The Semiannual Regulatory Agenda includes a brief description of rules that have been selected by an agency for review or development during the coming 6-month period, as well as those completed during the past 6 months. It is published in the Federal Register, usually in April and October. The agenda meets the requirements of both Executive Order (E.O.) 12866 and the Regulatory Flexibility Act.
The Regulatory Plan is a statement of the Administration's regulatory policies and priorities. E.O. 12866 directs each Federal agency to publish its Regulatory Plan as part of the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulations which is published annually in the Federal Register, usually in October. It also requires that the plan contain two sections: (1) a narrative statement of the agency's regulatory priorities; and (2) a description of the most important proposed or final rules that the agency reasonably expects to issue during the next year.