1. CFR 2015 Liaison Conference Presentation
Steve Frattini, CFR Unit Supervisor
Overview of the unit, the products we produce, and wrap up with a quick discussion on corrections

2. Meet the CFR Unit Staff Unit Supervisor
Six GS-12 technical writer-editors for the CFR and e-CFR
One GS-13 lead technical writer-editor for the CFR and e-CFR
Decades of experience at the Register

3. What is the CFR? CFR stands for Code of Federal Regulations
Codification of regulatory text published in the Federal Register as a rule

4. What is the CFR? (Cont.) Volumes organized in 50 titles
Each title represents a subject area
At present, 50 titles take up 238 volumes + CFR Index. CFR unit responsible for 237
Size of each title varies. title 32 (National Defense) takes up 6 vols; title 40 (mostly EPA) takes up 33 vols. Others, like title 23 (Highways) take up only 1 book.
Title 35 since 2004 is the only vacated title. Formerly Panama Canal

5. What is the CFR? (Cont.) Printed CFR is the official, legal version
All volumes are published once a year, one quarter of the volumes every 3 months
Title 1 – Title 16 As of January 1
Title 17 – Title 27 As of April 1
Title 28 – Title 41 As of July 1
Title 42 – Title 50 As of October 1
Volumes with no changes are “cover only”
Fdsys authenticated electronic versions of the printed book
~40 volumes per editor per quarter

6. e-CFR Electronic Code of Federal Regulations Launched February 2001
Updated daily, two Federal workdays behind the calendar
Not legal, but is the source for printed, legal edition.
Effective date driven
Updates for effective dates that occur on weekends and holidays are grouped with the next business day
For example, this afternoon the CFR editors will be sending in amendments for the June 1 effective date. Also included may be amendments effective May 30 and 31.

7. e-CFR (Cont.)
Incorporate amendments effective on Federal Register publication
Insert links to amendment text that published but not yet effective.
Incorporate amendments that published in a prior Federal Register with a future effective date.
Links link to the amendatory text sourced from the Federal Register. Also contain a link to the official, authenticated online Federal Register on FDSys

8. e-CFR Linking
New persistent method for creating e-CFR links debuted in August 2014.
Old method resulted in broken bookmarks and links when parts and sections were added.
Check Agency sites for broken links
ecfr.gpoaccess.gov redirects
New method uses an identifier unique to each section and part level

9. e-CFR Point In Time
Launched Spring 2015, e-CFR PIT lets you view previous updates to the e-CFR
Driven by effective date
Data from January 1, 2015 forward
Easily accessed from the main e-CFR page
Right now we’re showing data for the Friday, May 29 on the eCFR.

10. e-CFR Point In Time (Cont.)
“Browse/Search Previous” on left

11. e-CFR Point In Time (Cont.)
Select month, day, and year to view. Press Go.

12. e-CFR Point In Time (Cont.)
If there was no update for the date selected, the effective date prior is returned.

13. e-CFR Point In Time (Cont.)
Date selected is equal to the current e-CFR

14. Corrections
Despite our collective best efforts, they happen during the course of drafting, printing, and incorporation.
Daily Issue correction
Agency issued correction
e-CFR correction
CFR correction
Often times the first step is just determining where in the process that the error occurred

15. Daily Issue Correction
Rule document is sent by OFR to GPO correct but publishes incorrectly.
Daily Issue unit drafts and publishes a correction the Federal Register.
CFR unit incorporates the correction.

16. Agency Issued Correction
Incorporation error caused by:
Inaccurate amendatory instruction
Incorrect regulatory text
Agency must publish a Rule correction in the Federal Register.
Often referred to as “correcting amendments”
Scheduling unit can provide drafting guidance.
Format depends on effective date

17. Agency Issued Correction (Cont.)
If the effective date of the rule you are correcting has not yet occurred, use the format for corrections to the Federal Register
Effective date must be the same or later than the effective date of the original rule being corrected
If the effective date of the rule you are correcting has already occurred, use the format for correcting amendments to the CFR
Effective date cannot be earlier than the publication date of the correction
Formats and other details found in the DDH:
Scheduling unit can assist with drafting a correction. And for the unusual cases will work with the CFR unit and the book’s editor to determine the best plan forward.

18. CFR Corrections CFR Unit editing errors:
Incorrectly incorporating an amendment
Failing to incorporate an amendment
Fixed via:
e-CFR Correction
CFR Correction

19. e-CFR Correction
Error caught prior to the revision date of the printed CFR.
May be corrected as early as the next business day.
Documented on the e-CFR corrections page
Text will be correct in the printed CFR

20. CFR Correction Errors caught after the revision date of the paper CFR
Tend to be older errors that require research in the Federal Register, CFR, and LSA.
Consultation with issuing agency if needed.
Published in the Federal Register
Incorporated into the e-CFR
Printed in the CFR at next revision.

21. CFR Correction
CFR corrections amend the most recently revised volume. It is the current legal version and supersedes prior versions
CFR corrections are listed in the LSA
CFR corrections are not sourced in the source notes. They do not make new regulatory changes and are only restoring the text to conform to the instructions directed by the issuing agency
No “statute of limitations” for reporting CFR errors

22. What Is Not a CFR Correction?
Changes to conform with GPO, Agency, or CFR style
Spelling, spacing, and punctuation errors that do not change the meaning of the regulations
Removal of GPO printing tags and other artifacts introduced during printing or electronic processing.
Changes to the font text size
Changes to source or editorial notes
Obvious typos, at the discretion of the CFR Unit Supervisor

23. Avoiding CFR Corrections
Consult the e-CFR during drafting
Work with Scheduling unit to draft clear, concise amendatory instructions.
Rules with 100+ amendments to incorporate effective on publication reduce review time.

24. Reporting CFR Errors
Contact the Scheduling unit and they will forward your concern to us. We in the CFR Unit will investigate and report our findings and plan of action to you
Contact the CFR Unit directly, via to or by calling
Steve Frattini, CFR Supervisor

25. Questions?