Regulations.gov

Regulations.gov is a website that was created to make it easier for public participation in the rulemaking process. This site allows citizens to review and make comments on proposed regulations.

Regulations.gov provides a quick and easy way to obtain information about the proposed rules currently pending. You can search by either agency or topic. For example, if you search by the Labor Department, you are given a list of the divisions that currently have proposed rules open for comment. Once you select the division, the proposed rules are listed by detailed subject headings. There is a copy of each proposed rule in pdf or html format, the Federal Register citation, the date it was published in the FR, the CFR citation, and the due date for comments.

You can also do a keyword search to find out which agencies might have proposed rules for the same topic. For example, at the time this tip was written (in 2003), a search of Sarbanes-Oxley Act obtained two records. Both the Comptroller of the Currency (comments due 6/20/03) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (comments due 6/28/03) had proposed rules involving the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.