Rules
- Hazard Communication Standard; Corrections Effective Date: 1/8/2026 #EHS
- Technical Amendments to the EPCRA Hazardous Chemical Inventory Reporting Requirements To Conform to the 2024 OSHA Hazard Communication Standard; Withdrawal Effective Date: 1/9/2026 #Campus
- Schedules of Controlled Substances: Placement of N-Pyrrolidino Metonitazene and N-Pyrrolidino Protonitazene in Schedule I Effective Date: 2/11/2026 #EHS #UAPD #ORED #UMC
- Schedules of Controlled Substances: Placement of 4-Fluoroamphetamine in Schedule I Effective Date: 2/17/2026 #ORED #UMC #UAPD
- Hazard Communication Standard Effective Date: 1/15/2026 #Campus
- Definition of “Cannabimimetic Agents” and Assignment of an Administration Controlled Substances Code Number for All “Cannabimimetic Agents” Effective Date: 2/19/2026 #UMC #UAPD
Proposed Rules
- Backup Withholding on Third Party Network Transactions Comments Due: 3/10/2026 #Tax Office
- Schedules of Controlled Substances: Temporary Placement of 2-Fluorodeschloroketamine in Schedule I #UMC #UAPD
- Intent To Establish Negotiated Rulemaking Committee Nominations Due: 2/26/2026 #Campus
- Freedom of Information Act Regulations Update Comments Due: 2/26/2026 #Campus
- Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; 90-Day Findings for 10 Species #Research
- Reimagining and Improving Student Education Comments Due: 3/2/2026 #Student Financial Aid
- Request for Information: Diagnostic Imaging Interoperability Standards and Certification Comments Due: 3/16/2026 #UMC #SHC
- Improving Transparency Into Pharmacy Benefit Manager Fee Disclosure Comments Due: 3/31/2026 #HR #UMC #SHC
Notices
- Update to the Women’s Preventive Services Guidelines #UMC #SHC
- Notice of Request for Revision to and Extension of Approval of an Information Collection; Animal Welfare Comments Due: 3/9/2026 #Animal Care #Research
- Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Federal Student Aid (FSA) Feedback System Comments Due: 2/17/2026 #Student Financial Aid
- Intent To Request Revision From OMB of One Current Public Collection of Information: TSA PreCheck® Application Program Comments Due: 3/16/2026 #Campus
- Cuffless Non-Invasive Blood Pressure Measuring Devices-Clinical Performance Testing and Evaluation; Draft Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff; Availability Comments Due: 3/24/2026
- Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed eCollection eComments Requested; Extension of a Currently Approved Collection; Title-Return A-Monthly Return of Offenses Known to Police and Supplement to Return A-Monthly Return of Offenses Known to Police Comments Due: 2/23/2026 #UAPD
- Notice and Request for Comment; Proposal for a New United Nations Global Technical Regulation on Automated Driving Systems (ADS) Comments Due: 2/23/2026 #Campus
- Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request on Retirement Plans; Cash or Deferred Arrangements and Matching Contributions or Employee Contributions and Guidance With Respect to Matching Contributions Made on Account of Qualified Student Loan Payments Comments Due: 3/24/2026 #Campus
- Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Medication Guides for Prescription Drug Products Comments Due: 3/30/2026 #UMC #SHC
Items of Interest
- Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC); Request for Nominations Nominations Due: 2/4/2026 #Campus
- How campus fleets can optimize every dollar Fleet operations at higher education institutions often represent multi-million dollar budgets with significant untapped potential for savings.
- 5 Predictions on How AI Will Shape Higher Ed in 2026 Some education experts are prepared for the sector’s growing disenchantment with generative artificial intelligence. Others believe it will improve college systems and processes.
- NIH cap on indirect research costs struck down on appeal The agency announced a 15% across-the-board limit on overhead reimbursement in February, which judges so far have concluded was illegal.
- Government abandons RIFs impacting Education Department employees during shutdown The U.S. Department of Education sent a Dec. 5 letter asking some Office for Civil Rights employees, who have been put on administrative leave since March 21, to return to work by the end of December to prioritize the office’s current caseload of discrimination complaints.
- 6 higher education trends to watch in 2026 With a new year comes new enrollment challenges, shifting federal policies and increased pressure on college leaders to stand up for their institutions.
- Student Parents Bear the Brunt of Cuts to Federal Programs Parenting students’ advocates say this population is especially vulnerable as the Trump administration makes changes to childcare funding and public benefits.
- Supreme Court to hear arguments in transgender student athlete cases Justices on Tuesday will weigh whether Title IX protects transgender athletes or bans them from participating on teams aligning with their gender identity.
- Tracking the Trump administration’s moves to cap indirect research funding We’re keeping tabs on the agencies that have tried to limit reimbursement for overhead costs to 15% — and the legal challenges against them.
- National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council Nominations Due: 2/17/2026
- Justices Consider ‘Sex’ Definition, State Laws Banning Trans Women in Sports Dozens of states have barred transgender girls and women from playing on teams matching their gender identity. Conservative justices appear set to bless these actions.
- Education Department launches 18 Title IX transgender athlete investigations The new string of investigations into some colleges and schools comes on the heels of a U.S. Supreme Court hearing on the issue this week.
- Higher Ed Prepares for New Era of Accessibility Looming federal regulations update the ADA to make web content and mobile apps more accessible to people, including college students, with disabilities. But universities are scrambling to comply by the April deadline.
- Higher Ed Spent Millions on Lobbying in 2025 Research universities lobbied Congress on sweeping policy changes, fended off restrictions on international students and shaped policy on financial aid, AI and other issues.
- Education Department moves to overhaul accreditation regulations The agency wants to make it easier for new accreditors to gain recognition and to curb diversity, equity and inclusion standards, per a Federal Register notice.
- ED Transfers Higher Ed Grant Program Staff to DOL ED in recent months has signed IAAs to shift responsibilities to DOL for adult education and career and technical education (see “ED/DOL Agreement Revamps Program Responsibilities,” September 2025) and federal K-12 programs and postsecondary education (see “Stakeholders Decry Transition of ED Grant Programs to Other Agencies,” January 2026). The agency also has signed IAAs with other federal agencies (e.g., the departments of the Interior, State, and Health and Human Services) to transition other programs.
- At CHEA, Kent Blames Accreditors for Higher Ed’s Woes The education under secretary argued that accreditors have largely failed to hold colleges accountable and pledged to make reforms.
- Will the Classic Learning Test Shake Up College Admissions? The CLT, which has been embraced by the right, is now accepted by all public institutions in three states, plus the nation’s service academies. But even as it gains popularity, critics question both its content and its quality.
Policy Updates
- The Bloodborne Pathogens Policy was updated on 1/6/2026 to provide further clarifications in some areas of the policy.
- The Contract Management Policy was revised on 1/13/2026 to update language in the Vendor Disclosure Statement.