E.O.13620
Taking Additional Steps to Address the National Emergency With Respect to Somalia
·Barack Obama·77 FR 43483
E.O.13619
Blocking Property of Persons Threatening the Peace, Security, or Stability of Burma
·Barack Obama·77 FR 41243
Modifies the scope of the national emergency regarding Burma first declared in Executive Order 13047 and previously adjusted in Executive Order 13448. It blocks all U.S.-based property and interests of persons determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, to have threatened Burma's political reform or peace process, committed or aided human rights abuses, engaged in arms trade with North Korea, or provided material support to such persons or entities. It bars U.S. persons from making contributions or donations to those blocked, suspends U.S. entry for individuals meeting these criteria, and amends wording in Executive Orders 13464 and 13448 concerning technological support. It exempts official U.S. government business, prohibits transactions that evade these restrictions, waives advance notice requirements for blocking actions, and directs the Treasury Secretary to issue implementing regulations, with other federal agencies instructed to assist in carrying out the order.Read the full summaryShow less
E.O.13618
Assignment of National Security and Emergency Preparedness Communications Functions
·Barack Obama·77 FR 40779
Establishes a policy and organizational structure for maintaining national security and emergency preparedness (NS/EP) communications across the federal government. Creates an NS/EP Communications Executive Committee, co-chaired by representatives of the Departments of Homeland Security and Defense, with members from State, Justice, Commerce, the Director of National Intelligence, the General Services Administration, and the Federal Communications Commission, to coordinate policy and planning. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to set up an Executive Committee Joint Program Office for support, and within 60 days to submit a plan to the President on the department's NS/EP communications organization. Assigns specific duties to the Secretaries of Defense, Homeland Security, and Commerce, the General Services Administration, the Director of National Intelligence, and the Federal Communications Commission, and sets general responsibilities for all federal agencies. Assigns the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy roles in advising the President and coordinating priorities. Revokes Executive Order 12472, amends Executive Order 12382, and states the order does not create enforceable rights.Read the full summaryShow less
E.O.13617
Blocking Property of the Government of the Russian Federation Relating to the Disposition of Highly Enriched Uranium Extracted From Nuclear Weapons
·Barack Obama·77 FR 38459
Declares a national emergency concerning the risk of nuclear proliferation from Russia's stockpile of weapons-usable fissile material, and blocks Russian government property in the United States that is directly related to implementation of a 1993 agreement between the United States and Russia on converting highly enriched uranium from nuclear weapons into low-enriched uranium for commercial reactor fuel. This blocking is meant to shield payments owed to Russia under that agreement from attachment, judgment, lien, or other legal process, and it voids any such judicial actions taken against the covered property unless authorized by license. It prohibits transactions that evade or attempt to violate these restrictions. It directs federal agencies to keep supporting full implementation of the underlying agreements and authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State and Secretary of Energy, to issue regulations and licenses needed to carry out the order, and to report to Congress on the emergency.Read the full summaryShow less
E.O.13616
Accelerating Broadband Infrastructure Deployment
·Barack Obama·77 FR 36903
Establishes a Broadband Deployment on Federal Property Working Group, co-chaired by representatives from the General Services Administration and the Department of Homeland Security, to coordinate federal policies on broadband deployment across federal lands, buildings, rights of way, federally assisted highways, and tribal lands. Directs member agencies including Defense, Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Transportation, Veterans Affairs, and the Postal Service to develop consistent strategies for granting broadband access, publish clear information on requirements, and report progress within one year to the Steering Committee created under Executive Order 13604. Requires agencies to create uniform contract, application, and permit templates within one year to simplify access for broadband providers, and directs the General Services Administration to consult the Working Group when implementing related provisions of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012. Also directs the Department of Transportation to review and promote 'dig once' practices for installing broadband conduit during highway construction, work with state and local governments on related policies, and create an online platform for sharing rights-of-way information.Read the full summaryShow less
E.O.13615
Providing an Order of Succession Within the Office of Management and Budget
·Barack Obama·77 FR 31159
