The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is planning to launch a web site on December 18 that will allow users to view and submit comments on any federal regulation. Using this centralized web portal, located at http://www.regulations.gov, citizens will be able to find a rule and comment on it without needing to know which agency is handling the regulation, or the exact name or ID number of the rule. Public input will be critical as OMB develops the site to make it more responsive to citizens' needs. OMB Watch encourages anyone who uses the site to give OMB feedback on how it could be improved. Online Rulemaking is one of 24 "E-Government Initiatives" outlined in the E-Government Strategy that implements the President's Management Agenda for e-government. OMB is carrying out the online rulemaking initiative with EPA, in a recent switch, facilitating as the lead agency. Previously, the administration announced DOT as the lead agency. OMB's development of a single portal that allows citizens to access all federal regulations is a key first step to a successful online rulemaking process, as OMB Watch noted in a recent article assessing the status of e-rulemaking. As it moves forward to facilitate online rulemaking, the administration should, among other things, ensure that public participation in the rulemaking process is simple and easy for all citizens and that agency systems are able to accept and incorporate an increased number of public comments. Mark Forman, OMB's Associate Director for IT and E-government, addressed these and other issues at the November 21 Interagency Regulatory Forum on "Citizen Centered E-Government," which OMB Watch attended. Forman pointed out that there were 65 million downloads from the Federal Register last year and 100 million downloads from the Code of Federal Regulations web site. He made clear that if millions of people want to get involved in the federal rulemaking process, OMB should make sure it is possible. Forman also stressed that the appropriate integration of the rulemaking process and e-government should yield better regulations, increased compliance with existing regulations, and a decreased reporting burden on the regulated community. Not only is online rulemaking in the President's Management Agenda, it just became law in the recently passed E-Government Act of 2002. The bill instructs regulatory agencies to provide online “electronic dockets for rulemakings,” including any notices published in the Federal Register, supporting materials, as well as public comments, which agencies are to accept through electronic means (e.g., email) “to the extent practicable.” OMB is also to establish a timeline for implementation of agency e-dockets. OMB Watch will continue to monitor agencies' online rulemaking systems, as well as OMB's implementation of the E-Government Strategy and the E-Government Act.