Category Archives: E-Rulemaking

Federal Register 2.0

Posted by on August 4, 2010 Comments Off

The Office of the Federal Register and the Government Printing Office have released the “Federal Register 2.0″ website.  According to a National Archives press release, http://www.federalregister.gov/ is “a new user-friendly version of the daily online Federal Register to encourage citizens to participate in the democratic process.”  The release of the new website on July 26, 2010, coincides with the 75th anniversary of the Federal Register Act.

A Government Printing Office press release further describes the new Federal Register website.

This daily journal of government has provided the public with access to government information and federal regulations for the past 75 years. Federal Register 2.0 features a new layout that organizes the content by topics similar to a newspaper Web site. The site displays individual sections for Money, Environment, World, Science and Technology, Business and Industry, and Health and Public Welfare. The Web site has improved search and navigation tools to guide readers to the most popular topics and relevant documents. Users can submit comments and stay connected through social media.

The Utah Division of Administrative Rules commends the Office of the Federal Register and the Government Printing Office on this innovative effort to make regulatory information more accessible.

For more information, the press release from the National Archives may be found at http://archives.gov/press/press-releases/2010/nr10-119.html .  The press release from the Government Printing Office may be found at http://www.gpo.gov/pdfs/news-media/press/10news26.pdf .

Tools for Rules: Building a 21st Century Toolkit for Regulation Writers

Posted by on September 7, 2006 Comments Off

*This announcement was originally posted to Harvard’s e-rulemaking ListServ on 09/07/2006. With Dr. Shulman’s permission, it is reposted here.*

Join members of the eRulemaking Research Group ( http://erulemaking.ucsur.pitt.edu/ ) to help test experimental human language tools designed to assist regulation writers who must review and address public comments. With funding from the National Science Foundation, the eRulemaking Research group has developed a set of new tools (such as duplicate/near duplicate detectors and sub-topic classifiers) specifically tailored to the challenge of sorting and reviewing large numbers of public comments. This 90 minute experiment will be conducted in the Bureau of Labor Statistics Behavior Research Lab. At these sessions, we will briefly introduce agency personnel to the project and the tools. After the briefing, all participants will complete a small set of tasks in a semi-structured, computer lab environment. The break will be followed by a 60 minute focus group.

Any information obtained in connection with these studies and that can be identified with you will remain confidential. Subject identities will be kept confidential through the use of third-person anonymous references in the text of manuscripts.

Where: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Postal Square Building (“Postal Museum” Building, Room 1950, 2 Massachusetts Ave., NE , Washington , DC 20212-0001 . You must enter BLS through the Visitors’ Entrance on 1st Street NE (between the Postal Square Building and Union Station) and be prepared to show a picture ID. The guards will provide directions to Room 1950 and as you exit the elevator to 1950 you will see directions to the Research Lab posted in full view.

When: Friday, September 29, 2006. There will be a total of 3 sessions. If you are able to attend, please select one session that suits your schedule.

Group I begins at 9:00 am and ends at 12:00 am (catered lunch when done)

Group II begins at 11:00 am and ends at 12:00 pm (catered lunch over break)

Group III begins at 2:00 pm and ends at 500 pm (coffee, drinks, and snacks over break)

Who: Personnel from federal agencies involved in the processing of public comments are invited to attend this event.

Why: All new technology requires user testing. With National Science Foundation funding, we have constructed these tools to assist agency personnel who are at times facing a “virtual” flood of comments generated by interest groups interested in using rulemaking as a platform for political pressure or membership drives. By attending one of these sessions, you will increase the likelihood that such tools will work and that they will move from the research lab into regular agency practice.

How: Send an email to Shulman@pitt.edu indicating which session you would like to attend.

This research project was made possible with the following grants from the National Science Foundation : IIS-0429293 “Collaborative Research: Language Processing Technology for Electronic Rulemaking,” EIA-00328914 “SGER COLLABORATIVE: A Testbed for eRulemaking Data,” SES-0322662 “Democracy and E-Rulemaking: Comparing Traditional vs. Electronic Comment from a Discursive Democratic Framework,” and EIA-0089892 “SGER: Citizen Agenda-Setting in the Regulatory Process: Electronic Collection and Synthesis of Public Commentary.”

