Executive Order 12976: Compensation Practices of Government Corporations
President: Bill Clinton
Directed covered government corporations to disclose senior-executive pay practices and submit unusually large bonuses for OMB review.
Status: Revoked. Is Executive Order 12976 still in effect? No. Executive Order 12976 was revoked. See Federal Register record.
What does Executive Order 12976 do?
EO 12976 applies to mixed-ownership and wholly owned government corporations listed in 31 U.S.C. § 9101. It states that covered corporations should not exceed federal bonus limits unless law specifically allows it, requires OMB review before certain wholly owned corporations approve larger bonuses, and directs compensation reporting, OMB-Labor review and public disclosure. The official disposition table records no revocation; present application remains bounded by current corporate statutes and compensation authorities.
Before and after
Before the order
Government corporations used varied statutory compensation systems without this common executive reporting and bonus-review policy.
After the order
Covered corporations had to disclose executive-pay structures and involve OMB before specified exceptional bonuses.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| Covered corporations | Report senior compensation plans and levels | As directed by OMB |
| Wholly owned corporations | Pause specified excess bonuses for OMB review | Before approval |
| OMB and Labor | Review consistency, mission, efficiency and comparators | On submissions |
What happened next
EO 12976 established the policy.
The National Archives table recorded no express revocation.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
The order relies on presidential management and budget authority and expressly yields to compensation authorized by statute. It creates no privately enforceable right.
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.
- GovInfo — EO 12976 (opens in a new tab) Order text
- U.S. Code — 31 U.S.C. § 9101 (opens in a new tab) Official record
- GovInfo — PBGC public-disclosure notice (opens in a new tab) Official record
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on September 14, 2026. How we research →