Find new federal rules and proposed rules open for comment
On this page
Federal agencies write rules, also called regulations, that spell out how a law works in practice. The Regulations page lists the rules the Federal Register has published: the new (final) ones, and the proposed ones that are still open for public comment, with their deadlines.
#Use the Regulations page
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Open Regulations in the row of Politics sections. It opens on Open for comment.
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Choose a view: Open for comment, New rules, Proposed rules or Significant.
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To look for a subject or an agency, type a word, for example
EPAorovertime, and select Search.
The Regulations page. Each rule shows its kind, the agency, a short summary, the publication date and, for a proposed rule, when comments close.
- 1How many rules the Federal Register published in 30 days
- 2Open for comment, new rules, proposed rules or significant
- 3Search by topic or agency
- 4The agency
- 5When comments close
- 6What Significant means, and where to comment
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Select a rule's title to read it in the Federal Register, or PDF for the printed version.
The first line counts the final and proposed rules the Federal Register published in the last 30 days.
#The four views
| View | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Open for comment | Proposed rules whose comment period has not ended, the one closing soonest first. |
| New rules | Final rules, newest first. A final rule is one the agency has adopted. |
| Proposed rules | All proposed rules, newest first, including ones whose comment period has ended. |
| Significant | Rules of either kind that are marked significant, newest first. |
#What each row shows
- The kind: Proposed rule or Final rule. A red Significant tag follows it when the rule is significant.
- The agencies named on the rule, up to the first two.
- The title, which opens the rule's page in the Federal Register in a new tab, and a short summary from the Federal Register.
- The dates. Published is the day it appeared in the Federal Register. A final rule also shows Effective, the day it takes effect. A proposed rule shows Comments close with the date, and, in the last week, the days left, or Comments closed once the date has passed.
- PDF, a link to the printed version.
Use Older at the bottom to go further back, 25 rules at a time.
#Commenting on a proposed rule
Politics does not take comments. To comment, go to regulations.gov, where the government collects them. Each rule here links to its official text, which tells you how to submit a comment.
#Common questions
How do I comment on a proposed rule?
Comments are filed at regulations.gov, not here. Open the rule from this page to read its official text, which explains how to comment, and note the Comments close date.
What is the difference between a proposed rule and a final rule?
A proposed rule is an agency's draft, published so the public can comment. A final rule is the version the agency has adopted. A final rule has an Effective date, when it starts to apply.
What does Significant mean?
The rule is one the Office of Management and Budget reviews under Executive Order 12866 because it has large economic effects or raises novel policy.
Does Politics list every notice the Federal Register publishes?
No. Politics lists rules and proposed rules, and the President's documents on the Executive Actions page. It leaves out the Federal Register's many routine agency notices.
Why can I not see the comments other people filed?
Politics shows the rules, not the comment files. Those are kept at regulations.gov.