Last night, the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) announced its receipt of a proposed rule from the Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration entitled, “Apprenticeship Programs, Reducing Equal Employment Opportunity Regulatory Burden.”
While the text of the proposed rule is not available, it appears that the purpose of this forthcoming proposed rule is to conform the regulations at 29 CFR Part 30 governing “Equal Employment Opportunity in Apprenticeship” with President Trump’s Executive Orders on diversity, equity, and inclusion that the Trump Administration is in the process of effectuating across government programs. The proposed rule also comes after DOL ETA rescinded its January 2025 Training and Employment Notice No. 21-24 that directed state workforce agencies, state apprenticeship agencies, and other stakeholders to “cease all activities related to [DEI] or ‘diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility’” under federal awards.
OIRA review is typically the final step before an item is published in the Federal Register.