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 December 21 to December 25, the Federal Register grew by 1,328 pages for a year-to-date total of 84,198 pages. Over the same period in 2019 and 2018, the Federal Register reached 71,734 pages and 67,676 pages, respectively. As of December 25, the 2020 total led the 2019 total by 12,464 pages and the 2018 total by 16,522 pages.
The Federal Register hit an all-time high of 95,894 pages in 2016.
Last week’s Federal Register featured the following 444 documents:
- 361 notices
- four presidential documents
- 26 proposed rules
- 53 final rules
One proposed rule regarding railroad safety and two final rules concerning the Farm Credit Administration’s repeal of certain amortization limits and the U.S. Department of Justice’s effort to streamline reporting procedures under the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 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 34 significant proposed rules, 73 significant final rules, and one significant notice as of December 25.
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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