Government operations and workforce

Executive Order 13610: Identifying and Reducing Regulatory Burdens

President: Barack Obama

Required agencies to prioritize and publicly report reforms to outdated, ineffective or excessively burdensome rules.

Status: In effect. Is Executive Order 13610 still in effect? Yes. EO 13610 remains an operative retrospective-review policy, cited in Coast Guard rulemaking on October 1, 2026; its original reporting schedule permits later OIRA guidance.

What does Executive Order 13610 do?

EO 13610 turned the retrospective-review initiative under EO 13563 into a recurring accountability process. Obama said agencies should examine whether existing requirements remained justified as technology and circumstances changed. Its focus was on rules already in force, especially reforms that could reduce unnecessary monetary costs and paperwork while maintaining public health, safety, welfare and environmental protection. Signed order.

Agencies had to invite public suggestions regularly, publish retrospective analyses and supporting data online where practicable, and prioritize significant measurable savings. Small businesses received explicit attention because overlapping or complicated requirements could impose unjustified burdens on them. Agencies also had to consider the cumulative effect of their own regulations, rather than evaluating a reform only as an isolated change to one rule. Signed order.

Administration position: The order did not let agencies discard statutory duties or repeal binding regulations without the process required by the Administrative Procedure Act.
SignedMay 10, 2012
LeadOIRA Administrator
ReportingTwice-yearly retrospective-review updates

Before and after

Before the order

EO 13563 had already required preliminary plans for periodic review. EO 13610 did not originate every agency's authority to reconsider rules: the signed text acknowledged longstanding practices and statutory review duties. Its addition was a regular public-input and reporting structure intended to sustain and improve the plans instead of treating them as a one-time paperwork exercise. Signed order.

After the order

Each agency had to report to OIRA on progress, expected accomplishments and proposed action dates. The first draft report was due September 10, 2012, followed by the second Monday of January and July each year unless later OIRA guidance directed otherwise. Final reports had to be public within three weeks of draft submission. The text therefore allows reporting instructions to evolve; a different later regulatory-management system is not, by itself, evidence that the order was revoked. Signed order. Sources: EO 14192: separate regulatory framework; Current Coast Guard rule citing EO 13610.

Who had to do what

Agency / officeActionTiming / position
Covered agency headsRegularly invite public suggestions, prioritize measurable savings and small-business simplification, and publish retrospective analyses where practicable.Public-input frequency determined with OIRA; continuing review.
Covered agenciesSend progress reports describing accomplishments, anticipated actions and timelines to OIRA; publish final reports.First draft September 10, 2012; second Monday of January and July thereafter unless OIRA directs otherwise; public finals within three weeks.
OIRAConsult on frequency of public invitations, receive progress reports and issue later reporting guidance if appropriate.Initial and semiannual schedule; changes through subsequent guidance.

What happened next

Obama signed EO 13610 to institutionalize retrospective-review accountability. Official source

The signed order set this date for the first draft progress reports to OIRA; the date is a requirement, not independent proof each agency complied. Official source

EO 14192 established a separate regulatory-offset and cost framework. Official source

The Coast Guard discussed EO 13610 in its final mariner-training clarification rule. Official source