U.S. Department of Labor

Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Policy

November 2020
2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TAB 1: AGENCY ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW ........................................................ 1

TAB 2: STATE OF PLAY ...................................................................................................... 7

TAB 3: CALENDAR ............................................................................................................ 19

TAB 4: BUDGET.................................................................................................................. 20

TAB 5: AGENCY PERFORMANCE................................................................................... 21
TAB 1: Agency Organizational Overview

1

TAB 1: AGENCY ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW

Mission

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy (OASP) is the principal policy, regulatory, data 

governance, and evaluation office for the U.S. Department of Labor (Department or DOL) 

Secretary, Deputy Secretary, and Department leadership. OASP advances the Administration’s 

agenda through its policy and regulatory work while maintaining independent efforts to build 

evidence through formal studies, evaluations, and data analytics. This ensures that OASP 

provides Departmental leadership with expert guidance and advice on issues that affect 

American workers, leadership in building and leveraging capacity to use data to inform program 

administration, and allows for independent and rigorous evaluation of the Department’s 

programs. Specifically, OASP consists of five divisions, including the Office of Regulatory and 

Programmatic Policy, the Chief Evaluation Office, the Office of Data Governance, the Office of 

the Chief Economist, and the Office of Compliance Initiatives. For more information, please visit 

https://www.dol.gov/agencies/oasp.

The mission of OASP is to provide advice to the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, and Department 

leadership on policy development, program evaluation, regulations, program implementation, 

data governance, compliance strategies, research, and legislation that will improve the lives of 

workers, retirees, job-creating business owners, and their families.

Authorizing Legislation

Chief Regulatory Policy Officer

The Regulatory Flexibility Act, as amended by the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement 

Fairness Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.); the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act of 2002 (44 U.S.C. 

3506(i)); Executive Order 12866 (“Regulatory Planning and Review,” September 30, 1993); and 

Executive Order 13272 ("Proper Consideration of Small Entities in Agency Rulemaking," 

August 13, 2002).

Executive Order 12866 requires the head of each Executive Branch Agency to designate a 

Regulatory Policy Officer who is responsible for ensuring the Department’s compliance with the 

Executive Order. The Secretary has designated the Assistant Secretary for Policy, as the 

Department’s Regulatory Policy Officer. The Office is also responsible for the Department’s 

compliance with the requirements of the Regulatory Flexibility Act, as amended by the Small 

Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 (SBREFA); the Small Business 

Paperwork Relief Act of 2002; and management of the Government Accountability Office 

(GAO) audits, reports and recommendations.

Chief Evaluation Officer

Departmental Program Evaluation (DPE) funding is authorized each year through legislative 

appropriations ($8.04 million in FY 2020), and administered by the CEO. In addition to funds 

appropriated for DPE, Division A, Title I, Section 107 of Public Law 116-94, the “Consolidated 

Appropriations Act, 2020” (the Act) authorizes the Secretary of Labor to reserve not more than 

0.75 percent from specific budget accounts for transfer to and use by the CEO’s Chief Evaluation 
TAB 1: Agency Organizational Overview

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Officer for departmental program evaluation. In consultation with the Departmental Budget 

Center and operating agencies, the Chief Evaluation Officer recommends the set-aside 

percentage to the Secretary for approval. These evaluation set-aside funds are transferred to 

CEO and are available for evaluations of programs administered by the agencies specifically 

listed in statute fifteen days after notifying Congress of the intent to transfer funds and the 

planned projects. Evaluation funding (core and set aside) must be obligated within two years. 

CEO leads a number of Department-wide evidence-building activities, including those mandated 

by recent legislation, the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 (Evidence 

Act). This new law requires that federal agencies, including DOL, advance evidence-building 

activities, open government data, and confidential information protection and statistical 

efficiency. Central to the statute is a commitment that the leaders overseeing the various 

activities to build credible information, including performance measurement, statistics, policy 

analysis, data governance, and evaluation, collaborate more strategically in supporting the 

Department’s progress in building its capacity to develop and use data more effectively. 

Office of Data Governance

Title 2 of the Evidence Act requires each CFO-Act Agency to name a Chief Data Officer (CDO) 

and to take action to make federal data more accessible and useful. Guidance from OMB for 

Title 2 in the form of the emerging Federal Data Strategy requires federal agencies to stand up a 

diverse data governance body and to implement numerous assessments and actions related to 

data management, skills, sharing and use. In addition, the last four years have seen a 

proliferation of laws related to specific kinds of data management, use, and sharing including the 

Geospatial Data Act of 2018 and the Grant Reporting Efficiency and Agreements Transparency 

Act of 2019. 
TAB 1: Agency Organizational Overview

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Organizational Chart

Assistant Secretary

Vacant

(PAS)

Chief of Staff

Vacant

(Non-Career GS)

Office of Regulatory and Programmatic 

Policy

Laura Dawkins, Director 

(Career SES)

Deputy Assistant Secretary

Jonathan Wolfson

(Non-Career SES)

Chief Economist

Robert O’Quinn

(Non-Career SL)

Deputy Assistant Secretary

Stephanie Swirsky

(Career SES)

Deputy Assistant Secretary

Allison Kilmartin

(Non-Career SES)

Office of Compliance Initiatives

Marisela Dougass, Director 

(Career GS)

