Browse regulations

Interpretive guidance on Fair Labor Standards Act exemptions for seamen, covering minimum wage, overtime, and child labor provisions as they apply to maritime employees on American vs. non-American vessels.

This is interpretive guidance for DOL enforcement, not a substantive regulation. The underlying FLSA exemptions (sections 13(a)(14) and 13(b)(6)) are statutory law. These interpretations merely explain existing law without creating new requirements, making them unnecessary regulatory overhead.

Defines 'area of production' for the FLSA section 13(b)(14) exemption for employees of country elevators with ≤5 employees. Establishments must be in open country/rural areas and receive ≥95% of agricultural commodities from sources within 50 miles (grain/soybeans) or 20 miles (other) to qualify.

Deletion would create uncertainty, likely subjecting small rural elevators to federal minimum wage and overtime mandates, raising costs and potentially forcing closures, harming rural economies. The regulation provides an objective, administrable test that preserves the exemption's intent.

This regulation establishes procedures for investigations under Section 22 of the Agricultural Adjustment Act, allowing the Secretary of Agriculture to request presidential action when imports threaten domestic agricultural programs, with investigations conducted by the Tariff Commission and including public hearings.

This regulation enables protectionist trade barriers that raise consumer prices, distort market signals, and benefit politically connected agricultural interests at the expense of American consumers. It represents federal overreach into what should be free market pricing mechanisms, creating artificial scarcity and higher food costs for vulnerable households while protecting incumbent producers from competition.

Procedural regulation for investigations under section 366 of the Tariff Act. Allows domestic producers to request Commission investigations comparing domestic and foreign production costs to potentially adjust tariff rates. Specifies application requirements, hearing procedures, and factors to consider, including costs of production and competitive advantages.

This regulation enables protectionist trade measures that harm American consumers through higher prices and reduced choice. It encourages rent-seeking by domestic industries, imposes administrative costs, and distorts market competition by shielding inefficient producers. The unseen costs include reduced innovation, higher input costs for downstream businesses, and violation of free trade principles that boost overall prosperity.

This regulation establishes administrative procedures and rules of practice for the United States International Trade Commission (USITC), including: official seal custody, office locations and hours, filing requirements (primarily electronic via EDIS), confidentiality procedures for business information, public hearing protocols, entry of appearance rules, service lists, and a provision allowing missing children information in agency mailings. It defines key terms and outlines how the agency conducts its investigations and proceedings.

These are fundamental administrative procedures necessary for any functional government agency to operate with predictability and due process. The rules establish clear filing standards, protect confidential business information (reducing disclosure risks for companies), ensure fair hearing participation, and create orderly processes for investigations. Deleting them would create chaos, increase uncertainty, and actually increase compliance costs for businesses that interact with the USITC through inconsistent ad-hoc procedures. The electronic filing requirement reduces burdens compared to paper systems, and the minimal missing children provision imposes negligible cost while serving a humanitarian purpose.

This regulation establishes the framework for designating private individuals and organizations to act as representatives of the FAA Administrator in examining, inspecting, and testing for issuing airman, operating, and aircraft certificates. It covers Aviation Medical Examiners, Designated Engineering Representatives, Manufacturing Inspection Representatives, and Organization Designation Authorizations (ODAs).

This regulation creates a cost-effective system for expanding FAA's capacity to certify aviation professionals and aircraft without expanding federal bureaucracy. The designated representatives system allows qualified private individuals and organizations to perform certification functions under FAA supervision, reducing taxpayer costs while maintaining safety standards. Without this framework, the FAA would need to hire thousands more federal employees to handle the same volume of certification work, dramatically increasing government costs and creating a larger federal workforce.

This regulation governs the release of surplus airport property from federal restrictions, allowing public agencies to modify or remove conditions on airport property originally transferred from federal surplus. It establishes administrative procedures for granting releases, requires consultation with DoD for national security concerns, and permits property to be used for non-aviation purposes while protecting federal interests in civil aviation and emergency preparedness.

This regulation creates unnecessary federal micromanagement of local airport operations. The original surplus property restrictions were already satisfied by the transfer itself. Current federal oversight adds bureaucratic costs without meaningful benefits - local airport authorities can better assess their own property needs and national security concerns can be handled through direct DoD coordination without FAA administrative overhead.

