First Focus on Children submitted the following comment to Richard L. Revesz, Adminstrator for the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in support of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs’ (OIRA) recent proposed revisions to Circular A-4.
Excerpt from the Comment:
The application of Circular A-4 to proposed regulations and federal spending affects our mission. Though they are approximately a quarter of our country’s population, children are often an afterthought in government policy. As our analysis of the federal budget shows, children do not get their fair share of government funds, despite clear evidence that investments in children’s programs have benefits for their well-being and our economy. As a result, children too often experience persistent adverse impacts on their well-being. Because of their age and dependence on adults, children are unable to make their needs and interests known in the same way that adults do, and therefore the government must proactively seek to implement policies that are in children’s best interests, particularly for children from underserved communities. Given children’s share of the overall population and their role in advancing our nation’s future, ensuring that policies are “well-designed” or “increase net benefits for society as a whole,” as the Preamble to this Circular states, requires analysis that accounts for children’s health and well-being.