US Law Abbreviations
104 abbreviations · part of Government & Political Abbreviations
Abbreviations for major United States federal statutes and the publications where federal law appears, from civil rights and employment laws (ADA, FMLA) to privacy (HIPAA, FERPA, COPPA), environmental (NEPA, CERCLA), financial, immigration and tax legislation. Laws are usually cited by these short names in compliance manuals, court opinions and news reports. Entries give the year enacted, what the law requires or prohibits, the agency that enforces it and significant amendments.
| Abbreviation | Stands for | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ACA | Affordable Care Act | US health reform law signed March 23, 2010, formally the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and widely called Obamacare. |
| ADA | Americans with Disabilities Act | Civil rights law of 1990 that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in employment, state and local government services, public accommodations… |
| ADEA | Age Discrimination in Employment Act | Law of 1967 that protects workers and job applicants aged 40 and older from discrimination in hiring, firing, pay, promotion and other terms of employment. |
| APA | Administrative Procedure Act | Law of 1946 that governs how federal agencies make regulations and decide cases, requiring notice-and-comment rulemaking for most rules and allowing courts to set aside… |
| ARPA | American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 | COVID-19 relief law of about $1.9 trillion that sent $1,400 payments to most Americans, temporarily expanded the Child Tax Credit with monthly payments, extended… |
| ARRA | American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 | Economic stimulus law enacted during the Great Recession, originally estimated at $787 billion, combining tax cuts, aid to states, extended unemployment benefits and… |
| AUMF | Authorization for Use of Military Force | Joint resolution in which Congress authorizes military action. |
| BCA | Budget Control Act of 2011 | Law that ended the 2011 debt-ceiling standoff by raising the limit in exchange for caps on discretionary spending over ten years and a "supercommittee" charged with… |
| BCRA | Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act | Campaign finance law of 2002, known as McCain-Feingold, that banned national parties from raising unlimited "soft money" and restricted corporate- and union-funded… |
| BSA | Bank Secrecy Act | Anti-money-laundering law of 1970 requiring banks and other financial institutions to keep records, file currency transaction reports for cash transactions over $10,000… |
| C.F.R. | Code of Federal Regulations | Codification of the general and permanent rules issued by federal executive agencies, organized into 50 titles by subject, such as Title 21 (Food and Drugs) and Title… |
| CAA | Clean Air Act | Principal federal air pollution law, directing the EPA to set national ambient air quality standards for common pollutants, regulate emissions from vehicles, power… |
| CAN-SPAM | Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography And Marketing Act | Sets rules for commercial email: senders may not use misleading headers or subject lines, must identify messages as ads, include a valid postal address and honor… |
| CARES Act | Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act | Economic relief law of about $2.2 trillion enacted in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| CDA | Communications Decency Act | Law of 1996 whose surviving Section 230 says online platforms are not treated as the publisher of content posted by their users and protects their good-faith moderation… |
| CERCLA | Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act | Superfund law of 1980 that lets the EPA clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances and compel responsible parties to pay. |
| CFAA | Computer Fraud and Abuse Act | Main federal anti-hacking statute, enacted in 1986, which makes it a crime to access a computer "without authorization" or to exceed authorized access, and allows civil… |
| CHIPS Act | CHIPS and Science Act | Law of August 2022 that provided about $52.7 billion to boost US semiconductor manufacturing and research, including $39 billion in manufacturing grants and an… |
| COBRA | Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act | US law of 1985 that lets employees and their families keep employer group health coverage temporarily after job loss, reduced hours, divorce or other qualifying events. |
| COPPA | Children's Online Privacy Protection Act | Requires websites, apps and online services directed to children under 13, or that knowingly collect data from them, to obtain verifiable parental consent before… |
| CRA | Civil Rights Act of 1964 | Landmark law that outlawed segregation in public accommodations and banned discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin in employment (Title… |
| CSA | Controlled Substances Act | Federal drug law of 1970 that classifies drugs and certain chemicals into five schedules based on medical use and potential for abuse and dependence, and sets rules for… |
| CTA | Corporate Transparency Act | Law enacted in 2021 requiring many companies to report their "beneficial owners", the people who own or control them, to FinCEN to combat anonymous shell companies. |
| CWA | Clean Water Act | Principal federal law on water pollution, which bans discharges into "waters of the United States" without a permit, sets wastewater standards and regulates filling of… |
