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 10, 2023, through April 14, 2023, the Federal Register grew by 2,264 pages for a year-to-date total of 23,322 pages.
The Federal Register hit an all-time high of 95,894 pages in 2016.
This week’s Federal Register featured the following 588 documents:
- 442 notices
- Five presidential documents
- 70 proposed rules
- 71 final rules
Nine proposed rules, including proposed amendments to the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for commercial sterilization facilities from the Environmental Protection Agency, and five final rules, including amendments to lending criteria and affiliation standards for Small Business Administration loan programs from the Small Business 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 119 significant proposed rules, 75 significant final rules, and four significant notices as of April 14.
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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