How to Read the Unified Agenda
by Guest Blogger, 12/18/2004
Here is some information on how to read the UA:
- The Regulation Identifier Number (RIN) is assigned by the Regulatory Information Service Center to make tracking regulations easier. You can use the RIN to search for a rule in the Federal Register as well as in the Unified Agenda. Other items announced on the Unified Agenda aside from rulemakings are also assigned RINs.
- Each entry will give an abstract summary of the regulation/undertaking/event, a timetable of actions associated with it (such as Federal Register postings and deadlines for upcoming activities), as well as information about the rule's significance. Rules that are "Economically Significant" have impacts on government, small business or other entities totaling at least $ 100 million. "Other Significant" regulations are those that are considered to have substantial impact on the public interest.
- In the table of contents for each department's Unified Agenda, the rules are organized by subdivisions (such as agency or program offices) and by stage.
- Items in "Prerule" stage are those for which the agency has not yet begun a rulemaking process. Actions listed under "Prerule" stage include research activities prior to any proposed rules, issuance of Advance Notices of Proposed Rulemaking, and reviews of existing regulations.
- "Proposed" indicates that the agency is in the beginning stage of the rulemaking process. Listing an item in the Proposed stage means that an agency is planning within the next 12 months to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, keep open the NPRM comments phase, or close out the NPRM comments period.
- "Final" indicates the agency is planning to issue a final or interim final rule or otherwise bring an item (such as over-the-counter drug status review) to completion within the next 12 months.
- "Long-term" indicateds that the agency plans no rulemaking action (ANPR, NPRM, Final Rule, etc.) in the next 12 months.
- "Completed" indicates the agency has completed action on the item since the publication of the previous agenda. "Completed" may mean a number of different things: the agency may have issued a final rule, withdrawn the item altogether from the agenda, or brought a non-rulemaking item to completion.
- The timetable associated with each rule will indicate what actions have occurred on a given rulemaking, with the relevant Federal Register citations, and it will also list projected deadlines for next steps such as public meetings and rulemaking notices.