Dr. Stuart W. Shulman
Assistant Professor
School of Information Sciences
Graduate School of Public and International Affairs
Senior Research Associate
Qualitative Data Analysis Program, Director
University Center for Social and Urban Research
University of Pittsburgh
121 University Place, Suite 600
Pittsburgh , PA 15260
412.624.3776 (v) 412.624.4810 (f)
http://shulman.ucsur.pitt.edu/ (home page)

E-rulemaking Stakeholders Report Issued

Posted by on October 15, 2004 Comments Off

Notice provided over the E-rulemaking ListServ announces the availability of a new report. “The Internet Still Might (but Probably Won’t) Change Everything: Stakeholder Views on the Future of Electronic Rulemaking,” is “about the impact of modern information technology and the Internet on the federal rulemaking process.” Dr. Stuart W. Shulman, a professor at University of Pittsburgh, authored the report. The press release describes the report in the following terms:

The report examines such questions as: “What’s the proper role of public discussion in rulemaking? How do these technologies both create new opportunities and liabilities for people who want to engage in the process?”

* * * * *

Shulman argues that by creating databases of the public’s comments and building appropriate tools to analyze them, federal agencies will be able to make their decisions with the best available information. How these tools are designed and used will impact the nature and scope of public participation.

“The report argues that we should talk openly about this, because the regulatory process results in literally billions of dollars of costs and benefits to the economy every year,” said Shulman. “It is important that these issues be aired openly before technical choices are made that have far-reaching practical implications.”

The report is available at http://erulemaking.ucsur.pitt.edu/doc/reports/e-rulemaking_final.pdf. Additional information above E-rulemaking is available at http://erulemaking.ucsur.pitt.edu/.

Federal E-Rulemaking Update

Posted by on September 16, 2004 Comments Off

In an E-mail posted to the E-Rulemaking ListServ (http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/cbg/rpp/erulemaking/) (follow the “ListServ” link) operated by Harvard University, John Moses, deputy director of the E-rulemaking initiative, reports on the status of the new federal-wide electronic docket system. He indicates that the system will be ready for agency beta-testing by late 2004/early 2005, with updates released throughout 2005.

He also announces that “The Regulatory Policy Program at Harvard University, in partnership with the eRulemaking Initiative, is hosting an on-line discussion board.” The purpose of the discussion board is to solicit feedback and encourage a discussion of the issues. The address for the discussion board is http://icommons.harvard.edu/~hu-erulemaking (Note: registration is required).

Mr. Moses concludes his message stating that more information about the E-Rulemaking initiative is available online at http://www.Regulations.gov/ (follow the “eRulemaking” link).

“E-Rulemaking: Information Technology and the Regulatory Process” in Admin L Rev

Posted by on July 22, 2004 Comments Off

The Spring 2004 issue of Administrative Law Review (Vol. 56, No. 2) includes an article by Cary Coglianese (Irvine Visiting Professor of Law, Stanford Law School; Associate Professor of Public Policy and Chair of the Regulatory Policy Program, KSG, Harvard) entitled “E-Rulemaking: Information Technology and the Regulatory Process.” The article, starting on page 353, reports the results of two E-rulemaking focus group meetings held in March 2002 and January 2003. The article summarizes the goals of E-rulemaking, outlines the phases currently envisioned by the federal initiative, and identifies many potential improvements that information technology can bring to the process.

The article has important implications for Utah, and other states. As a visioning document, it provides a great deal of perspective as we look at eRules (Utah’s web-enabled rule filing system) and consider improvements to the system and the process itself.

– Ken Hansen

Harvard’s “E-Rulemaking: Information Technology and Regulatory Policy” Report Issued

Posted by on June 9, 2004 Comments Off

The Regulatory Policy Program at the Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government’s Center for Business and Government has issued a report entitled “E-Rulemaking: Information Technology and Regulatory Policy.” A press release with details about the report is available at http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/press/releases/2004/erulemaking_052504.htm.

The report itself is available in PDF format at http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/press/E-Rulemaking_Report.pdf .

Update: Federal Computer Week ran a June 14th article (http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2004/0614/web-erule-06-14-04.asp) regarding the E-Rulemaking report.

– Ken Hansen

Update–9/1/2004: It appears that Harvard has removed the report from its web site.

Update–10/9/2008:  Federal Computer Week has removed its June 14th, 2004, article.

Update–5/16/2011:  The report is available at http://www.law.upenn.edu/academics/institutes/regulation/erulemaking/papers_reports/E_Rulemaking_Report2004.pdf.  Related information can be found at http://www.erulemaking.org/.  Thank you, Professor Coglianese, for the update.

Update–7/30/2012:  UPenn has changed addresses again.  The 2004 E-Rulemaking report can be found at https://www.law.upenn.edu/institutes/regulation/erulemaking/papers_reports/E_Rulemaking_Report2004.pdf.

Update–8/17/2012:  The address for http://www.erulemaking.org/ has been changed to https://www.law.upenn.edu/academics/institutes/regulation/erulemaking/ .