On the recordMarch 12, 2019
Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Democratic governments must be transparent and accountable to the American people. Recordkeeping laws are vital to both. In support of transparency and accountability, the Federal Register Act of 1935, as my friend from the District of Columbia mentioned earlier, was created, and it actually created the Federal Register. The Federal Register, a lot of people are not aware, is a daily publication of government information, such as Presidential documents, rules, proposed rules, and public notices. The Federal Register provides official notice of a document's existence to the public. The Federal Register also provides the building blocks for the Code of Federal Regulations, which makes it easier for the public to find Federal regulations by compiling them all in one place. In 1994, the Government Publishing Office began publishing the Federal Register online. When I got here, I actually got a paper copy of these Federal Registers, and I didn't know what to do with them. I mean, they were just reams and reams. The gentlewoman from the District of Columbia is right. This is a good-government, efficient way, hopefully, that gives the Federal Register the ability to save American taxpayer money. That online Register now includes navigational aids and links to related content, and it is fully searchable and downloadable. Congress has previously taken steps to make the Federal Register more efficient.…





