Federal Register
The official daily journal of the U.S. federal government, published by the Office of the Federal Register, containing federal agency rules, proposed rules, notices, and presidential documents. It is the primary public record for administrative law.
The official daily journal of the U.S. federal government, published by the Office of the Federal Register, containing federal agency rules, proposed rules, notices, and presidential documents. It is the primary public record for administrative law.
Example: When an agency such as the Department of Labor proposes a rule — for instance, changing overtime eligibility thresholds — the proposal appears in the Federal Register as a proposed rule, where 5 U.S.C. 553 requires notice and an opportunity for public comment before it can be finalized.
Common misconception: The Federal Register is where new laws passed by Congress are published. It carries executive-branch regulations, notices, and presidential documents; statutes enacted by Congress are published in the United States Statutes at Large and the U.S. Code.
Sources: About the Federal Register, National Archives; 5 U.S.C. 553 (rulemaking notice and comment), uscode.house.gov