Department of Labor

The Department of Labor ("Department") amends its regulations implementing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ("Title VI") to eliminate disparate-impact liability. These amendments align the Department's regulations with Title VI's original public meaning, avoid constitutional concerns, reduce compliance costs, and serve the public interest.

MSHA is eliminating outdated requirements for blacksmith shops located at surface areas of underground metal and nonmetal (MNM) mines. These provisions are being removed from MSHA's regulations because blacksmith shops are no longer used by MNM mines.

MSHA is removing flame safety lamps from the list of permissible electric face equipment that can be operated in underground coal mines. This provision is being removed from MSHA's regulations because flame safety lamps are an outdated technology that is no longer used in underground coal mines.

MSHA is removing outdated flame-resistance approval requirements for conveyor belts used in underground coal mines. These requirements are being removed from MSHA's regulations because they contain outdated effective dates and are no longer applicable.

MSHA is eliminating outdated requirements for diesel particulate matter (DPM) emission limits for permissible diesel-powered equipment and non-permissible heavy-duty diesel-powered equipment operated in underground coal mines. These requirements are being removed from MSHA's regulations because they contain outdated effective dates that are no longer applicable.

The Department of Labor (Department) rescinds the regulatory affirmative outreach requirements on recipients of financial assistance under Title I of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and makes conforming edits.

The Department of Labor (Department) is correcting a final rule that appeared in the Federal Register on June 1, 2026. The Department is correcting an error to the published Form LM-2 Long Form Instructions, specifically, a page missing in the instructions. Additionally, the June 1, 2026, published final rule contained formatting errors in the Form LM-2 Long Form and Form LM-2 forms, and the Department recommends that the public refer to the OLMS website (www.dol.gov/olms) for the correctly formatted Forms and Instructions. See: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/olms/notice-lm-2-longform-rule.

This document sets forth these final rules related to certain provisions of the No Surprises Act regarding the Federal independent dispute resolution (IDR) process, which was established as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA). These rules finalize new requirements relating to the disclosure of information that group health plans and health insurance issuers offering group or individual health insurance coverage must include along with the initial payment or notice of denial of payment for certain items and services subject to the surprise billing protections in the No Surprises Act. These final rules also require plans and issuers to communicate information by using claim adjustment reason codes (CARCs) and remittance advice remark codes (RARCs), as specified in guidance, when providing any paper or electronic remittance advice (ERA) to an entity that does not have a contractual relationship with the plan or issuer. This document also finalizes amendments to certain requirements related to the open negotiation period preceding the Federal IDR process, the initiation of the Federal IDR process, the Federal IDR dispute eligibility review process, and the payment and collection of administrative fees and certified IDR entity fees. This document also finalizes the definition of bundled payment arrangements, amends requirements related to batched items and services and amends the rules for extensions of timeframes due to extenuating circumstances. Additionally, this document finalizes provisions that require plans and issuers to register in the Federal IDR portal. In accordance with Federal law, a summary of these rules may be found at https://www.regulations.gov/.

The Department of Labor (Department) publishes this combined final rule to its regulations to improve its LM Labor Organization Annual Financial Reports by establishing a longer LM form for the largest labor organizations (Form LM-2 Long Form), revising a slightly shorter form for most labor organizations at and above the $350,000 threshold (Form LM-2), making a parallel revision to Form LM-3, and updating reporting thresholds for Forms LM-3 and LM-4 to promote financial integrity and transparency. The final rule applies prospectively under section 208 of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 (LMRDA).

As required by statute, the Department of Labor annually publishes a final rule updating the civil monetary penalties it assesses. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) did not publish its October 2025 Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) data due to a lapse in funding. Because the relevant law requires that annual penalty adjustments be based specifically on October CPI-U data--with no alternative calculation allowed--the 2026 adjustment is cancelled entirely.

This document implements the judgments of federal courts vacating the Department of Labor's (Department) 2024 final rule revising regulations issued under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA or Act) implementing the exemptions from minimum wage and overtime pay requirements for executive, administrative, professional, outside sales, and computer employees. Through this technical amendment, the Department is removing from the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) the regulatory text from the now-vacated 2024 rule and republishing in its place the regulatory text as it existed prior to the effective date of that rule.

OSHA is finalizing the revocation of the agency's Open Fires in Marine Terminals Standard.

This document announces a new OSA between the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Puerto Rico State Plan, which specifies the areas of State Plan responsibility and delineates continuing federal responsibilities. This document further gives notice of OSHA's approval of a change to the Puerto Rico State Plan reinstating federal OSHA enforcement authority over private-sector employment on federal properties and marine construction conducted by private sector employees.

OSHA is finalizing the revocation of the agency's House Falls in Marine Terminals Standard.

MSHA is issuing this notification following a judicial stay of the compliance deadlines established in the 2024 final rule titled "Lowering Miners' Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica and Improving Respiratory Protection" (2024 Silica Rule). The 2024 Silica Rule made conforming amendments for metal and nonmetal (MNM) standards that are scheduled to take effect on April 8, 2026. Since a judicial stay is in effect, this notification delays the conforming amendments indefinitely, pending judicial review.

