The week in regulations: Date taxes and manifest mailing

Political commentator Charlie Kirk was killed while speaking at an event. While the Producer Price Index went down in August, the Consumer Price Index climbed to nearly 3 percent annual inflation. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from railroad retirement annuities to arms trafficking.

 On to the data:

• Agencies issued 49 final regulations last week, after 47 the previous week.
• That’s the equivalent of a new regulation every three hours and 26 minutes.
• With 1,809 final regulations so far in 2025, agencies are on pace to issue 2,584 final regulations this year.
• For comparison, there were 3,248 final regulations in 2024, 3,018 in 2023, and 3,168 in 2022.
• Agencies issued 29 proposed regulations in the Federal Register last week, after 28 the previous week.
• With 1,143 proposed regulations so far in 2025, agencies are on pace to issue 1,633 proposed regulations this year.
• For comparison, there were 1,769 proposed regulations in 2024, 2,102 proposed regulations in 2023, and 2,044 in 2022.
• Agencies published 511 notices last week, after 329 notices the previous week.
• With 14,198 notices so far in 2024, agencies are on pace to issue 20,283 notices this year.
• For comparison, there were 25,506 notices in 2024, 22,902 in 2023, and 28,973 in 2022.
• Last week, 1,155 new pages were added to the Federal Register, after 823 pages the previous week.
• The average Federal Register issue in 2025 contains 253 pages.
• With 44,289 pages so far, the 2025 Federal Register is on pace for 63,270 pages.
• For comparison, the 2024 Federal Register has an all-time record 107,261 pages. The 2023 edition has 90,402 pages, and the 2022 Federal Register has 80,756 pages.
• Rules with $200 million or more of economic effects in at least one year qualify as major under Section 3(f)(1). This replaced the former economically significant tag for $100 million-plus regulations.
• However, the $100 million economically significant tag is now revived under a Trump Executive Order, and the $200 million 3(f)(1) tag is going away. We will likely see rules from both categories this year.
• There are five 3(f)(1) or economically significant regulations so far in 2025, with none in the last week.
• This is on pace for seven 3(f)(1) or economically significant regulations in 2025.
• For comparison, there were 20 3(f)(1) significant regulations in 2024, 28 3(f)(1) and/or economically significant regulations in 2023, and 43 economically significant rules in 2022. Note that these are not apples-to-apples comparisons, since 3(f)(1) and economically significant rules have different thresholds.
• This year’s section 3(f)(1) and economically significant regulations have estimated costs ranging from $1.81 billion to $22.51 billion.
• For context, the cost tally for 2024’s 3(f)(1) significant regulations is net savings of $16.42 billion to 26.45 billion. 2023’s 3(f)(1) and/or economically significant regulations estimated costs range from $62.60 billion to 90.48 billion. Cost estimates for 2022’s economically significant rules range from $45.28 billion to $78.05 billion. The exact numbers depend on discount rates and other assumptions.
• There were five new final regulations last week meeting the broader definition of “significant,” after two the previous week.
• So far this year, there are 72 new regulations meeting the broader definition of “significant.” This is on pace for 124 significant regulations in 2025.
• For comparison, there were 339 such regulations in 2024, 290 in 2023, and 255 in 2022.
• So far in 2025, 415 new regulations affect small businesses, on pace for 665. Seventeen of them are significant, on pace for 27. Due to transparency problems at FederalRegister.gov, this statistic can no longer be tracked. It was current as of August 15, 2024.
• For comparison, in 2024 there were 770 regulations affecting small businesses, 76 of them significant. In 2023 there were 789 regulations affecting small businesses, 79 of them significant.

Highlights from last week’s new final regulations:

• HHS is revoking some superseded regulations and residual provisions.
• FCC assessment of regulatory fee collection.
• Personnel Management Office rules for merit-based hiring.
• Amendments to USMCA implementation regulations.
• Inflation-adjusted civil penalties from the Safety and Environmental Enforcement Bureau.
• The Social Security Administration is extending expiration dates for 13 body system listings.
• The Energy Department is rescinding nondiscrimination-related new construction requirements.
• Electricity transmission across international boundaries.
• Railroad retirement annuities.
• A correction to arms trafficking regulations.
• The Energy Department is rescinding regulations for loans to minority businesses.
• And for nondiscrimination in education programs it funds.
• And for nondiscrimination in general for activities it funds.
• And for sex-based nondiscrimination in Energy Department-funded sports activities.
• Now that it’s 2025, the SEC extended compliance dates for submitting records electronically.
• Iran sanctions.
• Venezuela sanctions.
• More Venezuela sanctions.
• Reporting requirements for money services provided near the southwest border.
• Similarity of appearance explanation for adding a population segment of scarlet macaws to the Endangered Species List.
• Regulations for trafficking arms to Cyprus.
• Labeling and certification requirements for appliance energy conservation.
• One-year delay of new energy conservation test procedures for central air conditioners and heat pumps.
• Revoking standards of conduct at HHS hearings.
  
  

And from last week’s proposed regulations:

• An IRS hearing on previously taxed earnings and profits.
• Tax decrease on dates produced or packed in Riverside County, California.
• Retired manifest mailing system.
• The CFTC is withdrawing some swaps regulations.
• The Land Management Bureau is rescinding its Conservation and Landscape Health Rule.
• Grading standards for lemons.
• Accounting rules from the Federal Procurement Policy Office.
• Revision to voluntary standards for bassinets and cradles.

For more data, see Ten Thousand Commandments and follow @10KC and @RegoftheDay on Twitter. See also CEI’s Agenda for Congress.