Legal Status
This site displays a prototype of a “Web 2.0” version of the daily Federal Register. It is not an official legal edition of the Federal Register, and does not replace the official print version or the official electronic version on GPO’s govinfo.gov.
The documents posted on this site are XML renditions of published Federal Register documents. Each document posted on the site includes a link to the corresponding official PDF file on govinfo.gov. This prototype edition of the daily Federal Register on FederalRegister.gov will remain an unofficial informational resource until the Administrative Committee of the Federal Register (ACFR) issues a regulation granting it official legal status. For complete information about, and access to, our official publications and services, go to About the Federal Register on NARA's archives.gov.
The OFR/GPO partnership is committed to presenting accurate and reliable regulatory information on FederalRegister.gov with the objective of establishing the XML-based Federal Register as an ACFR-sanctioned publication in the future. While every effort has been made to ensure that the material on FederalRegister.gov is accurately displayed, consistent with the official SGML-based PDF version on govinfo.gov, those relying on it for legal research should verify their results against an official edition of the Federal Register. Until the ACFR grants it official status, the XML rendition of the daily Federal Register on FederalRegister.gov does not provide legal notice to the public or judicial notice to the courts.
Reader Aids
Plain Writing
To implement the Plain Writing Act of 2010, the Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) issued final guidance on April 13, 2011. The purpose of the Plain Writing Act and the follow-on guidance is to make sure that agencies write clearly and avoid jargon when they communicate with the American people about Federal services and benefits.
The Plain Language Action and Information Network (PLAIN) is the official interagency working group designated to assist in issuing plain writing guidance. Consult OIRA’s final guidance for PLAIN contact information for help in carrying out plain writing efforts. You can learn more about PLAIN at www.plainlanguage.gov.
For future reference, we added links to the OIRA guidance and the Public Law on the “Regulatory Improvement” page of FederalRegister.gov. The OFR also has resources for plain language writing on our Archives.gov web pages, which are also linked from the Document Drafting & Research page of this site.