GPO Begins Digital Release of Historical Federal Register
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) and the National Archives’ Office of the Federal
Register (OFR) start the digital release of historic issues of the Federal Register with issues from 1990-1994.
The complete collection of 1990s Federal Registers are now available digitally on GPO’s govinfo. www.govinfo.gov
This project will digitize a total of 14,587 individual issues, dating back to the first Federal Register in 1936.
Nearly two million pages are being digitized. The 1990s era of Federal Registers cover the Administrations of
Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, and include such highlights as:
- Nutrition Labeling Regulations
- Endangered and Threatened Wildlife/Plants Regulations
- FEMA notices on changes to Hotel/Motel Fire Safety Act
- 1991 Federal employee reported gifts from foreign Governments
“The digital versions of the Federal Register will give the public easy access on smartphones, tablets, laptops
and personal computers to the historic rules and regulations of our Government dating back to the
Administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt,” said GPO Director Davita Vance-Cooks. “Today’s release
is a milestone for the long-term relationship between the between GPO and the Office of the Federal Register in
providing the American public with regulatory information in multiple platforms.”
“We’re excited about our first release of historical Federal Register issues online. We look forward to
continuing our mission of transparent and open government by working with GPO to digitize all the historic
Federal Register issues,” said OFR Director Oliver Potts.
The first issue of the Federal Register came off GPO presses and was published on March 16, 1936. President
Franklin D. Roosevelt issued the first document, an executive order, to be published. The Federal Register is the
official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as
executive orders and other presidential documents. It is updated daily by 6 a.m. and is published Monday
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
GPO is the Federal Government's official, digital, secure resource for producing, procuring, cataloging,
indexing, authenticating, disseminating, and preserving the official information products of the U.S.
Government. The GPO is responsible for the production and distribution of information products and services
for all three branches of the Federal Government, including U.S. passports for the Department of State as well
as the official publications of Congress, the White House, and other Federal agencies in digital and print
formats. GPO provides for permanent public access to Federal Government information at no charge through www.govinfo.gov, partnerships with approximately 1,150 libraries nationwide participating in the Federal
Depository Library Program, and our secure online bookstore.
For more information, please visit www.gpo.gov.
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