Procedures for the Handling of Retaliation Complaints Under the Taxpayer First Act (TFA)

Document 2023-05076 is a Final Rule published by the Department of Labor in the Federal Register on March 13, 2023, with an effective date of March 13, 2023. On March 7, 2022, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of the U.S. Department of Labor (Department) issued an interim final rule (IFR) that provided procedures for the Department's processing of complaints under the employee protection (retaliation or whistleblower) provisions of Section 7623(d) of the Taxpayer First Act (TFA or Act). The IFR established procedures and time frames for the handling of retaliation complaints under TFA, including procedures and time frames for employee complaints to 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) and judicial review of the Secretary's final decision. It also set forth the Department's interpretations of the TFA whistleblower provisions on certain matters. This final rule adopts the IFR with one technical change. View the original at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/03/13/2023-05076/procedures-for-the-handling-of-retaliation-complaints-under-the-taxpayer-first-act-tfa.

No. Document 2023-05076 is not classified as economically significant under Executive Order 12866. Economically significant rules require OIRA review and are estimated to have impacts of $100 million or more per year.