Chief Evaluation Officer

Chief Evaluation Office

Christina Yancey

(Career GS)

Chief Data Officer

Office of Data Governance

Scott Gibbons

(Career GS)
TAB 1: Agency Organizational Overview

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Workforce At-A-Glance

OASP also routinely engages short-term personnel on details to work on a variety of priority 

projects and assignments through the Presidential Management Fellow Program, DOL 

Repository of Opportunities Assignments & Details (ROAD) program, and the SOL Attorney 

Leadership Development Program. 
TAB 1: Agency Organizational Overview

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Organizational Changes During the Past Four Years

Office of Regulatory and Programmatic Policy (ORPP)

The key function of regulatory review and analysis has been a constant in ORPP for the last four 

years. In addition, ORPP holds responsibility within OASP for leading high priority regulatory 

initiatives through the Department and OMB, including leading policy development, drafting and 

engaging agency economists and CHECO in the development and defense of the economic 

analyses, and managing the Department’s equities in the OMB interagency economic and policy 

review process. 

Chief Evaluation Officer (CEO)

With the passage of the Evidence Act, the Chief Evaluation Officer incorporated a new role into 

the long-standing function, as one of the Secretarial-designated Evidence Officials. The new role 

builds upon the preexisting duties of overseeing the development and implementation of 

evaluations and other rigorous research, which are conducted primarily through third-party 

contracts. Additionally, CEO formally coordinates alignment across the Department’s distinct 

evidence-building domains including performance management, statistics, and policy and data 

analysis; and oversees the development of public-facing documents describing those efforts.

Office of Data Governance (ODG)

OASP implemented Secretary’s Order (SO) 02-2019 and an Evidence Act requirement by 

creating the role of the CDO within OASP in 2019. This formalized the role of the CDO in 

leading DOL’s Data Board. ODG is staffed by three individuals (the CDO and two supporting 

staff) and utilizes a number of staff detailed from other agencies to increase capacity and expand 

its collaborative work to improve data quality with DOL component agencies. 

Office of the Chief Economist (CHECO)

The Office of the Chief Economist (CHECO) was moved into OASP from the Office of the 

Secretary. 

Office of Compliance Initiatives (OCI)

OCI was created in March 2018 as a complement to the Department’s enforcement activities. 

The staff works closely with the Department’s agencies to educate employers about their 

responsibilities, foster a culture of compliance at the Department through Communities of 

Practice and working groups, and to ensure compliance assistance materials are accessible and 

understandable through plain language and human-centered design. OCI is led by its Director 

and staffed by two additional positions, its Deputy Director and Compliance Outreach Manager, 

along with employees detailed from other agencies. 

Key Leaders 

• Vacant, Assistant Secretary for Policy 

• Jonathan Wolfson, Deputy Assistant Secretary 

• Alison Kilmartin, Deputy Assistant Secretary 

• Stephanie Swirsky, Deputy Assistant Secretary 
TAB 1: Agency Organizational Overview

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• Laura Dawkins, Director, Office of Regulatory and Programmatic Policy 

• Christina Yancey, Chief Evaluation Officer 

• Scott Gibbons, Chief Data Officer 

• Marisela Douglass, Director, Office of Compliance Initiatives 

• Albert Herrera, Administrative Officer 
TAB 2: State of Play

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TAB 2: STATE OF PLAY 

Key Meetings, Decisions, and Announcements

Office of Regulatory and Programmatic Policy (ORPP)

The OMB call for agency submissions for the 2021 Spring Regulatory Agenda will likely be 

issued in February 2021, with the Department’s submission due in March. A copy of the Spring 

2020 Regulatory Agenda is included as a cross-agency paper. 

Also included as a cross-agency paper is a list of current and recently completed GAO audits that 

GAO has indicated may have final reports issued between January and March 2021, and a list of 

open GAO recommendations.

Special Note on Briefing the Incoming Secretary of Labor

The Presidential Transition Act of 2000 provides for GAO to brief individuals the 

President-elect intends to nominate as Department heads on the GAO’s High-Risk List. 

There are six categories that GAO considers key issues: Cybersecurity Challenges 

Facing the Nation, Employment in a Changing Economy, Financial Security for Older 

Americans, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation Insurance Programs, Reducing 

Government-wide Improper Payments, and Trade Enforcement and Promotion.

Chief Evaluation Officer (CEO)

Upon the release of the President’s Budget, tentatively scheduled for February 2021, significant 

evaluation activities will be undertaken under the direction of CEO. After the final FY 2021 

Congressional appropriations is complete, the Secretary may approve the 2021 evaluation setaside funding and required Notice to Congress, discussed above within Authorizing Legislation

section. This funding will be applied to evaluations initiated by the end of FY 2022. 

A general evaluation item for Secretarial awareness involves responding to any external 

questions or interest that may arise related to publicly-released evaluation reports. Under current 

process, the Office of the Secretary receives advance notice of the release of reports along with a 

short summary of key findings and possible external or stakeholder interest in the report. See 

below under “Initiatives” for information on reports and studies. A copy of recent evaluations is 

included as a cross-agency paper.

