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 17, 2023, through April 21, 2023, the Federal Register grew by 1,354 pages for a year-to-date total of 24,676 pages.

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

This week’s Federal Register featured the following 546 documents:

• 461 notices
• Five presidential documents
• 34 proposed rules
• 46 final rules

Five proposed rules, including proposed controls for automated peptide synthesizers from the Industry and Security Bureau, and four final rules, including implementation of the Helping American Victims Afflicted by Neurological Attacks (HAVANA) Act of 2021 from the Commerce 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 124 significant proposed rules, 79 significant final rules, and four significant notices as of April 21.

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.

Click here to find more information about weekly additions to the Federal Register in 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, and 2017: Changes to the Federal Register

Additional reading:

Click here to find yearly information about additions to the Federal Register from 1936 to 2021: Historical additions to the Federal Register, 1936-2021