This final rule revises the definition of "minor child" as that term appears in 29 CFR 404.1(h) and on the Form LM-30 Labor Organization Officer and Employee Report. The definition is changed from "under 21 years of age" to "under 18 years of age." This amendment aims to align the definition with the age of majority recognized in the vast majority of United States jurisdictions, thereby reducing the reporting burden on filers while preserving the integrity and purpose of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA)'s disclosure requirements. A technical correction is also made to the Form LM-30 Instructions.

This document implements the judicial vacatur of the Department's 2024 final rule defining who is a "fiduciary" under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. This document also reflects the judicial vacatur of the Department's 2024 amendments to Prohibited Transaction Exemption 2020-02 (PTE 2020-02) and the judicial vacatur of portions of the preamble to PTE 2020-02; and republishes in full the operative text of PTE 2020-02 (as originally published on December 18, 2020).

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is amending its published regulations to update the Agency's Headquarters address from Arlington, VA to its new location in Washington, DC.

The Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, is exercising time-limited Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 authority to issue up to, but not more than, an additional 64,716 visas for the fiscal year. All of these supplemental visas will be available only to those American businesses that are suffering or will suffer impending irreparable harm, i.e., those facing permanent and severe financial loss, as attested by the employer. These supplemental visas will be distributed in three allocations based on the petitioner's start date of need through the end of the fiscal year.

The Department of Labor's (Department's) Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is delaying by 1 year the date by which State grantees, as a condition on their grant funds, must comply with the regulatory requirements in the 2023 Wagner-Peyser Act Staffing Final Rule regarding the grant-funded staffing models States must use to deliver services in the Wagner-Peyser Act Employment Service (ES). The 2023 Final Rule became effective on January 23, 2024, and provided that all States have until January 22, 2026, 24 months after the effective date of the rule, to comply with the staffing requirements. With this 1-year delay, the compliance date is now January 21, 2027.

OSHA is extending the compliance dates in its Hazardous Communications Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200), published in the Federal Register on May 20, 2024 (89 FR 44144), by four months. The compliance date in Sec. 1910.1200(j)(2)(i) is extended from January 19, 2026, until May 19, 2026; the compliance date in Sec. 1910.1200(j)(2)(ii) is extended from July 20, 2026 to November 20, 2026; the compliance date in Sec. 1910.1200(j)(3)(i) is extended from July 19, 2027 to November 19, 2027; and the compliance date in Sec. 1910.1200(j)(3)(ii) is extended from January 19, 2028 to May 19, 2028.

OSHA is correcting several inadvertent errors in its Hazard Communication Standard (HCS). Most errors relate to the HCS final rule published in the Federal Register on May 20, 2024. On October 9, 2024, the agency issued a corrections notification and technical amendment to correct errors in that final rule which the agency believed could lead to confusion during the classification process or errors on labels and Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) if not expeditiously corrected. Following publication of the October 9, 2024 corrections notification and technical amendment, OSHA continued its review of the regulatory text and identified additional minor and typographical errors in the regulatory text and appendices to the HCS. OSHA is issuing this correction document to address these additional minor errors. OSHA is also making one technical amendment to an appendix of the HCS unrelated to the May 20, 2024 final rule.

On January 20, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive order rescinding certain Executive orders and actions, which revoked an Executive order concerning nondisplacement of qualified workers under Federal service contracts and directed the heads of each agency to take immediate steps to effectuate the revocations listed. In accordance with this directive, the Department of Labor is issuing a final rule to rescind the regulations on nondisplacement of qualified workers under service contracts, which were promulgated solely pursuant to the authority provided by the revoked Executive order.

The Department of Labor (Department or DOL) is issuing this interim final rule (IFR) to amend its regulations governing the certification of agricultural labor or services to be performed by temporary foreign workers in H-2A nonimmigrant status (H-2A workers). Specifically, the Department is revising the methodology for determining the hourly Adverse Effect Wage Rates (AEWRs) for non-range occupations by using wage data reported for each U.S. state and territory by the Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. For the vast majority of H-2A job opportunities, the Department will use OEWS survey data to establish AEWRs applicable to five Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes combining the most common field and livestock worker occupations previously measured by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Farm Labor Survey (FLS), which covered six SOC codes. These AEWRs will be divided into two skill-based categories to account for wage differentials arising from qualifications contained in the employer's job offer. For all other occupations, the Department will use the OEWS survey to determine two skill-based AEWRs for each SOC code to reflect wage differentials. The threshold determination for assigning the SOC code(s) and applicable skill-based AEWR will be based on the duties performed for the majority of the workdays during the contract period and qualifications contained in the employer's job offer. Finally, to address differences in compensation between most U.S. workers and H-2A workers who receive employer-provided housing at no cost, the Department will implement a standard adjustment factor to the AEWR to account for this non-monetary compensation that employers will apply when compensating H-2A workers under temporary agricultural labor certifications.

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) of the Department of Labor (Department) is confirming the effective date of September 2, 2025, for the direct final rule that was published in the Federal Register on July 1, 2025. This direct final rule removes the regulations that implemented and governed the Title I Workforce Investment Act (WIA) programs at the national, State, and local levels and provided program requirements applicable to all WIA formula and competitive funds. Title I of WIA was repealed by Congress with the enactment of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) on June 22, 2014, and all remaining grant funding under WIA Title I has been closed out by the Department. Accordingly, these regulations are no longer necessary, and the Department is removing the regulations from the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) for programs that are no longer operative.

