The executive branch
rulemaking
The legal process agencies must follow to issue binding regulations: publish a proposal, take public comment, respond, then publish a final rule.
In full
Congress writes statutes in broad strokes and delegates the details to agencies, which fill them in through rules carrying full force of law. The Administrative Procedure Act's notice-and-comment process governs: a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the Federal Register, a public comment period anyone may join, agency responses to significant comments, and a final rule courts can review.
Also written as: notice of proposed rulemaking, nprm, proposed rule
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A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.