What’s the Code of Federal Regulations?

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The Code of Federal Regulations are enforced by the executive branch of the US government and are segmented into 50 sections. The Administrative Procedure Act established rules for enforcement procedures and allows public scrutiny. The Federal Register publishes updates at specific times of the year, and the Code is legally binding on all US residents. Its constitutionality is open to interpretation.

Also known as government laws, the Code of Federal Regulations are codified rules enforced by the executive branch of the federal government in the United States of America. These laws, sometimes called simply CFRs, are segmented into 50 different sections of regulations and published by the Office of the Federal Register, a government agency that operates within the National Archives and Records Administration. The reason the Code of Federal Regulations exists is because the US Congress has limited constitutional authority to enforce laws that exist within the country. Instead, the executive branch headed by the president and other administrative organizations are responsible for enforcing federal law.

In 1946, the Administrative Procedure Act passed Congress and was signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. The purpose of this law was to allow executive agencies operating within the federal government the opportunity to establish rules governing enforcement procedures. Prior to this period, the executive branch was free to determine how laws enacted by Congress were enforced. Now, some parameters have been codified, constraining and limiting the actions of federal agencies. This same act has been codified into federal law under Title Five, Section 500 of the United States Code.

Under the law, all procedures that fall under the Code of Federal Regulations are subject to public scrutiny. As the Federal Register publishes rule changes, citizens can comment and lobby their representatives in Congress for mandate changes or support. While it is not common for Congress to consistently act on these procedures, the process is sometimes significant within legislative branch oversight committees.

The Federal Register has a second mandate responsibility to publish the updated Code of Federal Regulations at specific times of the year, on the first day of certain months. The first sixteen are published in January, from 17 to 27 in April, from 28 to 41 in July and from 42 to 50 in October. Each of these sections deals with a specific duty of the federal government such as shipping regulations, housing and urban development, and workers’ rights.

The Code of Federal Settlements is open to interpretation as to its constitutionality. While there is no mention of mandates in the Constitution itself, there is certainly a mention that laws must be made by the legislative branch. How these laws take shape is a matter of debate. Despite the objections, the judicial branch of the federal government has accepted all sections of the Code of Federal Regulations as statutory law, legally binding on all residents of the United States




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