Rule2026-00688
Removing Unnecessary Regulations Regarding the Seal of the Department of Commerce
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
January 15, 2026
Effective
January 15, 2026
Issuing agencies
Commerce Department
Abstract
By this rule, the Department of Commerce ("Department") removes unnecessary regulations related to the Department's official seal. The intended effect is to reduce regulatory complexity and eliminate clutter from the Code of Federal Regulations.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 10 (Thursday, January 15, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 10 (Thursday, January 15, 2026)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 1676-1677]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-00688]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
15 CFR Part 1
[Docket ID 260107-0011]
RIN 0605-AA71
Removing Unnecessary Regulations Regarding the Seal of the
Department of Commerce
AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Final rule.
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SUMMARY: By this rule, the Department of Commerce (``Department'')
removes unnecessary regulations related to the Department's official
seal. The intended effect is to reduce regulatory complexity and
eliminate clutter from the Code of Federal Regulations.
DATES: The rule is effective on January 15, 2026.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Daniel Sweeney, Senior Counsel, Office
of the General Counsel, at (202) 482-1395.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The Department of Commerce (the Department) is amending its
regulations at 15 CFR part 1, which establish and govern its official
seal, by removing two unnecessary regulations--Sec. Sec. 1.1 and 1.3.
The regulations in 15 CFR part 1 govern the description, design,
and use of the official seal of the Department. The authority for these
regulations originates from the Act of February 14, 1903 (32 Stat. 825,
as amended; 15 U.S.C. 1501), which established the Department and
directed the Secretary of Commerce to create a seal of office, subject
to Presidential approval. The design for the seal was subsequently
approved by the President on April 4, 1913. The current regulations
were published as a final rule in the Federal Register of June 26, 1968
(33 FR 9337), to codify existing standards and formally delegate the
authority to affix the seal to official documents.
Section 1.1 states that the purpose of the part is to describe the
seal and to delegate authority for its use on certifications and other
official documents. Section 1.2 describes the historical basis and
design of the seal, including its core components: a ship symbolizing
commerce, a lighthouse representing commercial enlightenment and
guidance, and an American bald eagle as the crest to denote the
national scope of the Department's activities. Section 1.3 delegates
the Secretary's authority to affix the seal for official purposes,
including certifications under 28 U.S.C. 1733(b). This authority is
granted to the Chief Administrative Officer of each operating unit and
the Director of the Office of Administrative Services, with a provision
allowing the Assistant Secretary for Administration to make further
delegations.
Following a review of these regulations, the Department is removing
Sec. Sec. 1.1 and 1.3 for the reasons discussed below.
II. Discussion
This rule removes Sec. Sec. 1.1 and 1.3 from 15 CFR part 1. The
Department has determined that these regulations, which state the
purpose of part 1 and delegate the authority to affix the Department's
seal, are not necessary and do not provide any significant value to the
public. Their removal represents a commonsense effort to streamline the
Department's regulations and eliminate rules that provide no
substantive guidance or requirements for the public.
Elimination of Unnecessary Regulations
As noted, Sec. 1.3 delegates the authority to affix the seal to
certain departmental officers and thus is a matter of internal agency
administration. However, such delegations are elsewhere documented in
Department Organization Orders 10-5 and 20-1 and Department
Administrative Order 201-1. There is no compelling reason for these
delegations to also be documented in the Code of Federal Regulations.
Removing this section aligns the Department's practices with modern
standards of administrative governance by separating internal
management procedures from public-facing substantive regulations.
Section 1.1, meanwhile, serves as only a statement of the purpose
of part 1. With the elimination of Sec. 1.3, the
[[Page 1677]]
Department has determined that Sec. 1.1 is fit for elimination as
well, since the purpose and contents of Sec. 1.2--the only other
section of part 1--are sufficiently clear based on the language of
Sec. 1.2 by itself.
III. Classification
A. Administrative Procedure Act
Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(a)(2), the provisions of the APA requiring
notice of proposed rulemaking and the opportunity for public
participation are inapplicable to this rule because it relates to
``agency management or personnel or to public property, loans, grants,
benefits, or contracts.'' This rule modifies 15 CFR part 1, which is
related to the Department's management of its official seal and the
authority among agency personnel to affix the seal to official
documents, and thus falls within the scope of 5 U.S.C. 553(a)(2).
B. Executive Orders 12866, 14192, 13132
The Office of Management and Budget has determined this rule is not
significant pursuant to E.O. 12866. This rule is an E.O. 14192
deregulatory action. This rule does not contain policies having
federalism implications as the term is defined in E.O. 13132.
C. Regulatory Flexibility Act
Because a notice of proposed rulemaking and an opportunity for
public participation are not required to be given for this rule by 5
U.S.C. 553(a)(2), the analytical requirements of the Regulatory
Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) are not applicable. Accordingly,
no regulatory flexibility analysis is required, and none has been
prepared.
D. Paperwork Reduction Act
This rule will not impose additional reporting or recordkeeping
requirements under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3501,
et seq.
List of Subjects for 15 CFR Part 1
Administrative practice and procedure, Authority delegations
(Government agencies), Organization and functions (Government
agencies), Seals and insignia.
Dated: January 13, 2026.
Paul Dabbar,
Deputy Secretary of Commerce.
Accordingly, for the reasons set forth above, part 1 of title 15 of
the Code of Federal Regulations is amended as follows:
PART 1--THE SEAL OF THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
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1. The authority citation for part 1 continues to read as follows:
Authority: Sec. 1, 32 Stat. 825, as amended, 15 U.S.C. 1501.
Sec. 1.1 [Removed and Reserved]
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2. Remove and reserve Sec. 1.1.
Sec. 1.3 [Removed and Reserved]
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3. Remove and reserve Sec. 1.3.
[FR Doc. 2026-00688 Filed 1-14-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-17-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on January 15, 2026.
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