Reducing Reporting and Paperwork Burdens
The U.S. Department of Labor is taking meaningful steps to reduce regulatory, paperwork and reporting burdens on the American people, including small businesses.
- Read the January 30, 2017, Presidential Executive Order 13771 on Reducing Regulations and Controlling Regulatory Costs (PDF)
- Read the February 24, 2017, Presidential Executive Order 13777 on Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda Regulatory
- Read OIRA's Memorandum on Reducing Reporting and Paperwork Burdens, June 2012 (PDF)
- Read the Department's Burden Reduction Initiatives Plan (PDF)
Regulatory Agenda
Unified Agenda of Federal Regulations (Regulatory Agenda) — A list of all regulations expected to be reviewed or developed in the next year; usually published each April and October in the Federal Register; the Fall Agenda also includes the Department's Regulatory Plan, which has additional information on its most significant regulatory activities.
On October 17, 2018, the Department's fall 2018 regulatory agenda was made available — The regulatory agenda is a listing of all the regulations the Department of Labor expects to have under active consideration for promulgation, proposal, or review during the coming 6- to 12-month period.
Regulations Currently Open for Comment
Rulemaking and Regulations
Below are other links to various sources of information on the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) rulemaking activities and regulations
- Federal Register Documents — Public regulations and legal notices issued by DOL agencies; includes the text of all proposed rules, final rules, and notices published in the Federal Register.
- DOL Procedures for Compliance with the Regulatory Flexibility Act and Executive Order 13272 — The purpose of the procedures is to help agencies understand and meet the requirements of the Regulatory Flexibility Act and E.O. 13272, Proper Consideration of Small Entities in Agency Rulemaking.
- Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) — All current regulations pertaining to DOL programs organized by CFR chapter and responsible DOL agency.
- Employment Law Guide — Requirements of major Department of Labor laws and help for employers in determining which requirements apply to their businesses or workers.
Retrospective Analysis of Existing Rules
Executive Order 13563 "Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review" (76 FR 3821) was issued on January 18, 2011. The Executive Order required agencies to develop and submit a preliminary plan explaining how each agency planned to review existing significant regulations to identify whether any regulations may be made more effective or less burdensome. The Department's Latest Retrospective Review Progress Report was made available to the public in July 2016.
"Rulemaking" is the term used when a government agency creates, modifies, or deletes rules in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). Rules are government agency statements (or parts of government agency statements) that either:
- Implement, explain or prescribe law or policy, or
- Describe an agency's organization, procedure, or practice requirements.
