The Railroad Retirement Board administers a retirement program for railroad workers and their families under the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974 and an unemployment and sickness benefit program for railroad workers under the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act. Regulations issued by the Railroad Retirement Board under these two statutes and certain Governmentwide statutes are contained in chapter II of title 20 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
The Board has been involved in a multiyear project to review, revise, and update its regulations. During this project, the Board has published final rules amending nearly all of its regulations. In addition, there are several regulations actively under consideration by the Board at this time. The Board's short-term plan is to publish final regulations to complete the total review and revision project undertaken previously.
The regulations issued by the Railroad Retirement Board are virtually all interpretive rather than legislative in nature. These regulations are designed to be informative and to assist the agency's constituents in understanding the benefit systems administered by the Board. In promulgating regulations, the agency is mindful of the burdens that may be imposed on the public and crafts its regulations in such a way a to impose the least possible burden on the public. In s addition, throug regulation, the Board makes every effort to simplify h and streamline administration of the programs it administers. We believe that the Board's regulatory review program is consistent with the priorities and objectives of the Administration.