Office of Data Governance (ODG)

An audit of DOL’s compliance with the Geospatial Data Act of 2018 (GDA) was completed on 

September 30, 2020. The findings from that audit necessitate some changes across the 

department in how geospatial data (in most cases, this is limited to address data) is collected, 

managed, and shared. This may include adopting new standards once they are available. ODG 

staff are coordinating interviews with agency programs and IT staff, and formulating a proposal 

to standardize activities toward more consistent and optimal address collection. This will be the 

first instance for DOL of enterprise data governance and will likely set expectations for future 

enterprise governance actions required by the Federal Data Strategy. Important decisions will 

need to be made regarding how this work is funded, how this work is prioritized against other IT 
TAB 2: State of Play

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work, and to what degree the timelines support compliance with the audit results and GDA. This 

work should be carefully considered because it will establish critical templates, and 

organizational perceptions, around the utility and importance of making IT changes that support 

enterprise data governance goals. 

Policy and Regulatory Issues 

Office of Regulatory and Programmatic Policy

Overview

ORPP is the chief regulatory office for the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, and the Department. 

The office manages and coordinates the regulatory development, review and clearance process in 

compliance with the requirements of E.O. 12866, as well as other related OMB Circulars and 

Bulletins. In this capacity, OASP is the Department’s lead office, coordinating the review of 

regulations with the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) within OMB. 

Regulatory Process

ORPP works with Departmental agencies to develop the Department’s regulatory agenda and the 

Office of the Secretary to identify priority regulations. The office works with the agencies and 

the Office of the Solicitor (SOL) to draft and review regulations and economic analyses. ORPP 

leads regulatory policy decision-making with the Offices of the Secretary and Deputy Secretary, 

as well as agency leadership and SOL. The office’s economists work closely with agency 

economists and are responsible for reviewing or often preparing regulatory impact analyses and 

other economic projects in conjunction with the agencies and the Chief Economist’s Office, 

currently in OASP. 

ORPP manages the Department’s clearance process for agency regulations. Agency regulations 

must be approved by the Offices of the Secretary and Deputy Secretary, the Solicitor, the 

Assistant Secretary for Policy, and the Chief Economist. Once departmental clearance is 

complete, ORPP works with the Executive Secretariat to secure the Secretary’s approval to 

transmit significant regulations to OIRA for inter-agency review, or publish those not determined 

to be significant. ORPP then manages and coordinates transmittals to OIRA and all written 

responses and discussions with OIRA, the Executive Office of the President, and other federal 

partners on comments provided on regulations. ORPP transmits regulations that OIRA 

determines are not significant to the Federal Register for publication. The process appropriately 

applies to all rulemaking mechanisms under the Administrative Procedures Act, including 

Requests for Information (RFIs), Advance Notices of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRMs), Notices 

of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRMs), Interim Final Rules (IFRs), Final Rules, and Significant 

Guidance, with consideration of and response to public comments made on proposals occurring 

during development of Final Rules. 

However, ORPP’s ability to achieve its regulatory development milestones is affected by 

dependencies external to both OASP and the Department. For example, although ORPP 

manages the Department’s regulatory process, ORPP also works with component agencies to 

identify, develop, and complete their internal regulatory projects. These relationships are vitally 

important in order for ORPP to manage and meet regulatory priority goals outlined in the 

Department’s submission to the semi-annual Unified Regulatory Agenda. 
TAB 2: State of Play

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Semi-Annual Regulatory Agenda

ORPP manages, develops and prepares the Department’s Semi-Annual Regulatory Agenda (and

Regulatory Plan) which is a component of the Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory 

Actions. OMB typically releases this Agenda to the public in October and May. The annual 

Regulatory Plan is published in the fall, and contains a statement of the Department’s regulatory

priorities and information about significant regulatory objectives for the year.

Twice yearly, ORPP works with the agencies to update their current agenda items and identify 

new items. During this process, ORPP also facilitates policy discussions among OASP, agency 

staff, and senior department leadership on any issues of concern and assures that the regulatory 

agenda reflects the Secretary’s priorities. ORPP drafts and prepares the Department’s regulatory 

agenda submission for the Secretary’s approval and transmittal to OIRA. ORPP then manages 

the OIRA review process and passback, working with the agencies and departmental leadership 

to answer questions and resolve differences. OIRA publishes and posts the Department’s agenda 

on its website, along with all of the other federal and independent agencies.

The most recent regulatory agenda was published on June 30, 2020. As requested by OIRA, the 

Department’s Fall 2020 Regulatory Agenda and Regulatory Plan was submitted on September 4, 

2020 and is under development and review by OIRA. The regulatory plan narrative is an 

opportunity for the Secretary of Labor to share the Department’s priorities with the public. The 

narrative reflects, but is not limited to, the number of regulatory and deregulatory actions 

undertaken by the Department and rulemakings that streamline existing regulations, reduce 

burden and are of interest to small businesses.

