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.
From November 16 to November 20, the Federal Register grew by 1,696 pages for a year-to-date total of 74,594 pages. Over the same period in 2019 and 2018, the Federal Register reached 64,702 pages and 60,332 pages, respectively. As of November 20, the 2020 total led the 2019 total by 9,892 pages and the 2018 total by 14,262 pages.
The Federal Register hit an all-time high of 95,894 pages in 2016.
Last week’s Federal Register featured the following 546 documents:
- 435 notices
- four presidential documents
- 38 proposed rules
- 69 final rules
Two final rules regarding high-risk loans within the Farm Credit System and emission standards for hazardous air pollutants, as well as one proposed rule concerning the collection of biometric data, 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 Trump administration in 2020 has issued 31 significant proposed rules, 65 significant final rules, and one significant notice as of November 20.
Not all rules issued by the Trump administration are regulatory actions. Some rules are deregulatory actions pursuant to President Trump’s (R) Executive Order 13771, which requires federal agencies to eliminate two old significant regulations for each new significant regulation issued.
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.
Click here to find more information about weekly additions to the Federal Register in 2019, 2018, and 2017.
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