Last revised: August, 2008
Federal Regulatory Information
Scope: This is a guide to the regulatory process as well as a selective list of reference tools for finding federal regulatory publications in print and on the Web. If you have any questions or would like further assistance, please contact the U.S. Government Information, Maps & GIS Services staff at govdocs@umd.edu or 301.405.9165.
Table of Contents
The Regulatory Process
The rule making process is a set of formal procedures through which a law, adopted by Congress and signed by the President, is translated into specific written requirements to be carried out and enforced by the executive branch and its federal agencies. These written requirements are called regulations. Federal agencies create itemized procedures in the form of an "agency document" which is published in the daily Federal Register and later codified annually in the Code of Federal Regulations. The primary function of the resultant Federal Register/Code of Federal Regulations system is to inform the public about rules set by federal agencies.
- Federal Register (FR)
Daily publication of government agency announcements. Announcements are written in "plain-English" and divided into 1) proposed rules, where the public is invited to comment on drafted regulations, and 2) final rules, which have the force of a law, contain effective dates of the effected parties and the text of the actual rules. Regulations published in the Federal Register are cited by volume and page, with the date sometimes added in parenthesis (i.e. 46 FR 3566 (1981)).UMCP McKeldin Library, U.S. Government Information: Dates: Collection: Call numbers: Current issues U.S. Government Information Reference AE 2.106: 1994-present Online GPO Access 1985-present U.S. Government Information Microfiche AE 2.106: 1936-present Database available through Research Port HeinOnline Federal Register Library 1982-1985 U.S. Government Information Microfiche GS 4.107: 1936-1982 U.S. Government Information Microfilm J1.A2
Other resources you may use to find Federal Regulations in the Federal Register are:
- The Federal Register Annual Index
Coverage: 1936-1999
Location: U.S. Government Information Reference AE 2.106 - The Federal Register User Guide
Location: U.S. Government Information Reference AE 2.108F32/992
- The Federal Register Annual Index
- The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
The Federal Register is only the first stop on a regulation's journey. The final rules and presidential materials are funneled yearly into the Code of Federal Regulations. Here the general and permanent rules originally published in the Federal Register are systematically arranged under 50 subject titles. The 50 CFR titles are divided into chapters (one for each rule-issuing agency), parts (general topics of regulation), and sections (the actual text of the regulation), each with its own table of contents. Regulations published in the Code of Federal Regulations are cited by title and section numbers, with the date sometimes added in parenthesis (i.e. 40 CFR 211.10 (1978)).UMCP McKeldin Library, U.S. Government Information: 1996-present Online GPO Access 1975-present U.S. Government Information Microfiche GS 4.108: 1938-present U.S. Government Information Reference AE 2.106/3: 1938-Present Database available through ResearchPort HeinOnline Federal Register Library
- List of CFR Sections Affected
The List of CFR Sections Affected is issued monthly and is used to update CFR sections changed by new rules published in the Federal Register. This resource is helpful to check if a regulation is current. It can also be used to find out when a regulation was removed, revised, or moved to a new title.UMCP McKeldin Library, U.S. Government Information: Dates: Collection: Call numbers: Current issues U.S. Government Information Reference AE 2.106/2: 1986-present Online GPO Access 1985-present U.S. Government Information Microfiche AE 2.106: 1949-present Database available through Research Port HeinOnline Federal Register Library 1982-1985 U.S. Government Information Microfiche GS 4.108/3: 1949-2000 U.S. Government Information Reference AE 2.106/2-2 Note: U.S. Government Information microfilm and microfiche are located in the U.S. Government Information, Maps & GIS Services computer room on the 4th floor of McKeldin Library.
Locating Regulatory Information
This is a very selective list of tools; there are many more resources online and in print especially for finding older materials.
- HeinOnline Federal Register Library
Full-text access to the Federal Register, Federal Register Indexes (1939-1995), Compilation of Sections Affected, Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents (1965-2004), and the Administrative Procedure Act (1944-1946). - LexisNexis Congressional
LexisNexis Congressional provides full text searching of the Federal Register (1980 - present) and Code of Federal Regulations (1981-present). It also provides access to the Congressional Indexes, 1789-1969, thought not in full text format. - LexisNexis Academic
Full-text database that offers a wide range of news, political, legal, business, and reference information in full-text format. It also is a primary source for newspaper articles, including those from the Washington Post and the New York Times. LexisNexis Academic also provides access to the Federal code, regulations, and case law, as well as state codes and case law. - GPO Access: Regulatory
Federal regulatory information and publications including the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations.
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/regulatory.html
Other Useful Resources
- Cornell University Legal Information Institute
Excellent for browsing or searching for regulations. There are also subject guides to legal issues.
http://www.law.cornell.edu/ - Regulation's.gov Home Page
Find and read pending regulations posted in the Federal Register. Users may give comments on the proposed regulations.
http://www.regulation.gov/index.cfm - Federal Legislative Information
UM Libraries' guide to U.S. legislative information sources.
http://www.lib.umd.edu/GOV/legs.html