Regulatory Reform Task Force

OASP houses the Department’s Regulatory Reform Officer (RRO) and is responsible for 

overseeing the implementation of regulatory reform initiatives and policies, and chairing the 

Department’s Regulatory Reform Task Force (RRTF). In collaboration with DOL agencies, the 

RRO identifies regulations for repeal, replacement, or modification consistent with the 

requirements of E.O. 13777. In this capacity, OASP works with the DOL agencies to 

implement regulatory reform proposals that decrease burdens on the regulated community and 

reduce costs associated with the implementation of regulations

Office of the Federal Register (OFR)

ORPP is also responsible for managing the process for publishing NPRMs, Final Rules, and 

other rulemaking-related notices such as information collection requests, Federal Advisory 

Committee Act meeting notices, and stakeholder meeting notices in the Federal Register. Prior 

to submission to the OFR, ORPP coordinates and consults with agencies and the Office of the 

Secretary to ensure that documents have been appropriately vetted and approved for publication. 

ORPP then is responsible for handling special requests for specific dates of publication, 

certifying and electronically submitting documents to the OFR for publication, working with 

agencies and the OFR editorial and legal staffs to address changes requested by OFR, and 

notifying the Department of timing for publications. Examples of issues ORPP may need to 

resolve include, but are not limited to drafting, incorporation by reference, delegation of 

authority, and the Code of Federal Regulations. 
TAB 2: State of Play

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Policy Innovation

OASP manages the interagency policy innovation and development process within the 

Department and represents the Department in the broader policy development process in the 

Administration. This work includes a number of functions:

1. Conducting policy research on priority issues to advance the Department’s strategic 

goals; inform the rulemaking process; leading collaboration on issues that cross 

agencies or do not reside in any one DOL agency; and tracking emerging trends in the 

labor market.

2. Partnering and representing the Department with policy experts, academics, think 

tanks, and others to advance the growth of our knowledge around emerging labor 

policy. 

3. Assisting agencies in aligning their priorities with the Secretary’s priorities and 

ensuring that the messaging for their priorities fits within the Department’s broader 

messaging.

4. Organizing and convening key stakeholders for discussions and public forums to 

explore various long-term economic trends and policies.

Guidance Modernization Project

ORPP staff coordinated the development of the online DOL guidance database,

1 created in 

compliance with E.O. 13891 in February 2020. Its creation was a Department-wide effort, with 

ORPP coordinating every agency’s submission of documents to be included in the database, as 

well as the number of rescinded guidance documents. The database is a single, searchable 

webpage that links to all of DOL’s current guidance documents. It is intended as a one-stop shop 

for finding all of the DOL guidance documents that may be applicable to a particular business or 

industry and eliminates the need to search each individual agency site for this information. The 

webpage allows a number of filtered searches including searches by keywords, form of guidance, 

and the name of the agency that published the document. The resource is fully available to the 

public and regularly updated with new guidance documents as they are published. Pursuant to 

E.O. 13891, the webpage also provides information on how to petition to modify or withdraw a 

guidance document. In addition, E.O. 13891 requires agencies to finalize regulations that 

formalize their processes for issuing and using guidance. The Department issued its Promoting 

Regulatory Openness through Good Guidance rule outlining that process on August 28, 2020.

COVID-19 Response

ORPP also played a key role in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, ORPP staff 

worked to clear and publish emergency regulations such as WHD’s Paid Leave Under the 

Families First Coronavirus Response Act temporary rule quickly in response to the national 

emergency. Also, in response to a request from Department leadership, ORPP collected both 

qualitative and quantitative data about the international response to the pandemic in order to 

inform the Secretary’s policy positions in this matter. ORPP also is the single point of contact for 

OIRA’s clearances of the myriad of government policy and guidance documents both through 

the Department, as well as clearing the Department’s COVID-19 related documents through the 

 1 https://www.dol.gov/guidance
TAB 2: State of Play

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OIRA policy process. ORPP also worked extensively with both OSHA and WHD to get 

emergency guidance published.

Evaluations

Chief Evaluation Office

Overview

CEO coordinates, manages, and implements the Department’s evaluation program; leads key 

initiatives related to the Department’s implementation of the Foundations for Evidence-Based 

Policymaking Act of 2018 (Evidence Act); oversees evidence capacity-building efforts; and 

carries out highly technical data analyses through its Data Analytics Unit.

Evaluations

CEO directly funds and sponsors independent evaluations and also collaborates across all DOL 

agencies and programs to design and conduct evaluations that those agencies sponsor. CEO 

prepares the Department’s annual evaluation plan in close coordination with the operating 

agencies. Each agency develops a learning agenda in collaboration with CEO and specifies 

priority evaluation and research topics of particular interest to the agencies. CEO develops the 

Department’s evaluation plan based on the agency learning agendas as well as Department’s 

Strategic Plan priorities, statutory requirements for evaluations, Secretarial and Administration 

priorities, and continuing discussions with agency leadership and program staff. 

At any given time, about 50 evaluations, data analysis, and other research studies are underway. 

Nearly all evaluations are conducted by independent contractors awarded through competitive 

procurement. Starting in FY 2016, Congress authorized CEO to also enter into grants for 

evaluations and research, also competitively awarded. There are not presently any active grants.

Included as cross-agency papers are lists of pending evaluations and reports completed and 

released in the past year. Ongoing studies and prime contractors, completed projects and 

released reports are posted on the CEO website under “Studies”.

2

Implementation of the Evidence Act

CEO leads several key components of Evidence Act implementation, with a central role in 

developing three new public-facing Departmental resources to support the use of evidence during 

the next four years: 

1. A retrospective assessment of gaps, strengths, and challenges in the Department’s 

capacity to develop and use rigorous data for decision-making, spanning FY 2018-2022. 