| DADT | Don't ask, don't tell | Policy in effect from 1994 to 2011 that barred openly gay, lesbian and bisexual people from serving in the US military while prohibiting commanders from asking about… |
| DMCA | Digital Millennium Copyright Act | Copyright law of 1998 with two main parts: a safe harbor that shields online platforms from liability for users' infringement if they remove material after a takedown… |
| DOMA | Defense of Marriage Act | Law of 1996 that defined marriage for federal purposes as a union between one man and one woman and allowed states to refuse recognition of same-sex marriages from… |
| DREAM Act | Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act | Proposed legislation, never enacted, that would give undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children a path to legal status and citizenship if they… |
| DSHEA | Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act | Law of 1994 that defines dietary supplements as a category of food rather than drugs, so they need no FDA approval before sale. |
| ECOA | Equal Credit Opportunity Act | Prohibits lenders from discriminating against credit applicants on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, age or receipt of public… |
| ECPA | Electronic Communications Privacy Act | Law of 1986 that protects wire, oral and electronic communications from interception and sets rules for government access to stored email and records held by service… |
| EESA | Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 | Financial-crisis law that created the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), authorizing up to $700 billion to stabilize banks and other firms, and temporarily raised… |
| EMTALA | Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act | Law requiring hospitals that participate in Medicare and have emergency departments to screen anyone who comes seeking care and to stabilize an emergency medical… |
| EPA | Equal Pay Act of 1963 | Amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act that requires employers to pay men and women equally for substantially equal work performed under similar conditions in the… |
| ERISA | Employee Retirement Income Security Act | Law of 1974 setting minimum standards for most private-sector retirement and health plans, including fiduciary duties for those who manage plan money, vesting and… |
| ESA | Endangered Species Act | Protects plants and animals listed as endangered or threatened, making it illegal to "take" listed animals, requiring federal agencies to avoid jeopardizing listed… |
| ESEA | Elementary and Secondary Education Act | Primary federal law for K-12 education, first enacted in 1965, which funds schools serving low-income students through Title I and sets conditions for that aid. |
| ESSA | Every Student Succeeds Act | Federal K-12 education law of 2015 that replaced No Child Left Behind, keeping annual testing in grades 3-8 and once in high school but giving states more freedom to… |
| FATCA | Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act | Requires foreign banks and other financial institutions to report accounts held by US taxpayers to the IRS or face 30 percent withholding on certain US payments, and… |
| FCPA | Foreign Corrupt Practices Act | Makes it illegal for US companies, companies listed on US exchanges and their agents to bribe foreign officials to obtain or keep business, and requires listed… |
| FCRA | Fair Credit Reporting Act | Law of 1970 governing credit reports, requiring credit bureaus to follow reasonable procedures for accuracy, giving consumers the right to see and dispute their reports… |
| FDCA | Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act | Foundation of US food and drug regulation, giving the FDA authority over the safety of food, drugs, medical devices and cosmetics, requiring approval of new drugs… |
| FDCPA | Fair Debt Collection Practices Act | Bars third-party debt collectors from harassment, false or misleading statements and unfair practices, such as calling before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. or contacting a… |
| FECA | Federal Election Campaign Act | Law of 1971 governing financing of federal campaigns, requiring disclosure of contributions and spending; its 1974 amendments created the Federal Election Commission… |
| Fed. Reg. | Federal Register | Daily publication of the US government, issued each business day since March 14, 1936, that prints proposed rules, final rules, agency notices and presidential… |
| FERPA | Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act | Law of 1974 that gives parents the right to see their children's education records and limits disclosure of those records without consent by schools receiving federal… |
| FFCRA | Families First Coronavirus Response Act | Pandemic law of March 2020 that required many employers with fewer than 500 employees to provide up to two weeks of emergency paid sick leave and expanded family leave… |
| FHA | Fair Housing Act | Federal law banning discrimination in the sale, rental and financing of housing based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability or familial status. |
| FISA | Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act | Law of 1978 that sets procedures for electronic surveillance and searches to gather foreign intelligence, created the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court that… |
| FLSA | Fair Labor Standards Act | Law of 1938 that sets the federal minimum wage, requires overtime pay of one and a half times the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek for nonexempt employees… |
| FMLA | Family and Medical Leave Act | Law of 1993 that gives eligible employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave a year for their own serious health condition, the birth or adoption of a child… |
