Comment on Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
Go to govinfo.gov. (Links to an external site.) On the Discover U.S. Government Information home page, select on the “Category” option. Then, in the left column, select on the “Regulatory Information” option. Next, in the right column which appears, select on the “Federal Register” option. Select the current or latest year that appears (e.g., “2019”). Now select a month within the past three months (obviously, with this now being early February, if you do not find something usable in January or early February, you may need to go back to “2018”). Then select a specific day of the month.
(Note: The Federal Register is not printed on Saturdays, Sundays, and on officially recognized federal holidays.)
What appears then, should be a listing of the departments/agencies/etc. of the U.S. Government which have information submitted for inclusion in that day’s Federal Register.
(Note: You should be made aware that not every department/agency/etc. has information in the Federal Register every day.)
A review of a month of the Federal Register resulted in a number of departments/agencies/etc. which had the highest number of days during the month (i.e., eleven or more) with something published in the Federal Register. That list is provided below so that you might see if any of those pique your interest, and might improve your chances of finding something relatively quickly.
(Note: You are not limited to choosing from amongst one of those departments/agencies/etc. appearing on the list below, as there are many other agencies which appear less frequently but also might be of more interest to you, such as the “Antitrust Division,” “Census Bureau,” “Consumer Product Safety Commission,” Consumer Financial Protection Bureau,” “Housing and Urban Development Department,” “Internal Revenue Service,” “National Aeronautics and Space Administration,” Social Security Administration,” “Wage and Hour Division,” or one of over 100 others.)
Then what should appear (after selecting the department/agency/etc.) is a listing of items published that day by that department/agency. Please find a “Proposed Rule[]” for the department/agency you select, for which the comment period has not yet closed (this can be determined from the “DATES” segment, which normally appears shortly after some initial information, and may say something like “Comments must be received on or before [Month] [Day], 20XX”). If the department/agency/etc. did not have any “Proposed Rule[]” amongst the information for that day, you will then need to select from another department/agency/etc. for that day, or search for the department/agency/etc. on some different day(s).
(Note: For the Federal Aviation Administration, neither “Airworthiness Directives” (i.e., ADs), nor “Notices to Airmen” ((i.e., NOTAMs), qualify as “regulations for this purpose.)
Federal departments
Agriculture Department
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Commission on Civil Rights (or civil rights commission)
Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Defense Department
Education Department
Energy Department
Environmental Protection Agency
Executive Office of the President
Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Communications Commission
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Federal Reserve System
Fish and Wildlife Service
Food and Drug Administration
General Services Administration
Health and Human Services Department
Homeland Security Department
FEDERAL DEPARTMENTS
Interior Department
International Trade Administration
International Trade Commission
Justice Department
Labor Department
Land Management Bureau
National Institutes of Health
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin.
National Park Service
National Science Foundation
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Occupational Safety and Health Admin.
Postal Regulatory Commission
Postal Service
Securities and Exchange Commission
Small Business Administration
State Department
Transportation Department
Treasury Department
Veterans Affairs Department
Please find a “Proposed Rule” for the department/agency you select, for which the comment period has not yet closed (this can be determined from the “DATES” segment, which normally appears shortly after some initial information, and may say something like “Comments must be received on or before April 30, 2019”).
First read through the proposed regulation, and in your response indicate first where it can be found in the Federal Register, then provide a synopsis of its background (e.g., why the action is being proposed), plus who you think might support it (and why) and who you think might oppose it (and why). Then, as a part of your response prepare a comment addressed to the individual/office designated (but actually submitted to the Web Search Activity for this Module), supporting/opposing/suggesting amendments to the proposed rule. Your comment should address the name of the department/agency involved, include any other appropriate identifying information (name of rule, with what the rule deals, any docket number, etc.), as well as your opinion on the rule, including any reason(s) supporting your position.
Solution Preview
Proposed Rule for Sunscreen Products.
The proposed rule for Sunscreen Drug Products for Over-the-Counter human use can be found on the federal register posted on 26th of February 2019 by the Food and Drug Administration department (FDA). The Food and Drug Administration agency proposes this law to describe the conditions in which over the counter (OTC) sunscreen monograph products are generally recognized as safe.
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