The U.S. Department of Labor (Department) is confirming the effective date of September 2, 2025, for the direct final rule (DFR) that was published in the Federal Register on July 1, 2025. This DFR rescinds the regulations that implemented the nondiscrimination and equal opportunity provisions of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). Under WIA, the Department provided financial assistance to certain recipients for the purpose of establishing programs to meet the job training needs of youth and adults facing serious barriers to employment. Section 188 of WIA contained the nondiscrimination and equal opportunity provisions that prohibited discrimination on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation or belief, and, for beneficiaries only, citizenship status or participation in a WIA-funded program or activity. WIA was repealed by Congress with the enactment of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) on June 22, 2014, and the WIA Section 188 regulations have been superseded by those implementing Section 188 of WIOA. All remaining grant funding under WIA Title I has been closed out by the Department. Accordingly, these regulations are no longer necessary, and the Department is removing the regulations from the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) for this program that is no longer operative.

The Department of Labor (Department) is confirming the effective date of September 2, 2025, for the direct final rule that was published in the Federal Register on July 1, 2025. This direct final rule removed obsolete grant and contract regulations in the Department of Labor's regulations. These grant and contract regulations were superseded by the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB's) Guidance for Grants and Agreements, codified in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), which the Department adopted and gave regulatory effect to in 2014. Accordingly, these regulations were no longer necessary, and the Department removed the regulations from the CFR since they are no longer operative.

Due to the receipt of significant adverse comments, the Department of Labor (Department) is withdrawing the July 1, 2025 direct final rule (DFR) published at 90 FR 28009.

Due to the receipt of significant adverse comments, the Department of Labor (Department) is withdrawing the July 1, 2025 direct final rule (DFR) published at 90 FR 28007.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is correcting an error in the docket number listed in its final rule on Construction Standards--Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health, which was published in the Federal Register on July 1, 2025 (90 FR 27996).

This final rule rescinds the Secretary's policy to engage in notice and comment rulemaking, even where the Administrative Procedure Act does not require notice and comment rulemaking. The result of this final rule is the Department will generally follow the default requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act.

This final rule revokes 29 CFR 1911.10, which required the Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health (Assistant Secretary), who heads OSHA, to consult with the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH) in the formulation of rules to promulgate, modify, or revoke standards applicable to construction work, and 29 CFR 1912.3, the general OSHA regulations governing ACCSH. This final rule also makes corresponding changes to 29 CFR 1911.11, 29 CFR 1911.15, 29 CFR 1912.8, and 29 CFR 1912.9. OSHA is revoking 29 CFR 1911.10 and 29 CFR 1912.3 because these regulations impose requirements on the Assistant Secretary that are more burdensome than those mandated by statute, and compliance with these regulations would needlessly delay the Secretary of Labor's (Secretary) regulatory agenda. These changes will ensure that ACCSH is able to advise the Secretary on potential regulatory actions without adversely affecting the agency's regulatory timeline.

This DFR removes obsolete grant and contract regulations in the Department of Labor's regulations. These grant and contract regulations were superseded by the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB's) Guidance for Grants and Agreements, codified in the Code of Federal Regulations, which the Department of Labor adopted and gave regulatory effect to in 2014.

The U.S. Department of Labor (the Department) is rescinding its regulations implementing the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) containing the nondiscrimination and equal-opportunity provisions of WIA. In 2014, Congress passed the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), which repealed WIA and required the Secretary of Labor to transition any authority under WIA to the system created by WIOA. Therefore, the Department is taking this action to remove regulations for a program that is no longer operative.

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) of the Department of Labor (Department) is removing the regulations that implemented and governed the Title I Workforce Investment Act (WIA) programs at the national, State, and local levels and provided program requirements applicable to all WIA formula and competitive funds. Title I of WIA was repealed by Congress with the enactment of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) on June 22, 2014, and all remaining grant funding under Title I has been closed out by the Department. Accordingly, these regulations are no longer necessary, and the Department is taking this action to remove regulations from the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) for programs that are no longer operative.

This DFR removes 29 CFR 2550.401c-1 from the Code of Federal Regulations, which the Department of Labor (DOL) believes is obsolete. The regulation applies only to certain insurance policies or contracts issued to (or on behalf of) employee benefit plans on or before December 31, 1998. Given the unlikelihood that any of these policies or contracts remain in effect, the DOL believes the regulation is no longer needed and, if left on the books, could add confusion and unnecessary complexity. Removing obsolete regulations eliminates the burden on the public of having to determine whether they need to comply with the regulations. This action is being taken pursuant to Executive Order 14192, titled Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation.\1\ This action improves the daily lives of the American people by reducing unnecessary, burdensome, and costly Federal regulations. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

This direct final rule (DFR) removes 29 CFR 2550.404a-4 from the Code of Federal Regulations, which is a regulation published in 2008 that provides a fiduciary safe harbor for the selection of annuity providers for the purpose of benefit distributions from individual account retirement plans covered by title I of the Employee Retirement Income Act of 1974 (ERISA). The regulatory safe harbor became unnecessary in 2019 when Congress amended ERISA to add a more streamlined fiduciary safe harbor covering the same activity. Although the statutory safe harbor did not technically nullify or repeal the regulatory safe harbor, its existence offers an unnecessary and inefficient alternative and may inadvertently be a trap for the unwary. This action improves the daily lives of the American people by reducing unnecessary, burdensome, and costly Federal regulations.

