Browse regulations

This regulation authorizes banks, post offices, and U.S. disbursing officers to seize counterfeit U.S. and foreign obligations and securities and deliver them to the Treasury Department via the Secret Service for enforcement action.

Without this authority, financial institutions and government offices lack clear legal standing to retain counterfeit currency, hampering the Secret Service's ability to gather evidence and combat counterfeiting rings. Americans would be worse off due to increased fraud, erosion of currency integrity, and higher economic costs from unchecked counterfeit operations. This regulation efficiently achieves its goal by utilizing existing points of contact in the financial system where counterfeits are likely to surface.

Grants authority to make, hold, and dispose of black and white reproductions of canceled U.S. internal revenue stamps, but only as part of reproducing the documents to which they are attached and for lawful purposes.

This micro-regulation addresses an obscure technical matter that contributes to regulatory complexity without a compelling public justification. Such narrow permissions belong in internal agency guidance, not the Code of Federal Regulations.

This regulation defines what constitutes 'valuables' under the Government Losses in Shipment Act (50 Stat. 479), which governs federal liability for lost or damaged items during government-authorized shipment. It enumerates categories including currency, securities, precious metals/stones, and artworks of artistic/historical/scientific/educational value that belong to or are shipped by the U.S. government, with authority for the Treasury Secretary to make supplemental declarations.

Americans would be worse off without this clear definition because the Government Losses in Shipment Act requires predictability to function as a self-insurance program. Without it, disputes would erupt over what items qualify for coverage, leading to arbitrary denials of legitimate claims by citizens, museums, or institutions that ship valuables with government authorization. The bright-line categories prevent litigation over whether, for example, a rare historical coin collection qualifies as 'value'—providing certainty the Act's compensation mechanism can only achieve through specific enumeration. Deleting this regulation would create more legal uncertainty and inconsistent application across agencies than any purported benefit from removing a single page of definitions.

Procedural rules governing Treasury payment of awards under the International Claims Settlement Act of 1949 and War Claims Act of 1948, detailing voucher applications, signature requirements, handling of assignments, death/incompetency, and payment methods.

Imposes unnecessary bureaucratic burdens (affidavits, notarization, court certificates) on claimants, wastes administrative resources, and may deter legitimate claims. Simpler verification methods would suffice.

Withholds delivery of U.S. government checks and warrants to Cuba and North Korea due to unreliable banking systems, mandating Treasury Secretary release and compliance with asset control regulations; powers of attorney invalid, claims filed with originating agencies; exempts certain foreign payments.

Imposes administrative burdens and compliance costs on government agencies while perpetuating sanctions that restrict economic freedom and harm innocent civilians in targeted countries; unnecessary intervention with unseen effects of exacerbating economic hardship, fostering resentment, and undermining voluntary exchange, all failing to justify the regulatory overreach.

This regulation mandates that large financial companies maintain detailed electronic records of all Qualified Financial Contracts (QFCs), including position data, counterparty information, legal agreements, and collateral details. It applies to institutions with $50B+ in assets and significant derivatives exposure, or those designated systemically important, to assist the FDIC in resolving failed firms. Compliance was phased in between 2019-2021 based on institution size.

The $2 trillion annual regulatory burden falls disproportionately on smaller firms within this threshold, raising barriers to entry and protecting large incumbents. These recordkeeping mandates create privacy risks, enforce centralized data collection that exceeds the FDIC's legitimate needs, and represent federal overreach into financial activities that should be disciplined by market forces rather than bureaucratic prescription. The real systemic risk stems from 'too big to fail' policies, not insufficient data collection.

This regulation establishes a process for the GSA, acting as agent for the Treasury Department, to sell government-owned silver through competitive bidding procedures. The sales are conducted periodically with specific bidding procedures established by agreement between the two agencies.

This regulation ensures transparent, competitive bidding for government asset disposal, protecting taxpayer interests by maximizing proceeds and preventing corruption. The minimal procedural requirements provide essential guardrails that would be lost without standardized, documented procedures, risking below-market sales and favoritism.

This regulation implements the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program (TRIP), a federal backstop that provides reimbursement to insurers for certified terrorism losses above specified deductibles, funded through assessments (surcharges) on property and casualty insurance policies. It defines insurer participation, calculates premiums and deductibles, establishes program trigger thresholds, and details recoupment mechanisms when federal payments exceed the marketplace retention amount.