2. A forward-facing evidence-building plan describing key activities that the Department 

will undertake during FY 2022-2026, in order to develop and use data

3. A forward-facing annual evaluation plan, describing significant evaluations that will be 

undertaken across the Department in the subsequent FY. 

Evaluation Capacity Building

 2 https://www.dol.gov/asp/evaluation/EvaluationPolicy.htm
TAB 2: State of Play

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CEO leads evaluation capacity-building in the Department and has an important role in 

expanding evidence-based practice in the Federal government. For example, CEO staff host 

regular seminars and brown bag sessions for DOL staff on evaluation findings and discussions of 

study implications; make presentation on evaluation methodology and statistical techniques for 

internal DOL staff; present at programmatic and academic evaluation conferences; and fund 

student and academic research projects in order to build research capacity in areas of interest to 

the Department. 

Clearinghouse for Labor Evaluation and Research

CEO developed the evidence-based Clearinghouse for Labor Evaluation and Research (CLEAR)

in 2012, as a central source of research and information on labor-related topics, and continues to 

expand this resource. Profiling over 1,000 studies in 2020, CLEAR’s primary goal is to make 

labor research more accessible to DOL administrators as well as practitioners, policymakers, 

researchers, and the public so that it can inform decisions about policies and programs. CLEAR 

conducts systematic evidence reviews on labor related issues, including studies funded by DOL 

and other studies with published reports, and summarizes methodologies, findings, and 

policy/program implications. 

Data Analytics Unit

The Data Analytics Unit develops economic and statistical projects that help inform program 

administration and guide decision making. The team works in close partnership with DOL 

agencies to ensure responsiveness to the needs of individual program offices. Data Analytics 

provides specialized, highly technical services that help agencies meet their learning objective 

goals. They conduct rigorous studies using administrative data to answer important operational 

and strategic questions of interest, serve as data quality experts, build innovative data products 

and visualizations, consult on economic and statistical methodology, and build and administer 

DOL’s restricted use data program. 

Data Governance

Office of Data Governance

Overview

ODG works to tie all agencies and their staff to actions that continually seek to monitor, 

improve, and maintain data to ensure it can serve its intended role to inform program 

administration, policymaking, and data-informed decisions. Efforts to identify data as a major 

agency priority goal, integrate data management, and proliferate into all aspects of Federal 

program administration will need to be evaluated and supported. There is not a single point for 

action for these activities and the path to ensuring that data are fit for purpose requires working 

with many different agencies and programs. 

There are numerous efforts underway to help raise the capacity of the Department to leverage 

data as a strategic asset and improve DOL’s data quality. All agencies have included data 

projects in their FY 2021 operating plans so ensuring continuity of these projects, where 

appropriate, is important and making inquiries among agency leadership teams on the status and 

progress of this work will help to elevate and expedite this important work. 
TAB 2: State of Play

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Standardizing Data

ODG is working towards an enterprise data governance framework and data strategy. Evaluating 

these plans and the specific approaches agencies can take to improve their data capacity will be 

increasingly important. Much of DOL’s data is siloed within agencies and managed in ways that 

are neither standardized nor optimal. Critical decisions must be made regarding whether plans 

should be implemented to work on an agency-by-agency and office-by-office approach, or to 

push for expanded roles for data governance and develop new enterprise systems that would

make data management at the enterprise level simpler and more consistent.

Improving Data Analysis

ODG is deploying a consolidated analytical “sandbox” called the Labor Advanced Service for 

Analytics and Research (LASAR), that provides access to cutting edge analytical tools and 

supports numerous efforts across the enterprise to prototype new analytics, experiment with 

machine learning and artificial intelligence, instruct and share common approaches through 

template code, incentivize more standardized and optimal approaches to leveraging data for the 

whole Department. ODG’s goal is to expand the knowledge base, available methods and the 

number of promising practices illustrating ways in which data can be leveraged as a strategic 

asset; used to prototype new tools for visualizing data or identify useful trends and patterns in 

data, and made to assess the utility of advanced analytics. LASAR is central to complementing 

existing agency capabilities and supporting their staff in becoming more sophisticated users of 

their data to support data-informed strategic planning, policymaking and decisions.

Open Data at DOL

The Department, led by ODG and the Data Board, is in the final stages of preparing a new API 

to provide data-as-a-service (DAAS). Data-as-a-service is a simple, powerful, and convenient 

way to make selectable subsets of data available on-demand, to internal and external users. 

Data-as-a-service takes open data one step further by providing access to an intuitive and visual 

interface, and allowing users to find data sets and then pull only those records they are interested 

in, or need, and provide the resulting data in machine readable format, along with machine 

readable metadata. This service will support efforts to leverage DOL data to build repeatable 

pipelines and supply DOL data for reporting, analysis and visualization. This effort is consistent 

with DOL’s ongoing efforts at IT consolidation and modernization, as well as the broad Federal 

emphasis on shared services. The API was co-developed by OPA and the DOL Data Board in 

collaboration with representatives from most DOL agencies. The new data portal was designed 

and implemented by the same teams and in the same collaborative way. During early 2021, this 

project will pivot towards making this technology useful to DOL program staff and helping them 

see how their mission can be more efficient and more effective by leveraging the capacity of 

DAAS. 

