Federal Register weekly update: Tops 60,000 pages


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. 25 through Oct. 29, the Federal Register grew by 1,396 pages for a year-to-date total of 60,158 pages.

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

This week’s Federal Register featured the following 541 documents:

  • 418 notices
  • Four presidential documents
  • 61 proposed rules
  • 58 final rules

Six proposed rules, including regulations for designating critical habitats for endangered wildlife and plants by the Fish and Wildlife Service, and four final rules, including a partial withdrawal of tip regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) from the Wage and Hour Division, 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 85 significant proposed rules, 106 significant final rules, and one significant notice as of Oct. 29.

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: https://ballotpedia.org/Changes_to_the_Federal_Register 

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