Establishes an order of succession for the Office of Management and Budget, listing thirteen officials, from the Deputy Director for Management down to the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator, who will act as Director if both the Director and Deputy Director die, resign, or become unable to serve. It specifies that officials serving in an acting capacity in a listed position cannot become acting Director by virtue of that role, and that anyone acting as Director must otherwise be eligible under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998. The President retains discretion to depart from this order when designating an acting Director. It revokes the prior succession order, Executive Order 13370 of January 13, 2005, and states that it creates no enforceable legal rights for any party.Read the full summaryShow less
E.O.13614
Providing an Order of Succession Within the Environmental Protection Agency
·Barack Obama·77 FR 31157
Sets an order of succession within the Environmental Protection Agency, listing officials such as the General Counsel, various assistant administrators, the Chief Financial Officer, and regional administrators who would act as Administrator if both the Administrator and Deputy Administrator die, resign, or otherwise become unable to serve. Specifies that no one serving in a listed office in an acting capacity may become acting Administrator under this order, and that anyone acting must otherwise be eligible under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998. Preserves the President's authority to depart from this order when naming an acting Administrator. Revokes Executive Order 13261 and Executive Order 13344, which previously governed succession at the agency. States that the order creates no enforceable legal rights for any outside party. Applies to the Environmental Protection Agency's leadership structure.Read the full summaryShow less
E.O.13613
Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of Commerce
·Barack Obama·77 FR 31155
Sets the order in which officials of the Department of Commerce act as Secretary if the Secretary dies, resigns, or becomes unable to serve. The line of succession runs through the Deputy Secretary, General Counsel, several Under Secretaries (for International Trade, Economic Affairs, Standards and Technology, Oceans and Atmosphere, and Export Administration), the Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary for Administration, and finally the Boulder Laboratories Site Manager at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Officials serving in one of these roles only in an acting capacity cannot become acting Secretary under this order, and no one may serve unless otherwise eligible under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. The President retains discretion to depart from this order when naming an acting Secretary. It revokes a prior 2001 executive order and a 2002 memorandum that had addressed the same succession issue, and states that it creates no enforceable legal rights.Read the full summaryShow less
E.O.13612
Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department of Agriculture
·Barack Obama·77 FR 31153
Establishes an order of succession within the Department of Agriculture, listing the sequence of officials—including various Under Secretaries, the Assistant Secretary for Administration, the General Counsel, the Chief of Staff, certain regional Farm Service Agency and Food and Nutrition Service officials, the Chief Financial Officer, and other Assistant Secretaries—who would act as Secretary of Agriculture if both the Secretary and Deputy Secretary are unable to serve. It specifies that officials serving in an acting capacity in these roles cannot themselves become acting Secretary under this order, and that anyone acting as Secretary must otherwise qualify under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998. The President retains discretion to depart from this order when naming an acting Secretary. It revokes the prior succession order, Executive Order 13542 of May 13, 2010, and states that it creates no enforceable legal rights for any party.Read the full summaryShow less
E.O.13611
Blocking Property of Persons Threatening the Peace, Security, or Stability of Yemen
·Barack Obama·77 FR 29533
Declares a national emergency over actions that threaten the peace, security, or stability of Yemen, including obstruction of the November 23, 2011 political transition agreement or Yemen's broader political process. Blocks all property and interests in property within the United States or held by U.S. persons belonging to individuals or entities the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, determines to have engaged in such destabilizing acts, to be political or military leaders of groups doing so, to have provided material support to such acts or persons, or to be owned or controlled by such persons. Prohibits donations, contributions, or transactions benefiting blocked persons, as well as any attempt to evade these restrictions. Exempts official U.S. government business and allows exceptions through licenses or regulations. Directs the Treasury Secretary to issue implementing regulations and report periodically to Congress, and states that affected persons need not receive prior notice before being listed.Read the full summaryShow less
E.O.13610
Identifying and Reducing Regulatory Burdens
·Barack Obama·77 FR 28469
