The Federal Register: What it is and how to use it Gayle Gunderson Wichita State University Many laws enacted by Congress require agencies to issue regulations. These regulations are also a form of law and may be extremely detailed. All government agency regulations appear first in the Federal Register (AE 2.106:) initially in draft form for public comment and eventually in final form. The Federal Register can be used to monitor proposed and final rules, to update the Code of Federal Regulations, (CFR) and to trace the history and background of a regulation. Final regulations in the Federal Register will eventually be incorporated in the CFR. The Federal Register, however, contains a great deal of material that will not appear in the CFR. References to the Federal Register follow the general form of 44 FR 16285, designating volume 44, page 16285. The Federal Register is published every Federal working day. Official online access to the Federal Register is available on GPO Access at (updated by 6 AM each morning it is published): http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/aces/aces140.html In each Federal Register, the documents are grouped and published in the following categories: 1. Presidential Documents These include proclamations and executive orders. Proclamations can be ceremonial such as for a day of special observance, or of a more substantive nature such as dealing with imports and exports, tariffs and other trade matters. Executive orders cover a wide spectrum of subjects and are generally directed to executive agencies. 2. Rules and regulations This section contains regulatory documents having general applicability and legal effect. The terms ?rules? and ?regulations? have the same meaning within the Federal Register publication system. Each document begins with a heading that includes the name of the issuing agency, the CFR title and part(s) affected, and a description of the subject. Following the heading is a preamble which must accompany the regulatory text of all rule or proposed rule documents and it explains the basis and purpose of the text. 3. Proposed rules A proposed rule document is an announcement to the public that a change to the CRF is being considered. Publication of proposed rules gives interested persons the opportunity to participate in the rulemaking process before final adoption of the rule. 4. Notices In this section hearings, investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rules, delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications, etc., are announced. 5. Sunshine Act meetings The Sunshine Act requires that meetings of Government agencies be open to the public, with certain specified exceptions. The Act also requires that public announcement be made in the Federal Register of the time, place and subject matter of the meeting, the name and phone number of the agency official to contact for more information, and whether the meeting is open or closed to the public. How to Use the Federal Register System If you are looking for a current document (within the last year), start your research with the Federal Register Index. When only the subject is known, begin with the CFR Index and Finding Aids volume. To find background information on regulations found in the CFR, go to the Federal Register references found at the end of each regulation and see the historical list of changes appearing in the back of the CFR volume. Related Publications: An excellent guide that explains the Federal Register more fully is the government document titled, The Federal Register: What it is and How to Use it; found at SuDoc number AE 2.108:F 31/(year). The Federal Register Index (AE 2. 106:) is a separate publication and is a consolidation of the entries appearing in the Contents of each day?s Federal Register. The index is published monthly and cumulated for 12 months. The Code of Federal regulations (AE 2.106/3:) is the codification of the Federal Register by title and part number. There are 50 titles which represent broad areas subject to Federal legislation. Each title is revised annually. The List of CRF Sections Affected (LSA) (AE 2.106/2-2:) is designed to direct users to changes to the CRF that were published in the Federal Register. A descriptive word or phrase indicates the nature of the amendatory action such as additions, revisions, or removals. The LSA is published monthly in cumulative form and keyed to the annual revision schedule of the CRF volumes. Each LSA also contains a detailed explanation on how to use the publication. The CFR Index and Finding Aids (AE 2. 106/3-2:) is a separate volume of and for the Code of Federal Regulations. It contains two major finding aids; a subject/agency index and a table of rulemaking authorities. Gayle Gunderson, Wichita State University