This regulation establishes policies and procedures for administering the Federal-aid Airport Program under the Federal Airport Act, including airport development planning, funding allocation, property acquisition requirements, and compliance standards for public airports receiving federal assistance.

This federal program represents unconstitutional federal overreach into state and local matters that should be handled by individual states or private entities. The massive federal bureaucracy creates unnecessary compliance costs, distorts local decision-making, and prevents more efficient private market solutions for airport development and operations.

This regulation establishes certification requirements for aviation safety professionals including air traffic controllers, aircraft dispatchers, mechanics, repairmen, and parachute riggers. It covers eligibility criteria, testing standards, medical certifications, operational limitations, and includes a waiver process for mandatory retirement age (56) for FAA air traffic control specialists.

Aviation safety requires uniform federal standards because incompetent personnel pose catastrophic risks that transcend state boundaries and create massive negative externalities. The regulation's costs—administrative burdens and compliance expenses—are negligible compared to the value of preventing air traffic fatalities. States cannot effectively regulate interstate aviation, and market mechanisms alone cannot ensure competency in these safety-critical roles where errors kill innocent third parties.

This regulation establishes certification requirements and operating rules for flight engineers and flight navigators, including age, medical, testing, experience, and documentation requirements for obtaining and maintaining these certificates, with special provisions for foreign license holders and temporary authority.

These specialized certifications create unnecessary regulatory barriers to entry in aviation. Modern aircraft automation and computer systems have eliminated the need for dedicated flight engineers, while GPS and modern avionics have made dedicated flight navigators obsolete. The extensive testing, training, and certification requirements serve no practical safety purpose in contemporary aviation and impose significant costs on airlines and aspiring aviation professionals without corresponding benefits.

Federal regulation governing nuclear material exemptions in Agreement States, establishing reporting requirements, material definitions, and safety standards for byproduct, source, and special nuclear materials outside of NRC direct licensing authority.

This regulation creates unnecessary federal oversight of nuclear materials that should be handled at state level, imposing costly reporting requirements and bureaucratic compliance burdens on businesses while duplicating existing state regulatory authority under the Tenth Amendment.

Establishes NRC site approval criteria for nuclear power and test reactors, mandating exclusion zones, population density limits, and seismic/geologic evaluations to ensure reactors can be safely sited and operated with acceptably low public radiological risk from accidents.

Nuclear accidents pose catastrophic, irreversible harm to life and property that markets cannot price; siting rules are essential to protect public health and ensure operators internalize externalities. Without them, risk of mass casualties and long-term environmental contamination would be unacceptably high.

Establishes procedural rules for NRC licensing proceedings, including application procedures, hearings, appeals, and administrative processes for nuclear facilities and radioactive materials.

Nuclear regulation involves catastrophic risks where errors could cause mass casualties and environmental devastation. The procedural framework ensures expert review, public participation, and due process in decisions affecting public safety and national security.

California Date Administrative Committee regulates handling of domestic dates in Riverside County, establishing grade/size standards, inspection/certification requirements, and free/restricted percentages to control market supply and stabilize prices.

Federal regulation of date handling creates unnecessary bureaucratic overhead, distorts market signals, and protects incumbent handlers at consumers' expense. Date quality standards and market supply management should be determined by private industry associations or state/local authorities, not federal mandates.

Federal marketing order establishing a government-controlled California Walnut Board with authority to set quality standards, impose mandatory assessments on handlers, require inspections, and regulate walnut marketing. The Board, appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture and funded by per-pound assessments, consists of grower and handler representatives who control grade/size regulations, promotional campaigns, and marketing policies for California walnuts.

Imposes mandatory assessments (hidden tax), creates regulatory barriers favoring large established handlers over small businesses (compliance costs disproportionately harm small firms), enables regulatory capture through industry self-regulation, and federalizes intrastate commerce that belongs to California under the Tenth Amendment. The unseen costs—artificially restricted supply, higher consumer prices, stifled competition, and distorted market signals—outweigh any benefits. Private certification systems could maintain quality standards without coercion, and free markets would naturally reward quality through reputation and price signals.