Notice and Comment
Get involved in the federal regulatory process
About
Submitting a comment for a federal or state notice of proposed rulemaking is one of the simplest and essential ways for the public to participate in the rulemaking process. ACS’s Notice and Comment initiative identifies opportunities to comment on key regulations put forth by federal and state agencies. ACS monitors the federal register for notices of proposed regulatory changes and highlights select opportunities that may be of interest to our members. ACS encourages our members to write and submit comments, but we are also looking for volunteers to research comments and provide expert talking points to guide comment writing. For more information, check out our Notice and Comment Webinar.
Please email LCEmails@acslaw.org with the subject line “Notice and Comment” for more information.
State Regulation Monitors
Seeking Volunteers for Monitoring Proposed Regulatory Changes in the States
ACS is expanding its Notice and Comment Project, which monitors regulations and policy-making and then highlights select opportunities that may be of interest to our members, to include all 50 states. There is currently no single location to find proposed regulatory changes for all 50 states. Not only that, but many state proposed regulatory changes are difficult to monitor and not easily accessible to the general public. ACS is looking for volunteers to monitor, on a weekly basis, state notices of proposed rulemaking. Please email LCEmails@acslaw.org for more information.
Federal Opportunities
Top Notice and Comment Opportunities
- The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are seeking comment by September 18, 2023 on draft guidelines pertaining to mergers and antitrust. The proposed guidelines represent critical reform to counter mega-mergers and market consolidation at the expense of competition to ensure that antitrust laws address today’s market realities. Comments may be submitted here. Read more from CNN and CNBC.
- The United States Copyright Office is undertaking a study of the copyright law and policy issues raised by artificial intelligence (AI) systems. To inform the Office’s study and help assess whether legislative or regulatory steps in this area are warranted, the Office seeks comment on these issues, including those involved in the use of copyrighted works to train AI models, the appropriate levels of transparency and disclosure with respect to the use of copyrighted works, and the legal status of AI-generated outputs. Comments should be submitted electronically through regulations.gov. Specific instructions for submitting comments are available on the Copyright Office website at https://copyright.gov/policy/artificial-intelligence.
- The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is extending the period for public comments until September 25, 2023 on a request for comments previously published in the Federal Register on May 25, 2023, seeking information on the evolution of counterfeiting and piracy in recent years and ways to identify and develop future anticounterfeiting and antipiracy strategies. Comments may be submitted electronically through regulations.gov or in writing, to United States Patent and Trademark Office, Mail Stop OPIA, P.O. Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22314.
Members can also search the Federal Register for other comment opportunities.
State Opportunities
- The Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission will hold a public meeting on September 11 , 2023, at 11:30 am EST, to discuss cases of racially motivated lynching with the public. More information about the meeting can be found here.
Webinar
On September 19, ACS hosted a webinar on notice and comment procedure. Whether you care about environmental regulations, conditions for millions of workers across the country, financial controls, or any number of regulatory issues, this valuable training seminar covers the basics of the process that underlies all regulatory action with two seasoned experts. Notice and comment is a key oversight tool for agency activity, particularly in the current political environment, and it’s also a great way to develop knowledge in a particular area of the law. Whether you are an experienced practitioner or a law student still developing your experience, you can participate in notice and comment procedure to bring about change.
Featuring
Jill Dash, American Constitution Society, moderator
Emily Hogin, Perkins Coie
Raj Nayak, National Employment Law Project
Karl Sandstrom, Perkins Coie
Get involved in the federal regulatory process. Submitting a comment for a federal or state notice of proposed rulemaking is one of the simplest and essential ways for the public to participate in the rulemaking process. ACS’s Notice and Comment initiative identifies opportunities to comment on key regulations put forth by federal and state agencies.