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K-State Today

January 31, 2017

Effects of regulatory freeze on K-State RSCAD and research administration

Submitted by Peter Dorhout and Sue Peterson

Recent executive orders and memos from the new U.S. administration are much in the news, and we know many faculty members and research administrators have questions about the effects of those actions on research, scholarly, and creative activity and discovery at K-State. We are carefully monitoring the developing changes and can offer the following update.

According to the Council on Governmental Relations, or COGR, and other sources, White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus issued a memorandum to all executive departments and agencies to freeze new or pending regulations to allow the new administration time to review them. The memo outlined the following:

  • Agencies have been asked not to send regulations to the Federal Register until they are reviewed by someone selected by the president.
  • Regulations that have been sent to the Federal Register but not published have been ordered withdrawn.
  • Regulations that have been published but have not yet reached their effective date have been delayed 60 days for review.
  • Critical health, safety, financial or national security regulations are excepted, and the memo asks agencies to identify regulations that can't be delayed for other reasons.

None of these actions are extraordinary. The COGR distributed an Excel spreadsheet of research-relevant regulations and how they are affected by the memo. Our offices will continue to monitor the situation.

A second concern is the "freeze" placed on EPA grants and contracts. The latest information indicates that this freeze applies to issuance of new awards but not to existing grants and contracts.

Please contact Paul Lowe at plowe@k-state.edu or 785-532-6804 with questions.