Number: RL31781
Title: Risk Assessment and Regulation in the Federal Government: A Brief Overview
Authors: Rob Buschmann, Government and Finance Division 
Abstract: An important function of the regulatory process on the federal level is to assess and control risks-damage from events that may or may not occur-that confront the citizenry. Some agencies use risk assessment methods to help understand and control risks; they then use the rulemaking process to select which methods of risk control to use. Risk assessment, the rulemaking process, and methods of risk control all generate controversy. Congress sometimes mandates which risks federal agencies address, to what extent they are controlled, and how they are controlled. Congress may change how agencies perform these tasks by changing either the law governing how a specific risk is handled, or the regulatory process through which risks are understood, analyzed, and controlled. Legislation in the 108th Congress dealing with risk assessment and regulation included homeland security bills and bills addressing a range of other issues.
Pages: 9
Date: Updated March 13, 2003