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 22, 2023, through May 26, 2023, the Federal Register grew by 1,790 pages for a year-to-date total of 34,410 pages.
The Federal Register hit an all-time high of 95,894 pages in 2016.
This week’s Federal Register featured the following 575 documents:
- 465 notices
- Six presidential documents
- 42 proposed rules
- 62 final rules
Six proposed rules, including proposed amendments to the Veterans Readiness and Employment and Education regulations to implement provisions of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Improvements Act of 2010 from the Veterans Affairs Department, and six final rules, including the adoption of amended energy conservation standards for room air conditioners from the Energy 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 158 significant proposed rules, 99 significant final rules, and five significant notices as of May 26.
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