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 February 15 through February 19—the fifth week of the Biden administration—the Federal Register grew by 1,006 pages for a year-to-date total of 10,438 pages. During the same period of the Trump administration in 2017, the Federal Register grew by 658 pages for a year-to-date total of 11,788 pages.
The Federal Register hit an all-time high of 95,894 pages in 2016.
This week’s Federal Register featured the following 436 documents:
• 384 notices
• two presidential document
• 13 proposed rules
• 37 final rules
One proposed rule from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) concerning the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) was 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 has issued three significant proposed rules and one significant final rule as of February 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.
Click here to find more information about weekly additions to the Federal Register in 2019, 2018, and 2017: https://ballotpedia.org/Changes_to_the_Federal_Register
Additional reading:
Click here to find yearly information about additions to the Federal Register from 1936 to 2018: https://ballotpedia.org/Historical_additions_to_the_Federal_Register,_1936-2018
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