Federal Register Modernization Act of 2024

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 9592, the Federal Register Modernization Act. This bill represents a big step forward in streamlining how the Federal Government retains public records and communicates with the public.

The Federal Register Act of 1935 was designed to ensure government transparency by requiring publication of Federal laws, Presidential proclamations, agency rules, and public notices in the Federal Register.

Today, with the increasing use of digital devices to conduct government operations, an electronic edition of the Federal Register is published every single business day. The publication of hard copy agency document submissions to the Office of the Federal Register creates unnecessary redundancy and administrative burdens, and, as my friend from Louisiana says, administrative burdens and environmental waste.

In 1936, the Office of the Federal Register published 2,620 pages in a year, just over 2,500 pages. By 2023 the Federal Register had expanded to more than 90,000 pages in a year. The volume of Federal documentation has grown exponentially over the last century, so the need for a more efficient and streamlined process is obvious.

This act would align with the current digital practices of Federal agencies and eliminate the need for multiple print submissions.

This bill allows for electronic only publication of the Federal Register except for two print copies maintained by the Office of the Federal Register. By maintaining and improving the digital format of the Federal Register, the office will operate more efficiently, ultimately benefiting not only Federal agencies and the environment but also the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I support this commonsense, bipartisan legislation. I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source