Compliance Initiatives

Office of Compliance Initiatives

Overview

OCI promotes greater understanding of federal labor laws and regulations, allowing employers to 

prevent violations and protect Americas' workers’ wages, workplace safety and health, 

retirement security, and other rights and benefits. OCI’s cross-agency efforts complement the 
TAB 2: State of Play

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Department's enforcement activities by strengthening and innovating compliance assistance 

outreach. Four strategic goals guide OCI’s work:

1. Enhancing outreach activities for the Department's enforcement agencies, including 

conducting outreach to business associations and employers through innovative 

stakeholder engagement.

2. Creating innovative ways to provide employers and workers with access to high-quality, 

up-to-date information regarding obligations and rights under federal labor laws and 

regulations.

3. Facilitating and encouraging a culture that promotes compliance assistance within the 

Department. 

4. Assisting enforcement agencies in developing new strategies to use data and behavioral 

insights to enhance compliance and enforcement strategies. 

Compliance Tools 

OCI managed web tools are designed to provide compliance assistance and information to the 

public using existing content from DOL and other federal partners. These tools include:

1. Employment Laws Assistance for Workers and Small Businesses (elaws)

The Employment Laws Assistance for Workers and Small Businesses (elaws) Advisor 

program has been an OASP initiative since 1996. This web-based program helps both 

employers and employees understand their rights and responsibilities under many of the 

employment laws administered by DOL and was originally released in 1997. Elaws 

Advisors simulate the interaction a user would have with an employment law expert, 

answering questions about complex issues specific to the user’s workplace and/or 

employment situation. 

2. Employer.gov and Worker.gov

Employer.gov and Worker.gov are designed to provide compliance assistance and 

information to the public using existing content from DOL and other federal partners. 

These web tools were developed following user-centered design principles to facilitate 

workers and employers finding the information they need to address their workplace 

concern. Navigation is topic- and issue-based, with menus that enable users to explore by 

topic or common concerns. They are designed for a user who has a question or problem 

and/or who does not know which federal law or agency could assist with their concern. 

Employer.gov and Worker.gov are designed to synthesize content from multiple agencies 

to provide high-level, easy-to-understand information to employers and workers about 

common workplace issues; serve as portals to direct users to specific, detailed content in 

elaws or agency websites; and help users find the right federal agency to assist them. 

Social Media Listening

OCI engages in social media listening to improve its understanding of stakeholder activity and 

identify new areas and mechanisms of outreach. Listening in on social media conversations 

occurring around an agency’s campaign, such as OSHA’s Safe and Sound Week, can help it 
TAB 2: State of Play

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better understand who is choosing to engage. Agencies are able to distinguish between partners 

and non-partners to compare across. 

Social media listening enables agencies to map how its influencers are networked together. This 

enables them to see who is generating content and who is then amplifying that content. 

Understanding these relationships can help agencies identify ways to reach new audiences. Both 

the content generators and amplifiers may be ripe for agencies to reach out to. Identifying 

organizations that are sharing campaign messaging without being a partner gives a starting point 

to bring them onboard as a partner as they are already completing the agencies’ primary ask. 

Stakeholder Engagements

OCI organizes stakeholder engagement events, such as webinars and a summit, to discuss how 

the Department is helping workers and employers by reducing regulatory burdens and making it 

easier to understand and comply with the law. These events showcase the Department’s 

compliance assistance programs and modernized tools, and gave stakeholders a chance to hear 

from and interact with the agencies. They also provide an opportunity for workers, employers, 

and state and local governments to ask questions and discuss how the Department can expand 

and improve access to its compliance assistance materials. 

Compliance Assistance Working Groups & Analysis

OCI works closely with the Department’s agencies to conduct analyses and convene working 

groups to identify and share best practices, with a view to improving the Department’s 

compliance assistance materials. OCI’s comprehensive 2019 compliance assistance review 

identified 20 best practices shared among agencies and 12 actions to enhance and expand the 

Department’s compliance assistance offerings and support agencies’ continued efforts in their 

compliance assistance outreach. To implement the recommendations of its review, OCI is 

leading working groups to ensure compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 

(as amended) and the Plain Writing Act of 2010, improve accessibility and understandability of 

the Department’s compliance assistance materials, enhance and expand compliance assistance 

offerings, and support agencies’ continued efforts in their compliance assistance outreach.

Communities of Practice for DOL’s Compliance Assistance and Outreach Professionals 

OCI convenes two communities of practice – one for DOL’s compliance assistance and 

communications leads based in Washington, DC, and the other for DOL’s outreach professionals 

based throughout the country. Outreach practitioners at DOL agencies play a critical role in 

advancing stakeholder engagement. However, they often work in isolation compared to their coworkers and counterparts in other agencies. By convening its community of practice for DOL’s 

outreach professionals, OCI seeks to create and sustain supportive networks, improve practice, 

provide professional development opportunities, provide practitioners with regular and ongoing 

opportunities to share challenges and solutions.

