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 January 30 through February 3, the Federal Register grew by 1,836 pages for a year-to-date total of 7,556 pages.
The Federal Register hit an all-time high of 95,894 pages in 2016.
This week’s Federal Register featured the following 629 documents:
- 510 notices
- Four presidential documents
- 52 proposed rules
- 63 final rules
Eleven proposed rules, including reforms to modernize regulations of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s renewable energy program from the Ocean Energy Management Bureau, and six final rules, including amendments to the definition of rifle under the Gun Control Act of 1968 and the National Firearms Act of 1938 to include weapons equipped with stabilizing braces that allow the weapon to be fired from the shoulder from the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Bureau 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 37 significant proposed rules, 25 significant final rules, and one significant notice as of February 3.
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.
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