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 May 8, 2023, through May 12, 2023, the Federal Register grew by 1,354 pages for a year-to-date total of 30,888 pages.
The Federal Register hit an all-time high of 95,894 pages in 2016.
This week’s Federal Register featured the following 557 documents:
- 454 notices
- 10 presidential documents
- 46 proposed rules
- 47 final rules
Two proposed rules, including proposed revisions to salary determination criteria to advance pay equity in governmentwide pay systems from the Personnel Management Office, and three final rules, including establishing the National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate (NSPIRE) to assess housing quality from the Housing and Urban Development 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 146 significant proposed rules, 89 significant final rules, and four significant notices as of May 12.
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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