Builds on Executive Order 13563 by directing federal agencies to strengthen their retrospective reviews of existing significant regulations. Agencies must regularly invite public suggestions, including from state, local, and tribal governments, about regulations that could be modified, streamlined, or repealed, and must release retrospective analyses and supporting data online where practicable. Agencies are told to prioritize reforms that produce significant, quantifiable savings or paperwork reductions while still protecting public health, safety, and the environment, with special attention to easing burdens on small businesses and addressing the cumulative effect of their own rules. Agencies must submit draft progress reports to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs by September 10, 2012, and on the second Monday of January and July each year after, then make final reports public within three weeks. The order applies to federal agencies generally, excluding independent regulatory agencies, and states it creates no enforceable legal rights.Read the full summaryShow less
E.O.13609
Promoting International Regulatory Cooperation
·Barack Obama·77 FR 26413
Directs federal agencies to promote international regulatory cooperation consistent with Executive Orders 12866 and 13563. Tasks the Regulatory Working Group, chaired by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, with coordinating agency positions on international regulatory cooperation, examining strategies for engaging in joint regulatory development, and issuing guidelines for implementing the order. Requires agencies to summarize international regulatory cooperation activities in their Regulatory Plans, flag significant regulations with international impacts on federal regulatory websites, consider addressing unnecessary differences with trading partners' rules during retrospective reviews, and take into account foreign regulatory approaches agreed to under cooperation council work plans. Encourages, but does not require, independent regulatory agencies to comply. States it does not alter existing agency authority, trade policy processes, international agreement procedures, financial regulation laws, or the Office of Management and Budget's budgetary functions, and creates no enforceable legal rights.Read the full summaryShow less
E.O.13608
Prohibiting Certain Transactions With and Suspending Entry Into the United States of Foreign Sanctions Evaders With Respect to Iran and Syria
·Barack Obama·77 FR 26409
Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, to impose sanctions on foreign persons found to have violated U.S. sanctions related to Iran or Syria, facilitated deceptive transactions on behalf of sanctioned parties, or acted on behalf of such violators. These sanctions can block all U.S.-related transactions and dealings involving the designated person, including trade in goods, services, or technology, and prohibit donations or financial contributions to or from them. The order also suspends entry into the United States of such individuals as immigrants or nonimmigrants, treating them under an existing travel-ban proclamation. It bars transactions that evade these prohibitions, exempts official U.S. government business, defines key terms like 'deceptive transaction' and 'person subject to United States sanctions,' and states that no prior notice is required before sanctions are imposed due to the risk of asset transfers. Treasury is authorized to issue implementing regulations, and the order clarifies it creates no enforceable legal rights for private parties.Read the full summaryShow less
E.O.13607
Establishing Principles of Excellence for Educational Institutions Serving Service Members, Veterans, Spouses, and Other Family Members
·Barack Obama·77 FR 25861
Directs the Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, and Education to jointly establish "Principles of Excellence" for schools that receive funding through federal military and veterans education benefit programs, including the Post-9/11 GI Bill and Tuition Assistance Program. The principles are meant to require participating institutions to give prospective students standardized cost and outcome information before enrollment, steer students toward federal aid before private loans, stop aggressive or misleading recruiting, obtain accreditor approval for new programs, accommodate service-related absences, follow federal refund rules, provide individualized education plans, and designate advising contacts. Within 90 days, the relevant secretaries, along with the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection director and the Attorney General, must report progress and submit a plan to strengthen complaint handling, oversight, campus recruiting access rules, and referrals for civil or criminal enforcement, and to consider trademark protection for terms like "GI Bill." Implementation depends on existing legal authority and available funding, and the order creates no enforceable legal rights.Read the full summaryShow less
E.O.13606
Blocking the Property and Suspending Entry Into the United States of Certain Persons With Respect to Grave Human Rights Abuses by the Governments of Iran and Syria via Information Technology
·Barack Obama·77 FR 24571
Blocks the U.S. property and financial assets of persons listed in an annex, and of any additional persons the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, determines have operated or provided technology used by the governments of Iran or Syria to disrupt, monitor, or track communications in ways enabling serious human rights abuses, or who have materially supported such activity or such blocked persons. Prohibits donations, contributions, or transactions benefiting these persons, and bars any transaction that evades these prohibitions. Suspends U.S. entry, as immigrants or nonimmigrants, for anyone meeting these criteria, treating them under an existing travel-ban proclamation. Exempts official U.S. government business. Authorizes the Treasury Department to issue regulations, redelegate authority, and remove persons from the blocked list if circumstances change. States that affected persons need not receive prior notice before being listed, and that measures regarding Iran respond only to actions occurring after the 1981 Algiers Accords. Takes effect April 23, 2012.Read the full summaryShow less
