"They could get waivers," she said.
Mr. Sell, for example, waited nine years to get waivers for his sons.
Massachusetts requires most of its residents to have health insurance, although a small number refuse to comply or get waivers.
Over time, however, the state managed to get waivers and found other ways to spend the money on different projects.
Republicans would allow states to get waivers from many federal standards and requirements, including one stipulating that money from state unemployment taxes must be spent on jobless benefits.
Richard Sorian, Ms. Sebelius's assistant secretary for public affairs, said his boss is planning to announce within the next few weeks new ways for states to get waivers.
Allegheny is holding talks with lenders to get waivers and extra financing to resolve its credit problems, which a spokeswoman said were limited to its trading operations.
The White House issued an executive order this year making it more difficult for senior administration officials seeking employment with government contractors to get waivers exempting them from many of the ethics rules as they negotiated their post-government jobs.
Owners of midsize jets like Hawker 900XPs and Citation Sovereigns also get waivers for Central America, and Hawaii is added for owners of supermidsize jets like Citation Xs and Hawker 4000s.
And what the landmarks commission doesn't stop, zoning will: New York's zoning law, the most complex in the country, is so restrictive that housing developers must often get waivers, known as zoning variances, from city government.
If Rite Aid didn't report, the company would be in technical default on its debt unless it could get waivers from lenders.
