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118-hr-9592118th Congress

Federal Register Modernization Act of 2024

Sponsored By: Representative Higgins, Clay [R-LA-3]

Became Law

Summary

Modernizes how the Federal Register is published and preserved. It replaces statutory references to "printing" with "publishing", expands electronic and emergency publication paths, and tightens filing and archival rules.

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  • The public gains faster access because originals filed with the Office of the Federal Register must be noted by the Archivist for day and hour and made immediately available, and publication explicitly covers telecommunications and the Internet.
  • Federal agencies must transmit originals of documents to the Office of the Federal Register, and originals are retained by the National Archives with Presidential proclamations and Executive orders permanently preserved as part of the archives.
  • The Government Publishing Office must publish the Federal Register promptly and keep at least two printed copies in separate facilities for continuity. The Administrative Committee is reconstituted with the Archivist as chair and given authority to set publication rules and oversee codification of the Code of Federal Regulations so codified texts serve as prima facie evidence.

*This law does not create new direct funding obligations in this section.*

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.

Yearly updates to federal regulations

Federal regulations are kept current. Each part of the Code of Federal Regulations is updated and republished at least once every calendar year. An electronic edition lets you pick a date and see the rules in effect that day. Text published in the CFR counts as official evidence of what the rules say on and after the publication date. Presidential documents in title 3 are still published in supplements and do not have to be codified.

Faster, digital Federal Register access

Agencies must file original documents with the Office of the Federal Register; the Archivist records the day and hour, and the public can see them right away. GPO publishes them immediately and shows the filing time, with distribution on a morning schedule set by rule. If GPO is disrupted, the Office can use other methods, including the Internet, until GPO resumes. The Committee can set prices for copies and subscriptions, and GPO must print and store at least two physical copies in separate locations. The law defines “publish” as circulation to the public and sets who serves on the Committee, which writes the publication rules with presidential approval.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Higgins, Clay [R-LA-3]

LA • R

Cosponsors

  • Rep. Connolly, Gerald E. [D-VA-11]

    VA • D

    Sponsored 9/16/2024

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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