Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy is rescinding a policy that required public officials seek public comment before issuing many new rules, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said on Feb. 28.
Kennedy is ending a 1971 policy known as the Richardson waiver, which required the department to use procedures outlined in the Administrative Procedure Act when making rules related to public property, loans, grants, benefits, or contracts. That include providing notice to the public and requesting public comments.
The policy “impose costs on the Department and the public, are contrary to the efficient operation of the Department, and impede the Department’s flexibility to adapt quickly to legal and policy mandates,” Kennedy’s office said in a formal notice….