| FOIA | Freedom of Information Act | Law that gives anyone the right to request records from federal executive-branch agencies, which must release them unless they fall under one of nine exemptions, such… |
| GCA | Gun Control Act of 1968 | Federal law that requires gun dealers to be licensed, bars certain people, such as felons and some people with mental illness, from possessing firearms, restricts… |
| GENIUS Act | Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act | First federal framework for payment stablecoins, signed in July 2025, requiring issuers to hold reserves of cash or short-term Treasury securities equal to the coins… |
| GINA | Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act | Law of 2008 that bars health insurers from using genetic information to set premiums or determine eligibility and prohibits employers with 15 or more employees from… |
| GLBA | Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act | Financial modernization law of 1999 that repealed Depression-era barriers between commercial banks, investment banks and insurers, and requires financial institutions… |
| HAVA | Help America Vote Act | Election law of 2002 that required statewide voter registration databases, provisional ballots for voters whose eligibility is in question and accessible voting… |
| HEA | Higher Education Act of 1965 | Law that authorizes most federal student aid, including Pell Grants, federal student loans and work-study under Title IV, along with programs for colleges and students… |
| HIPAA | Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act | US law of 1996 that protects health coverage when people change jobs, standardizes electronic health care transactions and codes, and, through its Privacy and Security… |
| HITECH | Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act | Part of the 2009 economic stimulus law that paid incentives to doctors and hospitals for adopting electronic health records and strengthened HIPAA by adding breach… |
| ICWA | Indian Child Welfare Act | Law of 1978 that sets federal standards for custody proceedings involving Native American children, giving tribes a role in foster care and adoption cases and placement… |
| IDEA | Individuals with Disabilities Education Act | Federal special education law that, in school practice, determines eligibility evaluations, IEPs, related services such as speech and occupational therapy, discipline… |
| IEEPA | International Emergency Economic Powers Act | Law of 1977 allowing the President, after declaring a national emergency over an "unusual and extraordinary threat" from abroad, to regulate or block economic… |
| IIJA | Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act | Infrastructure law of November 2021 authorizing about $1.2 trillion, including roughly $550 billion in new federal investment in roads, bridges, transit, rail… |
| INA | Immigration and Nationality Act | Basic body of US immigration law, defining visa categories, grounds of inadmissibility and deportability, asylum, naturalization and citizenship. |
| IRA | Inflation Reduction Act | Budget law of August 2022 that provided hundreds of billions of dollars in clean energy and climate tax credits, allowed Medicare to negotiate prices for some drugs… |
| IRCA | Immigration Reform and Control Act | Law of 1986 that legalized about 2.7 million undocumented immigrants who met residence or farmwork requirements, while making it illegal for employers to knowingly hire… |
| ITAR | International Traffic in Arms Regulations | State Department regulations that control the export of defense articles and services on the US Munitions List, including weapons, military electronics and related… |
| LMRA | Labor Management Relations Act | Law of 1947, better known as the Taft-Hartley Act, that amended the NLRA to restrict union practices, banning closed shops, secondary boycotts and jurisdictional… |
| NAGPRA | Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act | Law of 1990 requiring museums and federal agencies to inventory Native American human remains, funerary objects and sacred objects in their collections and return them… |
| NCLB | No Child Left Behind Act | Education law requiring states to test students annually in reading and math in grades 3 through 8 and once in high school, report results by student group and hold… |
| NEPA | National Environmental Policy Act | US law signed on January 1, 1970, that requires federal agencies to consider the environmental effects of their proposed actions and alternatives before deciding… |
| NFA | National Firearms Act | Law of 1934 that requires registration and a federal tax for machine guns, short-barreled rifles and shotguns, suppressors and destructive devices. |
| NLRA | National Labor Relations Act | Law of 1935 that guarantees most private-sector employees the right to organize, join unions, bargain collectively and strike, and prohibits unfair labor practices by… |
| NPRM | Notice of proposed rulemaking | Document a federal agency publishes in the Federal Register to propose a new regulation or a change to an existing one, explaining the legal basis and inviting public… |
| NVRA | National Voter Registration Act | Law of 1993 that requires states to offer voter registration when people apply for or renew a driver's license and at public assistance offices, to accept a national… |
| OBBBA | One Big Beautiful Bill Act | Budget reconciliation law signed on July 4, 2025 that made the 2017 TCJA individual tax cuts permanent, added temporary deductions for tips and overtime pay, added work… |
