CFPB initiates new public engagement, regulatory request effort

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) recently announced a new public engagement and regulatory request revision process, which should prove universally beneficial.

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“Americans should be able to easily exercise their Constitutional rights without hiring a high-priced lawyer or lobbyist,” CFPB Director Rohit Chopra said. “Our new program will broaden access to the agency’s rulemaking process.”

According to the CFPB, the public can submit petitions for rulemaking directly to the agency, with the petitions then posted on public dockets for review and comment.

The new process will ease how individuals directly submit a petition for rulemaking. The public can request the CFPB pursue a new rule, amend existing guidance, or a rule repeal.

The new method is in accordance with recommendations issued by the Administrative Conference of the United States to enhance transparency and ensure the public has been allowed to petition the government.

According to the CFPB, the procedural revisions are part of the agency’s overarching goal to ensure high standards of transparency and ethics.

The CFPB recently detailed new staff guidance regarding efforts to report former government employees potentially misusing information obtained while working in the government.