Geospatial Mapping Tool for Compliance Assistance Outreach Professionals

OCI developed a mapping tool that DOL agencies can use to enhance and expand collaboration 

among outreach professionals on compliance assistance activities. This involved mapping the 

locations of outreach professionals across the country with the ability to search by city and state 
TAB 2: State of Play

16

so that agencies are able to coordinate activities more efficiently. The tool facilitates 

collaboration on cross-agency outreach events and compliance assistance initiatives. 

COVID-19 Response

In March 2020, OCI partnered with the Department’s Wage and Hour Division and the Office of 

Disability Employment Policy to launch a national online dialogue, Providing Expanded Family 

and Medical Leave to Employees Affected by COVID-19. OCI received over 1,300 questions 

and ideas from employers, workers, state and local government officials, and other stakeholders 

related to understanding their responsibilities and rights related to the paid leave provisions of 

the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Working with WHD, OCI developed an interactive 

Paid Leave Eligibility Tool, which helps workers determine if they qualify for leave for reasons 

related to the coronavirus pandemic. The web tool already has more than 111,000 views since its 

launch in late June.

At the end of April 2020, OCI also collaborated with the Department’s Occupational Safety and 

Health Administration, Wage and Hour Division, Employee Benefits Security Administration, 

Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, Employment and Training Administration, 

Office of Disability Employment Policy, Veterans’ Employment and Training Service, and 

Women's Bureau to launch another national online dialogue. The Opening America’s 

Workplaces Again dialogue provided an innovative opportunity for employers and business 

organizations, employees and employee groups, state and local government officials, and other 

stakeholders to play a key role in informing the Department’s efforts to ensure employers and 

workers are able to participate fully in our economy. Almost 2,000 stakeholders participated, 

sharing 509 ideas on how to reopen businesses, commute safely, work safely, reduce regulatory 

burden, accommodate members of vulnerable populations, and support America’s families.

Key Agency Stakeholders

Office of Regulatory and Programmatic Policy (ORPP)

1. Department of Justice works closely with DOL to identify and develop more labor 

trafficking cases through the inter-agency Anti-Trafficking Coordination Team Initiative.

2. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Human Smuggling and Trafficking Center 

serves as a clearinghouse for all information related to human smuggling and trafficking.

3. DHS Immigration and Customs Enforcement works closely with DOL to ensure that 

DHS civil worksite enforcement activities do not conflict with DOL’s. 

4. DHS U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services jointly publishes rules related to nonimmigrant visas with DOL.

5. EOP/Council of Economic Advisers works with DOL’s economists to ensure that the 

President receives objective economic advice on the formulation of both domestic and 

international economic policy.

6. EOP/Domestic Policy Council (DPC) coordinates the domestic policy-making process in 

the White House, ensures that domestic policy decisions and programs are consistent 

with the President’s stated goals, and monitors implementation of the President’s 

domestic policy agenda. ORPP works to harmonize rules with the DPC’s agenda. 
TAB 2: State of Play

17

7. EOP/National Economic Council coordinates policy-making for domestic and 

international economic issues, organizes economic policy advice for the President, 

ensures that policy decisions and programs are consistent with the President's economic 

goals, and monitors implementation of the President's economic policy agenda. ORPP 

works to make sure that rules published by DOL line up with those stated goals

8. EPA/FDMS (e-rulemaking program) is a platform managed by GSA that electronically 

compiles public comments on Notices of Proposed Rulemakings and other documents 

that require public comment. ORPP consistently attends GSA workgroups to provide 

feedback regarding how to improve the service. 

9. Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service is an independent agency that works to 

preserve and promote labor-management peace and cooperation. The agency provides 

mediation and conflict resolution services to industry, government agencies and 

communities.

10. Government Accountability Office provides fact-based, nonpartisan information to 

Congress. ORPP participates in substantive meetings (including Entrance and Exit 

Conferences), advises agencies and reviewing agency responses to GAO requests for 

information, reviews GAO draft report findings and recommendations, and manages the 

DOL-wide response to GAO’s annual request for the status of efforts to implement open 

recommendations.

11. Office of the Federal Register prepares and publishes public documents such as rules, 

proposed rules, and notices for Federal agencies and organizations.

12. OMB/Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) is the Government’s central 

authority for the review of Executive Branch regulations, approval of Government 

information collections, establishment of Government statistical practices, and 

coordination of Federal privacy policy. ORPP works directly with OIRA to resolve any 

concerns they may have during the rulemaking process. 

13. GSA/Regulatory Information Service Center (RISC) works closely with OMB/OIRA and 

facilitates the development of the Semi-Annual Unified Agenda and annual Regulatory 

Plan.

14. Small Business Administration, Office of Advocacy manages the Regulatory Flexibility 

Act. ORPP works with them to resolve any issues they may have with this section of 

DOL rules

15. State Department, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons leads the 

Department's global efforts to combat modern slavery through the prosecution 

of traffickers, the protection of victims, and the prevention of human trafficking. DOL 

works closely with them on issues of human trafficking. 

Chief Evaluation Officer (CEO)

1. Education Department (ED) – The Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education 

(OCTAE) and the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) are the two offices within ED

that CEO will coordinate research activities, as there are overlapping populations and 

initiatives.
TAB 2: State of Play

18

2. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) – the Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) and the Administration for Children and 

Families (ACF) are the two offices within HHS that CEO will coordinate research 

activities, as there are overlapping target populations and initiatives.

