DOL Ditches Dusty Farmworker Rulebook Dust
Published Date: 8/31/2026
Rule
Summary
The Department of Labor (Department) is rescinding the regulations that established formal procedures for coordination of enforcement activities among the Wage and Hour Division (WHD), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and Employment and Training Administration (ETA) with respect to migrant and seasonal farmworkers. The Department is rescinding these regulations because they are obsolete, no longer reflect the Department's organizational structure or operational practices, and are not needed for effective coordination among the relevant component agencies. This action will remove unnecessary regulatory burden and align the Department's enforcement strategy with modern, effective, and flexible coordination models already in use.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 2 mixed.
Formal Farmworker Coordination Removed
The Department is rescinding 29 CFR Part 42, which removes the formal procedures that required a National Farm Labor Coordinated Enforcement Committee, Regional Committees, designation of Farm Labor Specialists in WHD and Compliance Officers in OSHA, certain data collection, specified meeting frequencies, and public attendance at some meetings. This rescission is final and takes effect September 30, 2026.
Public Meeting Requirements Ending
Part 42 currently prescribed public regional and national meetings with specific attendance requirements; rescinding Part 42 ends those codified meeting mandates. The Department says it will continue stakeholder engagement using roundtables, listening sessions, direct outreach, electronic communications, and virtual forums instead of the formal meeting structure.
No Small Business Economic Impact
Under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.), the Department concluded that rescinding Part 42 "pertains to procedures within the Department" and therefore "there is no impact on small entities" and no significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. The Department therefore did not prepare a final regulatory flexibility analysis.
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Key Dates
Department and Agencies
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