This DFR removes from the Code of Federal Regulations prospectively certain interpretive bulletins under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 that the Department of Labor (DOL) believes are obsolete. The obsolete interpretive bulletins were published shortly after ERISA's enactment in 1974 to provide compliance assistance for employee benefit plans, plan sponsors and fiduciaries. Because of subsequent guidance issued by the DOL, and the effect of Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1978, the DOL believes the interpretive bulletins are no longer needed, and if left on the books, add potential confusion and unnecessary complexity. Removing obsolete regulations eliminates the burden on the public of having to determine whether they need to comply with the regulations. This action is being taken pursuant to Executive Order 14192, titled Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation (90 FR 9065, Feb. 6, 2025). This action improves the daily lives of the American people by reducing unnecessary, burdensome, and costly Federal regulations.

The Department of Labor is publishing notification of the Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training's ratification of the rule published December 16, 2021, titled Adjudication of Temporary and Seasonal Need for Herding and Production of Livestock on the Range Applications Under the H-2A Program.

The Department of Labor is publishing notification of the Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training's ratification of the rule published October 16, 2015, titled Temporary Agricultural Employment of H-2A Foreign Workers in the Herding or Production of Livestock on the Range in the United States.

OSHA is terminating its COVID-19 rulemaking.

This document amends Prohibited Transaction Exemption 2002-51, an exemption for certain transactions identified in the Department of Labor's Voluntary Fiduciary Correction Program (VFC Program or Program). The VFC Program is designed to encourage correction of fiduciary breaches and compliance with the law by permitting persons to avoid potential Department of Labor civil enforcement actions and civil penalties if they voluntarily correct eligible transactions in a manner that meets the requirements of the Program. PTE 2002-51 is a related class exemption that allows excise tax relief from excise taxes imposed by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, for certain eligible transactions corrected pursuant to the VFC Program. This amendment to PTE 2002-51 is being finalized in connection with the Department's amendment and restatement of the VFC Program, published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register (2025 VFC Program). These amendments simplify and expand the VFC Program and exemptive relief to make the Program and exemption easier to use and more useful for employers and others who wish to avail themselves of the relief provided. The amendment to PTE 2002-51 affects plans, participants and beneficiaries of such plans, and certain other persons engaging in such transactions.

This document contains an amended and restated Voluntary Fiduciary Correction Program (VFC Program or Program) under title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (ERISA). The VFC Program is designed to encourage correction of fiduciary breaches and compliance with the law by permitting persons to avoid potential Department of Labor civil enforcement actions and civil penalties if they voluntarily correct eligible transactions in a manner that meets the requirements of the Program. The amendments to the Program simplify and expand the VFC Program to make the Program easier to use and more useful for employers and others who wish to avail themselves of the relief provided. Specifically, the Program amendments add a self-correction feature for delinquent transmittal of participant contributions and loan repayments to a pension plan under certain circumstances; clarify some existing transactions eligible for correction under the Program; expand the scope of other transactions currently eligible for correction; and simplify certain administrative or procedural requirements for participation in and correction of transactions under the VFC Program. In addition, the amendments implement section 305(b)(2) and (3) of the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 (SECURE 2.0 Act) by adding a self-correction feature for certain participant loan failures self-corrected under the Internal Revenue Service's Employee Plans Compliance Resolution System (as described in Rev. Proc. 2021-30, or any successor guidance) (IRS's EPCRS).

This document provides the interim final text of regulations governing the anti-retaliation provisions of the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020 (AMLA or the Act). This rule establishes procedures and timeframes for the handling of retaliation complaints under AMLA, including procedures and timeframes for complaints to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), investigations by OSHA, appeals of OSHA determinations to an administrative law judge (ALJ) for a hearing de novo, hearings by ALJs, review of ALJ decisions by the Administrative Review Board (ARB) (acting on behalf of the Secretary of Labor (Secretary)), and judicial review of the Secretary's final decision. It also sets forth the Secretary's interpretations of the AMLA anti-retaliation provision on certain matters.

The Department of Labor is publishing notification of the Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training's and the Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division's ratification of the rule published October 12, 2022, titled Temporary Agricultural Employment of H-2A Nonimmigrants in the United States.

The Department of Labor is publishing notification of the Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training's and the Administrator of the Wage and Hour Division's ratification of the rule published February 10, 2010, titled Temporary Agricultural Employment of H-2A Aliens in the United States.

The U.S. Department of Labor (Department) is publishing this final rule to adjust for inflation the civil monetary penalties assessed or enforced by the Department, pursuant to the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990 as amended by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 (Inflation Adjustment Act). The Inflation Adjustment Act requires the Department to annually adjust its civil money penalty levels for inflation no later than January 15 of each year. The Inflation Adjustment Act provides that agencies shall adjust civil monetary penalties notwithstanding section 553 of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). Additionally, the Inflation Adjustment Act provides a cost- of-living formula for adjustment of the civil penalties. Accordingly, this final rule sets forth the Department's 2025 annual adjustments for inflation to its civil monetary penalties.

