Public Comment
Public comment is the opportunity for any person to submit views on a proposed federal regulation while it is open for comment. Under the Administrative Procedure Act, agencies generally must give notice of proposed rules and consider the comments they receive before issuing a final rule. Comments are typically submitted through Regulations.gov, where the rulemaking docket collects the proposal, supporting materials, and all public comments.
Public comment is the opportunity for any person to submit views on a proposed federal regulation while it is open for comment. Under the Administrative Procedure Act, agencies generally must give notice of proposed rules and consider the comments they receive before issuing a final rule. Comments are typically submitted through Regulations.gov, where the rulemaking docket collects the proposal, supporting materials, and all public comments.
Example: When an agency publishes a notice of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register, a member of the public can find the rule on Regulations.gov and file a comment in its docket during the comment period, and the agency must consider it before finalizing the rule.
Common misconception: Agencies are not required to agree with comments or adopt the most popular position; they must consider relevant comments and explain their decisions, which is different from voting.
Sources: https://www.regulations.gov/learn; https://www.regulations.gov/user-notice