Federal Register weekly update: Highest weekly final rule total so far in 2023


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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 June 5, 2023, through June 9, 2023, the Federal Register grew by 1,538 pages for a year-to-date total of 37,974 pages.

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

This week’s Federal Register featured the following 566 documents:

  • 446 notices
  • Eight presidential documents
  • 36 proposed rules
  • 76 final rules

Three proposed rules, including proposed amendments to the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement from the Defense Acquisition Regulations System, and six final rules, including revised criteria in the Listing of Impairments used to evaluate claims for digestive disorders and skin disorders under the Social Security Act from the Social Security 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 167 significant proposed rules, 110 significant final rules, and five significant notices as of June 9.

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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