What is the Unified Agenda and when is it published?

The Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions is the federal government's twice-yearly forward-looking inventory of rules each agency plans to propose, finalize, or withdraw in the next 12 months. It is published by the OMB Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) at reginfo.gov, typically in spring (April or May) and fall (October or November).

Each entry includes: the Regulatory Identifier Number (RIN), agency, title, abstract, legal authority, expected NPRM and final rule dates, whether the rule is "Section 610 review" (small-entity impact lookback), and whether it's expected to be "economically significant" ($100M+ impact).

Why it matters for small businesses: the Unified Agenda is the earliest legitimate signal that a rule is coming. A rule listed in the spring 2026 agenda with a "Proposed Rule" stage and a target date of November 2026 means you have 6+ months to track it, prepare comments, and budget for compliance — versus learning about it the day the NPRM publishes.

Limitations: target dates slip frequently (agencies routinely miss their own deadlines), and the abstracts are short. The agenda lists "Long-Term Actions" separately for rules with no near-term target date. New administrations often dramatically reshape the agenda in their first 90 days.