RESEARCHING FEDERAL ADMINISTRATIVE AGENCY RULES AND REGULATIONS

This guide is to the official publications: the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations. I have also included directories for locating general information regarding federal agencies.

Administrative agency rules and regulations have the same legal effect as federal laws and are primary sources of law. Agencies receive their authority to issue rules and regulations from federal law and the Office of the President. Agencies can be called commissions, such as the Civil Rights Commission; departments, such as the Department of Labor; boards, such as the National Labor Relations Board; and offices such as the General Accounting Office.

Rules and regulations are first published in the Federal Register and are then codified in the Code of Federal Regulations . The Federal Register updates the Code of Federal Regulations . Because rules and regulations change frequently, it is crucial to update the Code of Federal Regulations by using the Federal Register.

If you are using the printed version, the first time you update can be confusing. I have included instructions for updating the printed as well as the online versions. Updating online can be much easier.

FEDERAL REGISTER

The Federal Register is where proposed and final rules and regulations are initially published. It also contains advanced notices of proposed rules and regulations, proposed rules and regulations themselves, executive orders and other executive rulings having legal effect. The Federal Register has been published since 1936.

PRINTED SOURCES

Location: 6th Floor - Main Reading Room KF 70. A2 Older issues are on microfiche starting with 1965 in drawer 92-- Microforms Collection, Room 675 on 6th Floor of Library

ONLINE SOURCES

• LEXIS(since July 1980)
• Library: GENFED
• File: FEDREG

• WESTLAW (since January 1980)
• Database: FR

• HeinOnline (since 1936)
  
  

• FDsys Since 1994. Searchable.

After rules and regulations are published in the Federal Register , they are codified in the Code of Federal Regulations . The CFR is divided into 50 titles and published annually. The titles are not reissued all at once but on a quarterly schedule. There is a timetable printed at the beginning of every CFR issue. Because rules and regulations change frequently, it is necessary to update the CFR. The instructions for updating are:

LSA Quarterly Cumulation	Most Recent LSA
Each month since the most recent LSA	Most Recent Federal Register

CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS

PRINTED SOURCES

Location: 6th Floor - Main Reading Room KF 70.A3 Older issues starting with 1938 are on microfiche in drawer 103-- .Microforms Collection, Room 675 on 6th Floor of Library

ONLINE SOURCES

• LEXIS
• Library: GENFED
• File: CFR
• File: ALLREG (Contains both the Code of Federal Regulations and the Federal Register)
  If you search the ALLREG file you will retrieve the Code of Federal Regulations as well as the Federal Register so you will retrieve changes published in the Federal Register.

• WESTLAW
• Database: CFR
  Updating the CFR on WESTLAW is very easy. WESTLAW provides an update message of documents that have changes. You just need to tab to the Update Jump marker and press enter.

• HeinOnline (since 1938)
  

• FDsys Some sections from 1996. All from 1997+. Searchable. After you find the CFR title and section you need, you need to update it by going to the GPO Federal Register database and doing a search by the CFR title and section you are researching.

CITATIONS TO FEDERAL COURT DECISIONS, STATE COURT DECISIONS, AND SELECTED LAW REVIEWS

SHEPARD'S CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS CITATIONS

Location: 6th Floor - Main Reading Room

DIRECTORIES CONTAINING INFORMATION ON ADMINISTRATIVE AGENCIES

PRINTED SOURCES

THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT MANUAL

Provides names, addresses, phone numbers and descriptions of agencies. Location: 6th Floor - Main Reading Room Library (JK 421.A3.REF)

WASHINGTON INFORMATION DIRECTORY

Provides names, addresses, prone numbers, and brief descriptions of agencies. Location: 6th Floor - Main Reading Room Library (F192.3.W33.REF)

FEDERAL REGULATORY DIRECTORY

Provides names, addresses, phone numbers and descriptions of agencies. For the 13 largest agencies, brief biographies are provided of agency personnel. Location: 6th Floor - Main Reading Room Library (KF 5406. A15. F64. REF)

FEDERAL STAFF DIRECTORY

Provides names, addresses, phone numbers, descriptions of agencies and brief biographies of agency personnel. Location: 6th Floor - Main Reading Room Library (JK 723.E9.f44.REF)

ONLINE SOURCES FOR THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT MANUAL

FDsys Provides names, addresses, phone numbers and descriptions of agencies. Searchable and includes archives. From 1995.

 

• LEXIS
• Lib: LEXREF
• File: USGM

• WESTLAW
• Database: US-GOVMAN

Please send your questions, comments or updates to Rick Buckingham, Reference Librarian.

Last Updated: June 29, 2006