The regulatory calendar for the Section 508 Refresh has been updated as of October 24, 2016. The rules will probably go into effect prior to the end of the current Federal year—just in time for year-end procurements!
Here is the updated calendar*:
| Milestone | Period | Date |
|---|---|---|
| NPRM draft to OIRA for economic impact assessment | DONE | 3/31/2014 |
| OIRA completes NPRM review | DONE | 6/29/14 |
| OIRA review notes incorporated into draft NPRM | DONE | 2/17/2015 |
| NPRM published in Federal Register | DONE | 2/27/2015 |
| NPRM comment period | DONE | 5/28/2015 |
| Board approves draft rule text | DONE | 9/14/2016 |
| Rule submitted to OIRA for review | DONE | 10/24/2016 |
| OIRA completes final regulation review (assumes no substantive changes) (push for expedited review) | 90 Days | 1/27/2015 |
| Final rule published in Federal Register | ~5 days | 1/27/2017 |
| Rule effective date (Administrative in nature) | 60 Days | 3/28/2017 |
| Complaints allowed under new rules | 182 Days | 7/28/2017 |
| FAR and procurement policy updates due | 182 Days | 7/28/2017 |
*Note: Based on the public representations, the Access Board is strongly considering setting the effective date for the standards to be 6 months after the date of publication in the Federal Register. As we have noted in our webinars on the subject, the effective date is principally an administrative date and is unlikely to impact the operational implementation of the standards on organizations. A date change would, however, align the effective date of the standards with the practical implementation date of the standards.
For more information on the Section 508 Refresh, download our free whitepaper.