On October 29, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor (Department) published a final rule (2021 Dual Jobs Rule) addressing the determination of when a tipped employee is employed in dual jobs under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA or the Act). The 2021 Dual Jobs Rule took effect on December 28, 2021.On October 29, 2024, a federal appeals court issued an order vacating regulatory text from the Department's 2021 Dual Jobs Rule, with the effect of reinstating the Department's original FLSA regulation on the topic. In accordance with that court order, the Department is issuing this final rule to remove from the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) the corresponding regulatory text that the Department promulgated through the 2021 Dual Jobs Rule and reinstate regulatory text as it existed in the CFR prior to the effective date of the 2021 Dual Jobs Rule. This action is a technical amendment accounting for changes in the law which have already occurred.

OSHA is finalizing a revision to its personal protective equipment standard for construction to explicitly require that the equipment must fit properly.

This final rule revises the regulations under the Black Lung Benefits Act (BLBA) governing authorization of self-insurers. The updated regulations determine the process for coal mine operators to apply for authorization to self-insure, the requirements operators must meet to qualify to self-insure, the amount of security self-insured operators must provide, and the process for operators to appeal determinations made by the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP).

The Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act (LHWCA) provides compensation to employees for disability or death from injury arising out of and in the course of employment. Hearing loss claims constitute a significant portion of LHWCA claims, and determining the extent of hearing loss necessarily entails evaluating medical test results. The program statutes and regulations currently reference audiograms as the primary testing method and incorporate the American Medical Association's Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment for measuring and calculating hearing impairment. The Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) is considering updating the quality standards for hearing loss testing to better reflect current medical technology and practice, particularly the potential use of objective testing methods. This request for information seeks the public's input on the comparative reliability and validity of audiograms versus objective tests such as Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR), Auditory Steady State Response (ASSR), and Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) and others; current standards for administering these tests; and criteria used to evaluate hearing impairment.

OSHA is scheduling a series of informal public hearings on the above-listed proposed rules. The public hearings will begin on August 19, 2026. All of the proposed rules listed in this notice were published in the Federal Register on July 1, 2025, except for the Walking-Working Surfaces proposal, which was published on April 6, 2026.

OSHA is providing an additional comment period to allow interested persons to comment on OSHA's proposal to remove some medical evaluation requirements from the Respiratory Protection Rule, 29 CFR 1910.134, for certain types of respirators. This proposed change would only impact filtering facepiece respirators and loose-fitting powered air-purifying respirators. Following consideration of the rulemaking by OSHA's Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH), OSHA is re-opening the record for this rulemaking to provide an additional 30 days for public comment.

This document contains proposed rules that would amend the regulations regarding excepted benefits under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, the Internal Revenue Code, and the Public Health Service Act to establish certain fertility benefits as a new category of limited excepted benefits. Excepted benefits are generally exempt from the market requirements that were added to those laws by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the No Surprises Act, and certain other Federal laws specifically related to group health plans and group and individual health insurance coverage.

Since 2021, the Department has not provided any regulatory guidance addressing joint employer status under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA or Act) for the benefit of workers, employers, or its enforcement personnel. In this rulemaking, the Department proposes to clarify how to determine joint employer status under the FLSA in Part 791 of Title 29, where its joint employer regulations were located prior to 2021. Additionally, the Department is also proposing to amend provisions in its regulations implementing the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (MSPA) to provide that joint employer status under those laws be determined using the Department's FLSA analysis, as the FMLA and MSPA both incorporate the FLSA's employment definitions. This rulemaking is intended to provide clarity and a measure of uniformity for employers and employees in an area of the law where components of legislative, executive, and judicial branches--at both the federal and state levels--have presented widely varying tests and standards. In addition, the proposed rule offers a nationwide standard for use by the Department's investigators and law enforcement personnel that would not only ensure the evenhanded application of the Act in matters that often cross state and circuit lines but also preserve core consistency with the wide variety of potentially relevant judicial frameworks. The proposed rule intends to marshal the commonality between those approaches closest to the statute as construed by the courts and, in so doing, simplify the Department's enforcement of the law, reduce litigation, and provide a reliable and uniform analysis for workers and employers that ultimately applies and complements the core commonality between the various tests applied by the federal courts.

This proposed rule removes a deadline in OSHA's Walking- Working Surfaces standard by which all fixed ladders that extend more than 24 feet above a lower level must be equipped with personal fall arrest systems or ladder safety systems. Additionally, OSHA is seeking comment on repealing or revising the requirement that employers use personal fall arrest systems on all fixed ladders over 24 feet tall and instead permitting employers to continue to use ladder cages or wells.

This document contains a proposed regulation that clarifies, and provides a safe harbor for, a fiduciary's duty of prudence under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) in connection with selecting designated investment alternatives for a participant-directed individual account plan, including asset allocation funds that include alternative assets. This proposal implements section 3(c) of President Trump's Executive Order 14330, Democratizing Access to Alternative Assets for 401(k) Investors.