The program socializes private terrorism risk, creating severe moral hazard by encouraging insurers to underprice coverage knowing taxpayers will cover catastrophic losses. It distorts private reinsurance markets, imposes substantial compliance costs on insurers, and represents an unconstitutional federal overreach into traditional state-regulated insurance. The hidden surcharge taxes all policyholders to subsidize a specific industry, violating principles of limited government and free enterprise. Private markets and state solutions could provide terrorism coverage at appropriate risk-based pricing without federal intervention.

This regulation sets deadlines for state housing credit agencies to disburse or return funds from the 2009 stimulus (ARRA) for low-income housing projects, with specific conditions allowing limited extensions through 2011.

Obsolete regulation from a temporary 2009 stimulus program with deadlines that expired over a decade ago (2010-2011). Contains no current substantive requirements and constitutes regulatory clutter that undermines the principle that laws must be knowable and applicable.

This Treasury Department regulation implements Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance from Treasury. It requires recipients to provide assurances of compliance, establishes what constitutes prohibited discriminatory practices, and provides for enforcement through administrative reviews, complaint investigations, hearings, and ultimately suspension or termination of federal funding.

Without this regulation, federal funds could flow to entities that discriminate based on race, color, or national origin, undermining core civil rights principles. The funding-assurance mechanism is a constitutionally sound, minimally invasive way to ensure federally funded programs remain open to all Americans—achieving a compelling government interest that would be difficult to secure through alternative means without more direct and burdensome federal regulation of private conduct.

Department of Treasury-specific standards of conduct and ethics regulations for employees, covering prohibited activities, reporting requirements, use of government property, and anti-discrimination policies, supplementing government-wide ethics rules.

Duplicates existing government-wide ethics standards (5 CFR 2635 et seq.) and criminal statutes. Adds bureaucratic layer without unique substantive protections. Deleting reduces regulatory burden while leaving employees bound by overarching ethics laws.

This ONRR regulation establishes civil penalty procedures for violations of federal mineral leasing requirements under FOGRMA. It defines three penalty notices (NONC, FCCP, ILCP) with escalating daily fines from $1,562 to $78,134, outlines hearing/appeal processes before ALJs and IBLA, and describes collection mechanisms.

Punitive penalty structure violates due process: immediate liability notices (ILCP) impose fines without prior notice or correction opportunity, and daily fines up to $78,134 for reporting violations create an enforcement weapon rather than compliance tool. This disproportionately destroys small operators and violates the principle that penalties should be proportional and corrective, not punitive revenue generation.

Regulation establishes procedures for competitive leasing of offshore oil, gas, and sulfur resources on the Outer Continental Shelf. Implements OCSLA and related statutes through a five-year planning program, calls for information, fee structures, and extensive definitions. Includes revenue sharing provisions under GOMESA.

The regulation imposes excessive compliance costs, centralizes energy planning contrary to market processes, creates barriers to entry for smaller firms, and federalizes resource decisions that should lie with states or private owners. The five-year program is prone to political manipulation and regulatory capture, distorting investment and reducing energy supply. Unseen costs include slower innovation, higher consumer prices, and opportunity costs from delayed development.

This regulation provides a table listing OMB control numbers for MSHA's information collection requirements, showing which sections have been approved under the Paperwork Reduction Act.

It is redundant because OMB control numbers are already required to be displayed on forms and could be published via other channels. Keeping it adds unnecessary pages to the CFR, increasing regulatory complexity without providing unique transparency benefits.

Implements whistleblower protection for auto industry employees who report safety defects or violations to NHTSA, establishing complaint procedures through OSHA with investigation, preliminary orders, ALJ hearings, and ARB review. Remedies include reinstatement, back pay, and compensatory damages.

Federalizes employment law traditionally reserved to states, imposing significant compliance and litigation costs on auto manufacturers, suppliers, and dealers. Duplicates existing state and federal whistleblower protections while creating bureaucratic enforcement mechanisms that distort employment decisions. The $1,000 cap on attorney fees for frivolous claims inadequately deters bad-faith litigation, and the regulation imposes hidden compliance costs that ultimately harm consumers through higher prices and reduced economic freedom.