Federal Register weekly update: More than 500 total documents issued this week


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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 Oct. 18 through Oct. 22, the Federal Register grew by 1,238 pages for a year-to-date total of 58,762 pages.

The Federal Register hit an all-time high of 95,894 pages in 2016.

This week’s Federal Register featured the following 448 documents:

  • 464 notices
  • Eight presidential documents
  • 36 proposed rules
  • 53 final rules

Seven proposed rules, including a revision to time credits procedures authorized by the First Step Act of 2018 (FSA) from the Prisons Bureau, and five final rules, including standards of conduct from the Farm Credit 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 has issued 79 significant proposed rules, 102 significant final rules, and one significant notice as of October 22.

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 2020, 2019, 2018, and 2017. 

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