The Federal Register is a daily journal of federal government activity that includes presidential documents, proposed and final rules, and public notices. It is a common measure of an administration’s regulatory activity, accounting for both regulatory and deregulatory actions.
From May 1, 2023, through May 5, 2023, the Federal Register grew by 3,068 pages for a year-to-date total of 29,534 pages.
The Federal Register hit an all-time high of 95,894 pages in 2016.
This week’s Federal Register featured the following 605 documents:
- 496 notices
- 17 presidential documents
- 55 proposed rules
- 37 final rules
Twelve proposed rules, including proposed amendments to the prudential management and operations standards rule from the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and two final rules, including amendments to records management regulations regarding digitizing permanent records from the National Archives and Records Administration, were deemed significant under E.O. 12866—defined by the potential to have large impacts on the economy, environment, public health, or state or local governments. Significant actions may also conflict with presidential priorities or other agency rules. The Biden administration in 2023 has issued 144 significant proposed rules, 86 significant final rules, and four significant notices as of May 5.
Ballotpedia maintains page counts and other information about the Federal Register as part of its Administrative State Project. The project is a neutral, nonpartisan encyclopedic resource that defines and analyzes the administrative state, including its philosophical origins, legal and judicial precedents, and scholarly examinations of its consequences. The project also monitors and reports on measures of federal government activity.
Additional reading:
• Changes to the Federal Register
• Historical Additions to the Federal Register (1936-2021)
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