Research Guides: ENGL 7790: Writing Public Policy: Federal Regulations

What are regulations?

Regulations are not law (they do not come through the Congress), but they have the force of law.

Federal agencies are authorized to promulgate regulations by publishing them in the Federal Register. Eventually, after a period for public comment and revisions based on comments received, a final version is published in the Federal Register and the regulations are incorporated into the Code of Federal Regulations, known as CFR.

Federal Register & Code of Federal Regulations

is codified and becomes:

Federal Register via GPO Access
1994 thru current year. Freely available.
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Published by the Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the Federal Register is the official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as executive orders and other presidential documents.
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
1996 thru current year. Freely available.
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The codification of the general and permanent rules and regulations (administrative law) published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government of the United States.

Comment on Regulations

Regulations.gov
U.S. government regulations from nearly 300 federal agencies. Search for a regulation, proposed rule, final rule or Federal Register (FR) notice. Submit a comment on a regulation.

Regulatory Information

Regulatory Information Service Center
Facilitates the development of, and access to, information about federal regulatory and deregulatory activities.
RegInfo.gov
Where to find federal regulatory information.