The cover of Federal Register.
The
Federal Register (since March 14, 1936), abbreviated
FR, or sometimes
Fed. Reg.) is the
official journal of the
federal government of the United States that contains most routine publications and public notices of government agencies. It is a daily (except
holidays) publication.
The
Federal Register is compiled by the
Office of the Federal Register (within the
National Archives and Records Administration) and is printed by the
Government Printing Office.
There are no
copyright restrictions on the
Federal Register as it is a
work of the U.S. government. It is in the
public domain.
Citations from the
Federal Register are [volume] FR [page number] ([date]),
e.g., 65 FR 741 (2000-10-01).
History
The
Federal Register system of publication was created in 1935 under the
Federal Register Act and was further enlarged and amended by the
Administrative Procedure Act of 1946.
Contents
The
Federal Register is the main source for the U.S. federal government agencies':
- Changes to existing rules; and
- Notices of meetings and adjudicatory proceedings.
In essence, the
Federal Register is a way for the government to think aloud to the people, and also serves as official journal of record for the approved
acts of the
U.S. Government. The notice and comment process outlined in the
Federal Register gives the people a chance to participate in agency
rulemaking.
The
United States Government Manual is published as a special edition of the Federal Register. Its focus is on programs and activities ().
Format
Each daily issue of the
Federal Register is organized into four categories:
- Rules and Regulations (policy statements and interpretations of rules by federal agencies)
- Proposed Rules (petitions by agencies for assistance in rulemaking and other proposals)
- Notices (scheduled hearings and meetings open to the public, grant applications, and administrative orders)
The citation "44 FR 33,238" refers to "
Federal Register, volume 44, page 33,238." The published notice, called a
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (or "NPRM") typically requests public comment on a proposed rule, and provides notice of any public meetings where a proposed rule will be discussed. The public comments are considered by the issuing
government agency, and the text of a
final rule is published in the
Federal Register.
The final rules promulgated by a federal agency and published in the
Federal Register are ultimately reorganized by topic or subject matter and re-published (or "codified") in the
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), which is updated annually.
Coverage
Not all documents created by U.S. federal agencies are published in the
Federal Register. The government has the power to
classify documents so that they are not published.
The agencies required to publish in the
Federal Register are those who are required to promulgate regulations in the
Code of Federal Regulations ("CFR").
Each agency is required to list the sections of the CFR that will be affected by the proposals or rulings in the day's
Federal Register. The
List of CFR Sections Affected is published monthly, and is used to update
CFR sections changed by new rules published in the
Federal Register.
A "unified agenda" is published semi-annually (April and October of each year), listing regulatory efforts that federal agencies expect to undertake in the coming months. As required by the
Regulatory Flexibility Act and other laws and
Executive Orders, this agenda includes indices showing segments of the public and levels of government that are expected to be affected by each of these coming regulations.
Availability
To purchase current or back copies of
Federal Register, one may contact the U.S. Government Printing Office. In each issue of
Federal Register, there is a subscription page. Currently, a year's subscription rate within the U.S. is US$929. Each individual issue may be priced from $11 to $33 depending on its pages. Virtually every
law library associated with an
American Bar Association-accredited law school will also have a set, as will
federal depository libraries.
The
Federal Register is not small; for example, the 2008
Federal Register was 80,700 pages long. Although the
Federal Register is quite important from a legal and historical perspective as a record of the regular business of American government agencies, few people read it regularly (even lawyers, except for those specializing in keeping track of developments in it), due to its massive volume and the dry style of its content. The size of the Federal Register is often cited as evidence of the growth of the burden of governmental regulation.
Free sources
The
Federal Register has been available online since 1994. Federal depository libraries within the U.S. also receive copies of the text, either in
paper or
microfiche format. Outside the U.S., some major libraries may also carry the
Federal Register.
Any agency proposing a rule in the
Federal Register must provide contact information for people and organizations interested in making comments to the agencies. The agencies are required to give
due diligence to these concerns when it publishes its final rule on the subject.
As part of the Federal E-Government eRulemaking Initiative, the web site Regulations.gov was established in 2003 to enable easy public access to Federal Register publications related to rulemaking and was further enhanced in 2005 with the launch of the
Federal Docket Management System (FDMS). Through FDMS, the public can use
Regulations.gov to access entire rulemaking dockets from participating Federal Departments and Agencies" to include providing on-line comments directly to those responsible for drafting the rulemakings.
The Electronic Code of Federal Regulations is available on the web site ecfr.gpoaccess.gov. This web site explains what the e-CFR is, and its legal status. It is not an official legal edition of the CFR. The e-CFR is an unofficial editorial compilation of CFR material and Federal Register amendments.
In April, 2009
Citation Technologies created a free, searchable website for Federal Register articles dating from 1996 to the present.
Paid sources
Other than paid copies or subscriptions, people may obtain
Federal Register contents from commercial databases:
- Citation Technologies offers the complete Federal Register and Code of Federal Regulations (CFRs) through subscription-based web portals such as CyberRegs.
- LexisNexis (July 1, 1980-): Searchable text format since .
- HeinOnline (1936-): Full coverage available dating back to 1936 in an image-based searchable PDF format.
Applications
Amateur radio enthusiasts and people in general consult the
Federal Register to determine when
FCC rule changes take effect. Rule changes announced by the FCC do not usually take effect until after some specified time of being published in the
Federal Register (generally, a month later).
