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 15, 2023, through May 19, 2023, the Federal Register grew by 1,732 pages for a year-to-date total of 32,620 pages.
The Federal Register hit an all-time high of 95,894 pages in 2016.
This week’s Federal Register featured the following 538 documents:
- 437 notices
- 10 presidential documents
- 27 proposed rules
- 64 final rules
Six proposed rules, including proposed amendments to energy conservation standards for dishwashers from the Energy Department; four final rules, including amendments to Privacy Act Rules to implement the Social Security Number Fraud Prevention Act of 2017 from the General Services Administration; and one notice, including a preliminary determination that revised energy efficiency standards will not negatively impact housing affordability and availability under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 from the Housing and Urban Development Department and the Agriculture 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 152 significant proposed rules, 93 significant final rules, and five significant notices as of May 19.
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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