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 April 3, 2023, through April 7, 2023, the Federal Register grew by 1,512 pages for a year-to-date total of 21,058 pages.
The Federal Register hit an all-time high of 95,894 pages in 2016.
This week’s Federal Register featured the following 579 documents:
- 463 notices
- 13 presidential documents
- 42 proposed rules
- 61 final rules
Six proposed rules, including proposed amendments to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to implement changes to the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs from the Defense Department, the General Services Administration, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and five final rules, including authorization for the Director of the Bureau of Prisons to increase the maximum amount of time for home confinement under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) from the Justice 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 in 2023 has issued 110 significant proposed rules, 70 significant final rules, and four significant notices as of April 7.
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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