pol428h

POL 428: Politics of Regulation Library Research Guide

A number of resources are available in HSSE Library and online to conduct research on the regulatory policies of U.S. federal agencies.

Useful databases for searching for scholarly political science journal articles are:

PAIS International
Worldwide Political Science Abstracts

Records from these databases will contain links to the PUrdue Libraries Online Catalog so you can see if we have paper or electronic copies of these articles.

You can find books on government agencies and organizations, including histories of these agencies and organizations, by doing Library of Congress Subject Heading (LCSH) or subject searches in the online catalog. Examples include:

United States Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency Appropriations and Expenditures
(Will help you find books and reports on this agency's budget)
United States Environmental Protection Agency Management
Poisons Law and Legislation United States

Reference Sources
United States Government Manual HSSE REF Desk 353 Un35 (Annual resource providing information on the responsibilities of individual federal agencies, their organizational charts, and citations to the laws giving them the authority to issue the regulations they make to enforce laws.)
Federal Regulatory Directory HSSE REF Desk 353,00025 F316 13th 2008
This commerciallyu published book provides more detailed analysis of the regulatory programs carried out by federal agencies.

Legal Reference Sources
Slip Laws HSSE DOC REF AE 2.110 Contains the text of public laws after they are passed by Congress and signed by the President. e.g. P.L. 111-4 DTV Delay Act.
U.S. Statutes at Large HSSE REF 345 Un3 Permanent collection of public and private laws passed by individual two year congressional sessions.
United States Code HSSE REF 345 Un3co Compilation of all U.S. laws codified into 50 different title or subject areas. e.g. 8 USC 1224. Features a subject index, informaiton on coverting laws from Statute at Large citations, converting presidential executive orders to U.S. Code citations, information on where to find agency reorganization plans, and a Popular Law Name index and cross-reference.

Use GPO Access for one-stop access to the U.S. Government's legal, legislative, and regulatory information resources.

Use LexisNexis Academic to look up federal and state court case opinions, federal and state statutes, and law review articles.

Regulatory Reference Sources
Several publications make up the U.S. Government's regulatory information resources including:

Federal Register Publication System: What It Is and How to Use It
Code of Federal Regulations HSSE REF 353.995 C64 Broken into 50 titles or subject areas e.g. 40 CFR 53, the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) is published annually on a rotating basis throughout the year and contains the cumulation of all federal regulations. These regulations include text, graphs, charts, and chemical formulas and will also feature citations to the laws giving agencies the authority to issue such regulations. The E-CFR provides daily (M-F) updating of CFR regulations from the the Federal Register and is NOT an official legal CFR edition.
Federal Register HSSE REF 353.005 and HSSE Microform. Published Monday-Friday each week, the Federal Register lists notices of agency meetings, presidential executive orders and proclamations, the text of published agency regulations, and the text of proposed agency agency regulations. Entries for proposed regulations invite public comment on these regulations and provide contact information on the responsible official(s) at these agencies. Use regulations.gov to make and view comments on these proposed regulations.
List of Sections Affected HSSE REF 353.005 C64 LSA Monthly publication updating changes in the CFR since the most recent annual CFR revision. Features references to Federal Register page numbers.
Unified Agenda Published twice a year in the Federal Register, this lists regulatory actions agencies anticipate engaging in over the next six months. November 24, 2008 is the most recent edition.
reginfo.gov A collaborative website between the General Services Administration and the Office of Management and Budget containing information on the federal regulatory process. See the Reg Map for a chart with an overview of the federal regulatory process.

Additional federal regulatory process information provides include:

National Archives and Records Administration Office of the Federal Register
Office responsible for producing the CFR, Federal Register, and other important federal legal and regulatory publications.
Government Accountability Office This congresional support office publishes numerous reports documenting the management performance of federal agency programs.
Office of Management and Budget Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA)This office is responsible for approving regulations drafted by agencies to ensure they comply with existing law and presidential administration policy.

Professor Bert Chapman
Government Information & Political Science Librarian
42837
chapmanb@purdue.edu (5/09 rev.)