Federal Register weekly update: Highest weekly document total of 2023 to date


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 March 20, 2023, through March 24, 2023, the Federal Register grew by 1,456 pages for a year-to-date total of 17,986 pages.

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

This week’s Federal Register featured the following 640 documents:

  • 525 notices
  • Two presidential documents
  • 45 proposed rules
  • 68 final rules

Eleven proposed rules, including proposed amendments to the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) from the Defense Acquisition Regulations System, and three final rules, including the prohibition of certain flight operations in the Tripoli Flight Information Region from the Federal Aviation 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 in 2023 has issued 98 significant proposed rules, 60 significant final rules, and four significant notices as of March 24.

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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