2.108: Introduction The Office of the Federal Register presents this revised edition of the "Document Drafting Handbook." This edition replaces the handbook published June 1980. The updated requirements in this handbook reflect recent changes in regulatory development procedures, document format, and printing technology. The handbook is designed to help Federal agencies prepare documents for publication in the Federal Register. We have attempted to present the information in this handbook in a functional manner. The material has been divided into segments that allow the user to identify the information necessary to solve a particular problem. Editors of this handbook were Robert D. Fox, Roy Nanovic, and Ernie This handbook is issued under the Federal Register Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 15) and the regulations of the Administrative Committee of the Federal Register (1 CFR 15.10). Inquiries and comments should be addressed to the Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, DC 20408. Chapter I-The Federal Register/Code of Federal Regulations System Historical background Organization Congress established the Federal Register publication system as a method of informing the public of the regulations affecting them. Increasing legislative activity spurred by New Deal programs led Congress to delegate more responsibility to Federal departments and agencies. The delegated responsibility frequently took the form of authority to issue detailed regulations concerning complex social and economic issues. A central publication system was necessary to manage effectively the increased number and expanded scope of Federal regulations. The Federal Register Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 15), which became law on July 26, 1935, established a uniform system for handling agency regulations. The Act specifically provided for Publication in the Federal Register has certain legal effects: • It provides official notice of a document's existence and its content; • It creates a rebuttable presumption that the text is a true copy of the original document; • It indicates that the document was duly issued, prescribed, or promulgated; and • It provides evidence that is judicially noticed by a court of law. The Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 551 et seq.), which became law on June 11, 1946, added significant dimensions to the Federal Register publication system. The Act • Gave the public, with some stated exceptions, the right to participate in the rulemaking process by commenting on proposed rules; These two laws, the Federal Register Act and the Administrative Procedure Act, define the basic functions of the Federal Register system and provide the framework for the promulgation of government regulations. The Federal Register system is composed primarily of two major publica- |