The principal regulators of U.S. employee benefits have recently published updates to their guidance plans for the coming months.

• On January 20, 2012, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) updated its 2011 Semi-Annual Regulatory Agenda. This publication takes the form of a Federal Register notice, to comply with certain administrative requirements. DOL’s agenda and related materials include nine pending projects related to employee benefits, which are listed in the chart below in order of the projected timetable for next steps. (In the ordinary course, dates projected in the agenda may prove to be ambitious.)
• On January 25, 2012, the U.S. Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) updated their 2011-2012 Priority Guidance Plan, often informally referred to as the IRS Business Plan, which lists those issues that will be the subject of formal guidance from July 2011 through June 2012. The IRS Business Plan includes 29 pending items addressing retirement benefits and 26 pending items addressing executive compensation and health care and other benefits.

Projects added since the previously published agendas are shown in bold. There are two new DOL initiatives and no new Treasury initiatives.

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