Executive Order 12875: Enhancing the Intergovernmental Partnership
President: Bill Clinton
Required consultation on unfunded mandates and faster consideration of eligible waiver requests; EO 13132 later replaced the federalism framework and revoked it.
Status: Revoked — by EO 13132 in 1999.
Is Executive Order 12875 still in effect? No. EO 13132 revoked it in 1999.
What does Executive Order 12875 do?
EO 12875 directed executive agencies to consult state, local and tribal officials before certain discretionary rules imposing unfunded mandates, and to streamline eligible waiver requests with a 120-day decision target where lawful. GAO later found that EPA used consultation procedures developed for this order in its 1995 guidance under the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act. GAO reported this for selected agencies; it did not establish that every federal rule received effective consultation. EO 13132 revoked the order in 1999.
Before and after
Before the order
Agencies followed their statutes and existing review procedures without EO 12875’s government-wide consultation and waiver directions.
After the order
Covered agencies had consultation and waiver-process duties until EO 13132 replaced the framework in 1999.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| Executive agencies | Avoid specified discretionary unfunded mandates or document consultation to OMB | Before promulgation |
| Executive agencies | Create timely input processes for affected governments | During regulatory development |
| Executive agencies | Streamline and decide eligible waiver applications | Target of 120 days after a complete application |
What happened next
EO 12875 was signed.
The order became effective after 90 days.
EO 13132 expressly revoked EO 12875.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
The directions applied only to the extent feasible and permitted by law and excluded independent regulatory agencies from the operative definition. The order disclaimed judicially enforceable rights; it could not authorize waiver of a requirement that an agency lacked statutory power to waive.
Sources by type
If a source is unavailable, first check the cited publisher or another official repository. The cited publisher remains the authority.
Primary and official sources
Orders, laws, court records and official implementation material.
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on September 19, 2026. How we research →