Federal Register Act

• Author: William Funk - Jeffrey S. Lubbers
• Pages: 631-644

631

FEDERAL REGISTER ACT

11

Federal

Register

Act

631

Citations:

44 U.S. Code §§ 1501–1511 (2012), enacted July 25, 1935, by Pub. L.

No. 74-220, 49 Stat. 500; significantly amended June 19, 1937, by Pub. L.

No. 75-158, 56 Stat. 304; September 23, 1950, by Pub. L. No. 81-821, 61

Stat. 636; October 22, 1968, by Pub. L. No. 90-620, 82 Stat. 1273, October

10, 1978, by Pub. L. No. 95-440, 92 Stat. 1063; October 19, 1984, by title I,

Pub. L. No. 98-497, 98 Stat. 2280, 2286.

Lead Agency:

Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Adminis-

tration, 800 North Capitol Street NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20001

(mailing address: 8601 Adelphi Road College Park, MD 20740-6001), (202)

741-6000, e-mail: fedreg.info@nara.gov.

Overview:

Background. Recognizing the need for a uniform system for publica-

tion of federal regulations and other important documents, Congress approved

the Federal Register Act in 1935. Prior to establishment of the Federal Reg-

ister, there were no facilities for filing and publication of rules, executive

orders, and similar documents having general applicability and legal effect.

This made it extremely difficult, and sometimes impossible, for interested

persons to learn about rules and orders that had the force of law. Indeed,

passage of this legislation ended what many sponsors of the bill described as

“the twilight zone of government regulations.”

The Federal Register Act requires the filing of certain documents with

the Office of the Federal Register, availability of these documents for public

inspection, publication of documents in the Federal Register, and the perma-