The U.S. House passed a bill that would change printing requirements for the Federal Register. The Federal Register is a legal newspaper published every federal business day by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and the Government Publishing Office (GPO). The Federal Register lists new administrative agency rules and regulations in addition to policy statements and interpretations of existing rules. It also contains presidential documents (such as executive orders) and notices for public hearings, grant applications, and administrative orders.

 

The Federal Register Modernization Act passed the House by a 426 to one vote on March 12, 2019. The bill requires that the Federal Register be published, but not necessarily in print form with duplicate copies of each particular document. In times when the GPO cannot print the Federal Register as usual, the bill allows it to publish the Federal Register on a website. The bill also requires a time stamp for each document in the Federal Register showing when the GPO made them available for public inspection.