Publication of Federal Regulations

Abstract

The Federal Register Act (49 Stat. 500) was passed by Congress in 1935, establishing a daily publication known as the Federal Register, in which was to be published all certified documents¹ issued by the President or a federal agency.² Prior to that time, there was no central system for the publication of government regulations and other documents issued by the executive branch of the Government, whereas systems had been used by the legislative and judicial branches for a long time. It was often a chaotic experience for a person to go to an agency in an attempt to find regulations of interest to him or her. Often the agency was just as confused because of its inability to retrieve or certify its own regulations.