Managing the Federal Rulemaking Process

GSA proudly launched a new version of Regulations.gov February 18, 2021. The new Regulations.gov makes it easier for the public to participate in the regulatory process, with enhanced search capabilities, a standardized comment form, and mobile-friendly interface. The new site also strengthens the integrity of the rulemaking process through improved security surrounding the public commenting process.

The new site improves the integrity of the commenting process by leveraging reCAPTCHA, which only permits “real people” to access the site. At the same time, the site uses a comment application programming interface (API) which allows only authorized entities to post bulk comments, allowing advocacy or membership organizations to more efficiently submit large volumes of comments on behalf of their constituencies. The identities of those using the comment API are verified by GSA through a commercial provider of identity validation services, to assure such entities “are who they say they are.”

Please visit Site FAQs and our latest video for more information on the new Regulations.gov.

GSA is exploring Public and Federal agency involvement in the Rulemaking Process to better understand:

The Mission of the Office Regulation Management is to:
  • Enable the public to submit comments on pending regulations.
  • Support Federal agencies as they develop regulations, including management of agencies’ recordkeeping systems, known as dockets, as well as review of public comments.
  • Support the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs at the Office of Management and Budget in its review of significant regulations and information collections
 The Vision of the Office of Regulation Management is to improve public policy outcomes by streamlining the rulemaking process while strengthening the integrity and security of regulatory information through technology modernization and data analysis strategies. Specifically:
  • Improve agencies’ ability to review and process massive volumes of public comments.
  • Reduce the risk of “fake comments,” or comments that have been submitted under fraudulent identities.
  • Share regulatory data across systems to enable both policy makers and members of the public to have a clearer picture of the impacts and relationships across rulemakings in support of reduced regulatory burden and streamlined regulatory process.
  • Improve both agency and public useability and access to regulatory information through improved user interfaces, workflows, reporting tools, and more.

Join the conversation: Please visit the new Regulations.gov and click on the “Provide Site Feedback” link at the bottom right hand corner of any page and leave your input.

Please contact erulemaking@gsa.gov with any questions.

Last Reviewed: 2021-03-18