The Department of Labor (DOL or the Department) is issuing this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to solicit comments and public input regarding its proposal to revise Employment and Training Administration (ETA) regulations governing the prevailing wages for employment opportunities that United States (U.S.) employers seek to fill with alien workers on a permanent or temporary basis through certain EB-2 and EB-3 employment-based immigrant visas via the Permanent Labor Certification (PERM) program or through H-1B, H-1B1, or E-3 nonimmigrant visas. Specifically, DOL is proposing to amend its regulations governing the PERM program and Labor Condition Applications (LCAs) to incorporate changes to the computation of wage levels under the Department's four-tiered prevailing wage structure based on the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) wage survey administered by the Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). These proposed revisions aim to better align prevailing wage levels with the wages paid to U.S. workers who are similarly employed in the occupation and area of intended employment. The Department's proposed revisions also seek to strengthen program integrity by reducing the incentive for employers to use these programs to replace, rather than supplement, U.S. workers by employing lower-paid alien workers. In addition, the revision would enable the Department to more effectively ensure that the employment of immigrant and nonimmigrant workers admitted or otherwise provided one of the covered statuses does not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of U.S. workers.

This document extends the comment period on the Department's Improving Transparency Into Pharmacy Benefit Manager Fee Disclosure proposed rule. The proposed rule would require providers of pharmacy benefit management services and affiliated providers of brokerage and consulting services to disclose information about their compensation to fiduciaries of self-insured group health plans subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), for purposes of ERISA's statutory prohibited transaction exemption for services arrangements. The proposed rule was published in the Federal Register on January 30, 2026, with a comment deadline of March 31, 2026. On February 3, 2026, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 amended ERISA to add several provisions relating to providers of pharmacy benefit management services. Consequently, the Department is extending the comment period for an additional 15 days, to April 15, 2026, to allow interested persons to address whether the rule should be adjusted due to these new statutory provisions.

The Department is proposing to rescind the analysis for determining employee or independent contractor status under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) currently set forth in 29 CFR part 795 and replace it with the analysis that it published and adopted in a prior final rule dated January 7, 2021, with a few modifications. In addition, the Department proposes to apply this analysis to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (MSPA), both of which incorporate the FLSA's scope of employment.

This document extends the comment period for the proposed rule that appeared in the Federal Register on December 23, 2025, titled "Transparency in Coverage". The comment period for the proposed rule, which would end on February 23, 2026, is extended until March 2, 2026.

The Department of Labor (Department) is proposing narrow amendments to two separate electronic disclosure safe harbors for purposes of implementing section 338 of the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 (SECURE 2.0). Taken together, the two existing safe harbors permit the broad use of electronic disclosure under prescribed conditions for the furnishing of required disclosures under Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). Section 338 of SECURE 2.0 amended section 105(a)(2) of ERISA to require retirement plans to provide paper benefit statements in certain cases. Section 338 also instructed the Department to update its electronic disclosure safe harbors in connection with the statutory changes. The proposed amendments would implement these Congressional mandates.

The Office of Workers' Compensation Program is issuing this guidance to clarify the securitization requirements for insurance carriers authorized under the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act (LHWCA) and its extensions. This guidance establishes a rubric which allows OWCP to adjust the insurance carriers' obligations based on their fiscal stability and performance within the Longshore industry and serves to establish a clear and standardized process for determining the amount of collateral an authorized insurance carrier must deposit to cover its potential liabilities. This clarification benefits insurance carriers by providing predictability which aids in capital planning and avoids arbitrary or unexpected security adjustments. This also helps to standardize compliance across the industry and ensures authorized carriers secure their critical obligations. This sub-regulatory guidance does not supersede existing regulations and is intended to provide insurance carriers (carriers) with clarification on the posting of security deposits to collateralize liabilities.

The Department is proposing a regulation that would require providers of pharmacy benefit management services and affiliated providers of brokerage and consulting services to disclose information about their compensation to fiduciaries of self-insured group health plans subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). These disclosures are needed so that fiduciaries can assess the reasonableness of the contracts or arrangements with these service providers, including the reasonableness of the service providers' compensation. These disclosure requirements would apply for purposes of ERISA's statutory prohibited transaction exemption for services arrangements. This proposal implements section 12 of President Trump's Executive Order 14273, Lowering Drug Prices by Once Again Putting Americans First, which instructs the Department to propose regulations to improve employer health plan transparency into the direct and indirect compensation received by pharmacy benefit managers. If finalized, this regulation would affect sponsors and other fiduciaries of self-insured group health plans and certain service providers to such plans.

