Song A Day #498: Rulemaking Matters! The Song.
27when congress writes a statute and the president signs it
it usually doesn't have enough detail to be put into effect
so federal agencies fill in the details by issuing regulations
through a process commonly called rule making and in this process
you can be involved!
rulemaking begins with an analysis of the issue or problem set forth in the statute
scientific, economic and technical research as the agency learns some solutions emerge
many times agency staff will host public meetings
where you and i can offer our own solutions
these meetings may be announced
in the federal register, or by more informal means
the next step is drafting the regulation then review of the
draft by federal experts
the draft is then published and that's when your input can
really shine on the issue at hand
through hearings, advising committees, interactive workshops,
interviews, questionnaires and focus groups
but the most common way to provide your thoughts to the
agency is to go to regulations.gov