3. OMB/Labor Branch seeks that the Department evaluate its priority initiatives using 

rigorous, impact methodologies as much as is feasible.

4. OMB/OIRA-Statistical Office approves all federal data collections related to evaluations 

and research. Beyond approving the individual collections themselves, the office seeks to 

streamline and reduce redundancies across collections. Additionally, this Office oversees 

implementation of Title 3 of the Evidence Act, which is of most relevance to BLS.

5. OMB/Evidence Office supports the implementation of Title 1 of the Evidence Act (most 

of which CEO directly manages or coordinates for the Department), chairs the Evaluation 

Officer Council (of which CEO is a member), and collaborates with the OMB/Labor 

Branch to identify evidence-building opportunities for the Department.

Office of Compliance Initiatives (OCI)

1. OSHA, WHD, OFCCP, EBSA, MSHA, and OLMS are DOL’s enforcement agencies 

with which OCI partners to provide innovative compliance assistance as a complement to 

their enforcement activities.

2. VETS, ODEP, and the Women’s Bureau are DOL’s non-enforcement agencies with 

which OCI partners in support of their outreach initiatives.

3. OPM partners with OCI to provide Human-Centered Design services and updates 

through its Innovation Lab to DOL staff.

4. The Center for Plain Language liaises with OCI to provide plain language updates and 

annual reporting information.
TAB 3: Calendar

19

TAB 3: CALENDAR

OMB generally issues an initial call for agency submissions to the semi-annual regulatory 

agenda in February and August, with submissions due in March and September. The fall 

regulatory agenda also includes agencies’ Regulatory Plans, which highlight regulatory 

priorities. The actual publication date of the agenda is at OMB’s discretion, but has generally 

been within two months of the initial data call. 

Event Date

Finalize FY 2023-24 DOL Evaluation Plan, based on Learning Agendas and 

Departmental priorities

January 2021

Publish FY 2021-2022 Evaluation Plan February 2021

(tentative), 

concurrently 

with Budget 

release

Send Notice to OMB and Congress on Intent to Transfer Funds Under 

Evaluation Set-aside Authority, as Determined

TBD, based on 

decisions

Meet End of FY Procurement deadlines May, 2021

Submit drafts of FY 2022-2026 Evidence-Building Plan, FY 2018-2022 

Evidence Capacity Assessment, and FY 2022-2023 Evaluation Plan.

September 

2021, 

concurrently 

with 2023 

Budget 

submission

Prepare FY Budget submission & Assist Agencies with Evidence 

Justification, as Needed

SeptemberDecember 2021

Complete annual updates of Learning Agendas with agencies December 2021

Publish FY 2022-2023 Evaluation Plan, FY 2022-2026 Evidence-Building 

Plan, FY 2018-2022 Evidence Capacity Assessment

February 2022, 

concurrently 

with Budget 

release.
TAB 4: Budget

20

TAB 4: BUDGET

Along with the Office of the Secretary and other offices that directly support the Secretary in 

developing policy and managing the Department, OASP is funded through the Departmental 

Management appropriation. For information on this budget activity, please see the “Program 

Direction and Support Budget Overview” (Cross Agency Paper 5.b).
TAB 5: Agency Performance

21

TAB 5: AGENCY PERFORMANCE

Office of Regulatory and Programmatic Policy (ORPP)

The ORPP helps to identify and evaluate for repeal, replacement, and modification regulations 

and the office’s Regulatory Reform Officer (RRO) chairs the Department’s Regulatory Reform 

Task Force (RRTF). In FY 2018, ORPP established six new measures to monitor both the 

Department’s regulatory and deregulatory actions. From FY 2018 to FY 2020, the Regulatory 

Reform Task Force issued 32 deregulatory actions in accordance with EO 13771.

Office of Compliance Initiatives (OCI)

OCI has implemented four new measures in FY 2020 and is using this first year to establish 

baseline targets for the measures. Each of these measures foster compliance by helping 

enforcement agencies more effectively use various resources to deliver information and by 

providing compliance assistance to help the American people.

Chief Evaluation Office (CEO)

Within CEO, the data analytics unit carries out simple and complex data analysis, analytic 

consultation, and technical infrastructure development that complements existing agency 

capacities. As with the broader Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) purpose, the data analytics staff 

engage in peer-to-peer sharing of knowledge, data, and models for cross-agency and crossDepartment rigorous evidence-building activities.

CEO has two performance measures related to data analytics, which are tracked to determine the 

agency’s performance, which largely mirror its goals. The first measures the number of seminars 

the data analytic unit conducts and facilitates to serve the development of DOL’s internal 

analytical capacity. The seminars cover a wide range of topics but are united in their common 

theme of developing attendee’s expertise in data and analytics. For example, the unit may host a 

joint seminar with BLS colleagues to help internal staff make better use of BLS data in their 
TAB 5: Agency Performance

22

work. Alternatively, some seminars will be run entirely by the data analytics staff and may 

summarize their studies for other DOL agencies, relevant academic studies, or new data and

computing resources.

The second measure tracks the number of new projects started each year and directly connects to 

the office’s goal to conduct econometric studies. Each new project is weighted in an attempt to 

capture the difficulty and importance of each project. That is, an important and difficult task 

should carry more weight than a short, modestly important task.