These proposed rules set forth proposed requirements that would amend the regulations under the Public Health Service Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, and the Internal Revenue Code regarding price transparency reporting requirements for non-grandfathered group health plans and health insurance issuers offering non-grandfathered group and individual health insurance coverage. Specifically, these proposed rules would improve the standardization, accuracy, and accessibility of public pricing disclosures in line with the goals of the Executive Order 14221. With respect to the in-network rate and out-of-network allowed amount machine-readable files, these proposed rules would achieve these goals by adding new contextual files and additional data elements like product type, network name, and enrollment counts; changing the reporting level for aggregation of data; removing in-network rates for unlikely provider-to-service mappings; increasing the reporting period and lowering the claims threshold for out-of-network historical data; and reducing the reporting cadence. These proposed rules would also improve the findability of all of the publicly disclosed machine- readable files required under the Transparency in Coverage rules, including the prescription drug file, by requiring a text file and footer with website URLs and contact information for the files. These proposed rules would also require pricing information that is made available through an online consumer tool and paper (upon request), to also be made available by phone, and establish that the satisfaction of such requirement also satisfies the requirements of section 114 of the No Surprises Act (including for grandfathered group health plans and health insurance issuers offering grandfathered group and individual health insurance coverage that are not otherwise subject to these proposed rules).

OSHA held an informal public hearing on its proposed standard for Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings from June 16 through July 2, 2025. The period to submit post- hearing comments is extended by 30 days until October 30, 2025, to allow individuals and organizations who filed a timely Notice of Intention to Appear (NOITA) at the hearing additional time to file evidence and data relevant to the proceeding, including written responses to questions asked during hearing proceedings, as well as final written briefs.

On July 1, 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to revise the implementing regulations for the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974, as amended. The comment period for the NPRM was scheduled to close on September 2, 2025. With this notice document, DOL is extending the comment period to September 17, 2025. Commenters who have already submitted public comments do not need to resubmit their comments. DOL will consider all comments received from the date of publication of the NPRM through the close of the extended comment period. Any previous denial of a request to extend the comment period remains denied to the extent the request asked for more than a 15-day extension. Commentors are encouraged to submit all comments by September 17, 2025, as no further extension will be granted.

On July 1, 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to revise the implementing regulations for Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. The comment period for the NPRM was scheduled to close on September 2, 2025. With this notice document, DOL is extending the comment period to September 17, 2025. Commenters who have already submitted public comments do not need to resubmit their comments. DOL will consider all comments received from the date of publication of the NPRM through the close of the extended comment period. Any previous denial of a request to extend the comment period remains denied to the extent the request asked for more than a 15-day extension. Commentors are encouraged to submit all comments by September 17, 2025, as no further extension will be granted.

On July 1, 2025, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to rescind the regulations for Executive Order (E.O.) 11246, as amended. The comment period for the NPRM was scheduled to close on September 2, 2025. With this notice document, DOL is extending the comment period to September 17, 2025 Commenters who have already submitted public comments do not need to resubmit their comments. DOL will consider all comments received from the date of publication of the NPRM through the close of the extended comment period. Any previous denial of a request to extend the comment period remains denied to the extent the request asked for more than a 15-day extension. Commentors are encouraged to submit all comments by September 17, 2025, as no further extension will be granted.

The Department of Labor (DOL or the Department) is issuing this proposed rule to require the disclosure of confidential Unemployment Compensation (UC) information to Federal officials for the purposes of UC program oversight and audits. This rule will ensure that Federal officials, including the DOL Office of Inspector General (DOL- OIG), are able to obtain the information they need in order to ensure proper oversight of the UC program and to identify and address fraud in the UC program.

OSHA is extending the period for submitting comments by 60 days to allow stakeholders interested in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on Vinyl Chloride additional time to review the NPRM and collect information and data necessary for comment.

OSHA is extending the period for submitting comments by 60 days to allow stakeholders interested in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on Ethylene Oxide additional time to review the NPRM and collect information and data necessary for comment.

OSHA is extending the period for submitting comments by 60 days to allow stakeholders interested in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on Occupational Exposure to COVID-19 in Healthcare Settings additional time to review the NPRM and collect information and data necessary for comment.

OSHA is extending the period for submitting comments on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to amend the medical evaluation requirements in the Respiratory Protection Standard. The agency is extending the comment period by 60 days to allow interested stakeholders additional time to review the NPRM and collect information and data necessary for comment.

OSHA is extending the period for submitting comments by 60 days to allow stakeholders interested in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on Methylene Chloride additional time to review the NPRM and collect information and data necessary for comment.

OSHA is extending the period for submitting comments by 60 days to allow stakeholders interested in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on Lead additional time to review the NPRM and collect information and data necessary for comment.

OSHA is extending the period for submitting comments by 60 days to allow stakeholders interested in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on Inorganic Arsenic additional time to review the NPRM and collect information and data necessary for comment.

OSHA is extending the period for submitting comments on the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) titled Occupational Safety and Health Standards; Interpretation of the General Duty Clause: Limitation for Inherently Risky Professional Activities. The agency is extending the comment period by 60 days to allow interested stakeholders additional time to review the NPRM and collect information and data necessary for comment.

OSHA is extending the period for submitting comments by 60 days to allow stakeholders interested in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on Formaldehyde additional time to review the NPRM and collect information and data necessary for comment.

OSHA is extending the period for submitting comments by 60 days to allow stakeholders interested in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on Cotton Dust additional time to review the NPRM and collect information and data necessary for comment.

OSHA is extending the period for submitting comments by 60 days to allow stakeholders interested in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on construction illumination requirements additional time to review the NPRM and collect information and data necessary for comment.

OSHA is extending the period for submitting comments by 60 days to allow stakeholders interested in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on Coke Oven Emissions additional time to review the NPRM and collect information and data necessary for comment.

