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.
From May 18 to May 22, the Federal Register grew by 1,766 pages for a year-to-date total of 31,356 pages. Over the same period in 2019 and 2018, the Federal Register reached 24,362 pages and 24,396 pages, respectively. As of May 22, the 2020 total led the 2019 total by 6,994 pages and the 2018 total by 6,930 pages.
The Federal Register hit an all-time high of 95,894 pages in 2016.
This week’s Federal Register featured the following 613 documents: • 499 notices • nine presidential documents • 45 proposed rules • 60 final rules Two proposed rules concerning hazardous materials and debt collection and two final rules related to biofuels and remote sensing space systems were deemed significant under E.O. 12866—meaning that they could 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 Trump administration in 2020 has issued 18 significant proposed rules and 28 significant final rules as of May 22.
Not all rules issued by the Trump administration are regulatory actions. Some rules are deregulatory actions pursuant to President Trump’s (R) Executive Order 13771, which requires federal agencies to eliminate two old significant regulations for each new significant regulation issued.
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 2018 and 2017.
Click here to find yearly information about additions to the Federal Register from 1936 to 2018.
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