Once Congress passes a bill, authorizes it, and appropriates funds, the professionals employed by government agencies are then charged with developing the procedures and guidelines by which a policy will be implemented. Experienced advocates recognize that the development of such rules and regulations must be monitored to ensure an agency does not alter or diminish the intent of a law. For example, if Congress passes a law to ensure adequate drinking water for citizens, but agency regulations only require water quality testing every 10 years, the original intent of the law is lost.
The critical time for citizen involvement in the development of regulations is when they are initially proposed by a specific agency. Before new regulations become part of the Administrative Code, they must first appear as proposals in the "Federal Register." The public is usually allotted 60 to 90 days to submit written comments. If the rule/regulation is related to a controversial or technical issue, the agency may also schedule field hearings that allow additional citizen input.
When rules/regulations are finalized and announced, they carry the same weight as laws and may invoke penalties for non-compliance. Agencies develop policy statements and interpretive rulings that explain specific aspects of individual regulations. Copies of these documents and the implemented regulations may be obtained from the agency responsible for ensuring compliance and from the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).