Managing the Federal Rulemaking Process

Effective October 1, 2019, the Office of Regulation Management became a new component in GSA’s Office of Government-wide Policy. The Office of Regulation Management supports federal agencies in their development of regulation, including collaboration with the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, managing a docket library, enabling public access and comment, and supporting data analytics.

GSA is exploring the development of a modernized electronic rulemaking environment in order to do a better job of:

• Providing secure and authentic data, including promoting the integrity of the public comment process (i.e. addressing “fake comments”)
• Sharing data across systems
• Delivering data analytics tools
• Improving the efficiency of the rulemaking process, including how to better manage mass comments
• Strengthening public access to rulemaking information.

The public is invited to submit comments regarding GSA's electronic rulemaking modernization efforts through April 30, 2020, at Regulations.gov website using Docket No. 2019-0002; Sequence No. 35.

Public and Federal agency involvement in the Rulemaking Process

• How Members of the Public Can Improve Regulations
• Services for Federal Rulemaking Agencies

Register Now for March 25 Public Meeting

On March 25, 2020, GSA will host a public meeting at the GSA Auditorium from 2 – 4 PM EST. The discussion will address commercial, academic, public, and governmental requirements for government regulatory data as well as improving access, integrity, and quality of regulatory data. RSVP GSA Public Meeting to participate either in person or virtually.

So what? Better access to information gives the public greater insights into how government works and why decisions or actions were taken as well as the results of those actions.

Now what? Take advantage of the opportunity to share your priorities and perspectives on the value and strategies for Open Data in the rulemaking environment.

The March meeting builds on the GSA Public Meeting of January 30, 2020, where GSA led a public conversation on the critical issue of “Fake Comments” and mass comments in the Federal rulemaking process. “Fake Comments” are comments that have been submitted without the permission of the individual whose name is associated with that comment. Such “fake comments” are typically generated by bots driven by bad actors who wish to influence or disrupt the rulemaking process.