New Version of Regulations.gov Unveiled

The Obama administration has launched a new version of Regulations.gov – the federally run website that allows users to comment on proposed regulations and find information in rulemaking dockets.

The changes appear to be largely cosmetic. The site is certainly more aesthetically pleasing, and links and search features are now more prominent.

Unfortunately, thus far, I've encountered a lot of bugs on the site. At times, pages haven't loaded and several links have turned out to be broken.

The site does include a couple groovy new features. Users can now search within a search. For example, if you find an Environmental Protection Agency rule with hundreds of comments, but you only want to read the comments of John Doe or Jane Doe, you can refine your search to include only those comments.

Historically, Regualtions.gov has frustrated users. For example, the search and sort functions have proved limited, making it difficult for users to easily find what they are looking for. Regulations.gov also does not provide adequate options for users to be notified of new information about a proposed rule or about updates posted online.

Recently, the administration has reached out to the public to get feedback on Regulations.gov and ideas for improvement. While the new site reflects some of those suggestions, many had hoped for more significant changes. (See OMB Watch's comments here.)

If you have used the new version of Regulations.gov and have noticed improvements or flaws, or have general reactions, leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

back to Blog