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 August 8 through August 12, the Federal Register grew by 1,896 pages for a year-to-date total of 49,974 pages.
The Federal Register hit an all-time high of 95,894 pages in 2016.
This week’s Federal Register featured the following 536 documents:
- 432 notices
- Three presidential documents
- 58 proposed rules
- 43 final rules
Four proposed rules, including amendments to the organic livestock and poultry production requirements from the Agricultural Marketing Service, and two final rules, including implementation of the HAVANA Act of 2021 from the State Department 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 134 significant proposed rules, 151 significant final rules, and one significant notice as of August 12.
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.
Additional reading: