, expense account, monthly minimum, bonus, uniform cleaning allowance, hotel accommodations, use of company car, gasoline allowance, or some other name. Fringe benefits are deemed
  • Soda Socialism: New York’s 16-Ounce Soda Limit

    Not all regulations come from Washington. On September 13, at the behest of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the New York City Board of Health banned the sale of soda and other sweetened drinks in containers larger than 16 ounces. New Yorkers are apparently still allowed refills, at least for now. No word on how many New York City cops will be moved from crime prevention to monitor the city’s soda fountains.
  • Instant Union: Quickie Union Election Rule

    In April, the National Labor Relations Board issued new rules that shorten the time allowed for union-organizing elections to between 10 and 21 days. The rule delays most administrative issues—such as challenges to the definition of the appropriate bargaining unit—until after the election. This leaves little time for employees to make a fully informed choice on unionizing, threatening to leave workers and management alike under unwanted union regimes