OSHA is extending the period for submitting comments by 60 days to allow stakeholders interested in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on Cadmium additional time to review the NPRM and collect information and data necessary for comment.

OSHA is extending the period for submitting comments by 60 days to allow stakeholders interested in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on Benzene additional time to review the NPRM and collect information and data necessary for comment.

OSHA is extending the period for submitting comments by 60 days to allow stakeholders interested in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on Asbestos additional time to review the NPRM and collect information and data necessary for comment.

OSHA is extending the period for submitting comments by 60 days to allow stakeholders interested in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on Acrylonitrile additional time to review the NPRM and collect information and data necessary for comment.

OSHA is extending the period for submitting comments by 60 days to allow stakeholders interested in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on 1,3-Butadiene additional time to review the NPRM and collect information and data necessary for comment.

OSHA is extending the period for submitting comments by 60 days to allow stakeholders interested in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on 13 Carcinogens (4-Nitrobiphenyl, etc.) additional time to review the NPRM and collect information and data necessary for comment.

OSHA is extending the period for submitting comments by 60 days to allow stakeholders interested in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on Methylenedianiline additional time to review the NPRM and collect information and data necessary for comment.

OSHA is extending the period for submitting comments by 60 days to allow stakeholders interested in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane additional time to review the NPRM and collect information and data necessary for comment.

This document contains limited interpretive guidance to help small employers select high-quality, low-cost "pooled employer plans" or "PEPs." This document also solicits information about prevailing pooled employer plan market practices. The Department will consider the responses as part of a process aimed at developing a potential regulatory safe harbor or safe harbors that comprehensively encourage market participants to offer and employers to join such plans. These efforts, taken pursuant to President Trump's January 20, 2025, Memorandum titled "Delivering Emergency Price Relief for American Families and Defeating the Cost-of-Living Crisis," are designed to reduce investment costs for workers saving for their retirement, thereby improving their lives. These efforts also will help small employers provide more attractive benefits to potential hires, drawing discouraged workers into the labor force.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is extending the comment period on the proposed rule titled, "Ventilation Plan Approval Criteria," published in the Federal Register on July 1, 2025. In response to a request for additional time to develop and submit comments on the proposed rule, MSHA is extending the comment period for an additional 30 days--that is, from July 31, 2025, to September 2, 2025.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is extending the comment period on the proposed rule titled, "Training and Retraining of Miners," published in the Federal Register on July 1, 2025, with an established public comment period that is scheduled to end on July 31, 2025. MSHA is extending the comment period for an additional 30 days--from July 31, 2025, to September 2, 2025.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is extending the comment period on the proposed rule titled, "Roof Control Plan Approval Criteria," published in the Federal Register on July 1, 2025. In response to a request for additional time to develop and submit comments on the proposed rule, MSHA is extending the comment period for an additional 30 days--that is, from July 31, 2025, to September 2, 2025.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is extending the comment period on the proposed rule titled, "Electronic Surveying Equipment in Underground Coal Mines," published in the Federal Register on July 1, 2025, with an established public comment period that is scheduled to end on July 31, 2025. In response to a request for additional time to develop and submit comments on the proposed rule, MSHA is extending the comment period for an additional 30 days, from July 31, 2025, to September 2, 2025.

MSHA is extending the comment period on the proposed rule titled, "Powered Air Purifying Respirators (PAPRs) in Underground Mines," published in the Federal Register on July 1, 2025, with an established public comment period that is scheduled to end on July 31, 2025. In response to requests for additional time to develop and submit comments on the proposed rule, MSHA is extending the comment period for an additional 30 days--from July 31, 2025, to September 2, 2025.

The Department of Labor (Department) is withdrawing its notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) published on December 4, 2024 (89 FR 96466), which proposed to amend 29 CFR part 525 to phase out the issuance of subminimum wage certificates under section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). With this action, the Department is formally discontinuing the rulemaking process and removing the proposal from further consideration.

The Department of Labor (DOL or the Department) is issuing this notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to remove undue regulatory burdens on registered apprenticeship program sponsors. The Department's proposal would rescind certain regulatory provisions that it believes are unlawful. It also includes conforming, technical changes to the Department's regulation that addresses Labor Standards for the Registration of Apprenticeship Programs. This proposed rule would streamline and simplify sponsors' obligations, while maintaining broad and effective nondiscrimination protections for apprentices and those seeking entry into apprenticeship programs. A brief summer of this document may be found at regulations.gov by searching by the RIN 1205- AC21.

In 1974, Congress applied the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to "domestic service" employees, but exempted employees who provide "companionship services" from the minimum wage and overtime requirements and also exempted live-in domestic service employees from overtime. In 1975, the Department promulgated regulations defining companionship services and permitting third party employers to claim these exemptions. These regulations remained substantially unchanged for nearly 40 years. In 2013, the Department revised the regulations to narrow the definition of companionship services and prevent third party employers from claiming either of the exemptions. Because the Department is concerned that the 2013 regulations might not reflect the best interpretation of the FLSA and might discourage essential companionship services by making these services more expensive, the Department is proposing to return to the 1975 regulations. This summary can be found at https://www.regulations.gov by searching by the RIN: 1235-AA51.