E.O.13605
Supporting Safe and Responsible Development of Unconventional Domestic Natural Gas Resources
·Barack Obama·77 FR 23107
Establishes an Interagency Working Group to Support Safe and Responsible Development of Unconventional Domestic Natural Gas Resources, chaired by the Director of the Domestic Policy Council. The group includes deputy-level representatives from the Departments of Defense, the Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Health and Human Services, Transportation, Energy, and Homeland Security, along with the Environmental Protection Agency, Council on Environmental Quality, Office of Science and Technology Policy, Office of Management and Budget, National Economic Council, and any other agencies the chair invites. It directs the group to coordinate federal agency policy on natural gas development, share scientific and technical information among agencies, plan long-term research and infrastructure development, and communicate with outside stakeholders. The order states it must be implemented consistent with existing law and available funding, does not alter any agency's existing legal authority or the budgetary role of the Office of Management and Budget, and creates no enforceable legal rights.Read the full summaryShow less
E.O.13604
Improving Performance of Federal Permitting and Review of Infrastructure Projects
·Barack Obama·77 FR 18887
Establishes a Steering Committee on Federal Infrastructure Permitting and Review Process Improvement, chaired by the Chief Performance Officer with the Council on Environmental Quality, to speed up federal permitting and review of infrastructure projects such as transportation, ports, water resources, energy, transmission, broadband, and pipelines. Member agencies, including Defense, Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Transportation, Energy, Homeland Security, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and the Army, must identify significant projects for tracking on an online Federal Infrastructure Projects Dashboard by April 30, 2012. The Steering Committee must develop a Federal Permitting and Review Performance Plan by May 31, 2012, and each agency must submit its own plan by June 30, 2012, publish it by July 31, 2012, and report progress every six months starting December 31, 2012. The Chief Performance Officer must issue implementation guidance, track performance metrics, and report annually to the President starting January 31, 2013. Neither the committee nor the officer may direct decisions on specific permits or projects.Read the full summaryShow less
E.O.13603
National Defense Resources Preparedness
·Barack Obama·77 FR 16651
Implements the Defense Production Act of 1950 by delegating presidential authorities among federal agencies to prepare the nation's industrial and technological base for national defense needs. It assigns specific agencies to prioritize and allocate resources in their sectors—such as the Secretary of Agriculture for food, Energy for energy, Health and Human Services for health resources, Transportation for civil transportation, Defense for water, and Commerce for other materials—and authorizes loans, loan guarantees, subsidies, and incentives to expand industrial capacity. It establishes a National Defense Executive Reserve of private-sector experts available for government service during emergencies, sets labor-related responsibilities for the Secretary of Labor, and creates a Defense Production Act Committee of numerous agency heads to advise the President and report to Congress annually. It also defines key terms used throughout, revokes Executive Order 12919 and parts of Executive Order 12656, and preserves other prior orders and authorities not inconsistent with this one. The order contains additional administrative and procedural provisions.Read the full summaryShow less
E.O.13602
Establishing a White House Council on Strong Cities, Strong Communities
·Barack Obama·77 FR 16131
Establishes a White House Council on Strong Cities, Strong Communities, housed within the Department of Housing and Urban Development and co-chaired by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy. Includes as members numerous cabinet secretaries and heads of agencies such as Treasury, Defense, Justice, Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Labor, Health and Human Services, Transportation, Energy, Education, Veterans Affairs, and Homeland Security, along with other senior officials. Directs the Council to coordinate federal efforts under the existing Strong Cities, Strong Communities initiative, helping local communities access technical assistance and planning resources, incorporate related goals into agency performance plans, recommend policy changes to the President, and encourage coordinated financing and planning tools. Requires the Council to conduct outreach to nonprofits, businesses, labor groups, state and local governments, and other stakeholders, and to hold an annual meeting to share progress. Requires the Council's Executive Director to report to the Co-Chairs within one year and annually thereafter on its work and achievements.Read the full summaryShow less
E.O.13601
Establishment of the Interagency Trade Enforcement Center
·Barack Obama·77 FR 12981