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 Aug. 14, 2023, through Aug. 18, 2023, the Federal Register grew by 1,872 pages for a year-to-date total of 56,744 pages.
The Federal Register hit an all-time high of 95,894 pages in 2016.
This week’s Federal Register featured the following 535 documents:
- 424 notices
- Three presidential documents
- 53 proposed rules
- 55 final rules
Eight proposed rules, including proposed modifications to the regulations for the Pathways Program from the Personnel Management Office, and four final rules, including amendments to the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) from the Defense Acquisition Regulations System were deemed significant under E.O. 12866, as amended by E.O. 14094—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 228 significant proposed rules, 165 significant final rules, and seven significant notices as of Aug. 18.
Ballotpedia maintains page counts and other information about the Federal Register as part of its neutral, nonpartisan encyclopedic coverage that defines and analyzes the administrative state, including its philosophical origins, legal and judicial precedents, and scholarly examinations of its consequences. The coverage area 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