| OSH Act | Occupational Safety and Health Act | Workplace safety law of 1970 that created OSHA and NIOSH, authorizes federal safety standards and inspections, and requires employers to keep workplaces free from… |
| PACT Act | Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act | Veterans law of August 2022 that expanded VA health care and disability benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange and other toxic substances, adding… |
| PAYGO | Pay-as-you-go | Budget rule requiring that new tax cuts or increases in mandatory spending be offset so they do not add to the deficit. |
| PDA | Pregnancy Discrimination Act | Amendment of 1978 to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act that defines discrimination because of pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions as unlawful sex… |
| PRWORA | Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act | Welfare reform law of 1996 that replaced Aid to Families with Dependent Children with TANF block grants to states, imposed work requirements and a five-year lifetime… |
| Pub. L. | Public Law | Designation for a federal statute of general application, numbered by Congress and order of enactment, so Pub. |
| PWFA | Pregnant Workers Fairness Act | Law requiring employers with 15 or more employees to provide reasonable accommodations for known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth or related medical… |
| RCRA | Resource Conservation and Recovery Act | Governs management of solid and hazardous waste, establishing "cradle-to-grave" tracking of hazardous waste from generation through disposal and setting standards for… |
| RESPA | Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act | Mortgage settlement law of 1974 that requires disclosures about closing costs, bans kickbacks and unearned referral fees among settlement service providers, and limits… |
| RICO | Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act | Federal law that targets people who run or participate in an enterprise through a "pattern of racketeering activity", meaning at least two related crimes such as fraud… |
| SCRA | Servicemembers Civil Relief Act | Law of 2003 that protects active-duty service members in civil matters, capping interest at 6 percent on debts incurred before service, allowing them to end residential… |
| SDWA | Safe Drinking Water Act | Authorizes the EPA to set enforceable maximum contaminant levels for public water systems and to protect underground sources of drinking water. |
| SECURE Act | Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act | Retirement law of December 2019 that raised the age for required minimum distributions from 70 and a half to 72, removed the age limit on traditional IRA contributions… |
| SOX | Sarbanes-Oxley Act | US federal law of 2002 that tightened corporate governance and financial reporting for public companies after the Enron and WorldCom scandals. |
| STOCK Act | Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act | Ethics law of 2012 confirming that members of Congress and federal employees are subject to insider trading laws and requiring them to publicly report most securities… |
| TCJA | Tax Cuts and Jobs Act | Tax law of December 2017 that cut the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent, lowered individual income tax rates, nearly doubled the standard deduction… |
| TCPA | Telephone Consumer Protection Act | Law of 1991 that restricts telemarketing calls, autodialed and prerecorded calls and texts, and unsolicited faxes, and underpins the National Do Not Call Registry. |
| TILA | Truth in Lending Act | Requires lenders to disclose the annual percentage rate, finance charges and other key terms of consumer credit in standard form, so borrowers can compare offers. |
| TSCA | Toxic Substances Control Act | Gives the EPA authority to require testing, reporting and restrictions on chemicals in commerce, and to evaluate and regulate existing chemicals that pose unreasonable… |
| U.S.C. | United States Code | Official codification of the general and permanent federal statutes, arranged by subject into 54 titles such as Title 18 (Crimes), Title 26 (Internal Revenue Code) and… |
| UOCAVA | Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act | Law of 1986 that guarantees members of the military, their families and US citizens living abroad the right to register and vote absentee in federal elections. |
| USA PATRIOT Act | Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act | Counterterrorism law passed six weeks after the September 11 attacks that expanded government surveillance and investigative powers, including roving wiretaps, access… |
| USERRA | Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act | Law of 1994 that protects civilian jobs of people who leave to serve in the military, including the National Guard and reserves. |
| VAWA | Violence Against Women Act | Law that funds programs to prevent and respond to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking, supports shelters and legal services, and gives… |
| VRA | Voting Rights Act of 1965 | Law that bans racial discrimination in voting, including literacy tests, and lets voters challenge election rules and district maps that dilute minority voting strength… |
| WARN Act | Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act | Law of 1988 requiring employers with 100 or more employees to give 60 days' written notice before a plant closing or mass layoff affecting at least 50 workers at a… |
| WPR | War Powers Resolution | Law of 1973 requiring the President to notify Congress within 48 hours of sending armed forces into hostilities and to withdraw them within 60 days, plus a 30-day… |