The U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) and the National Archives' Office of the Federal Register (OFR) received an award for their innovation in creating FederalRegister.gov. The Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS) honored GPO and OFR with this first-time award as part of their Model Agency Initiative. GPO and OFR were recognized for FederalRegister.gov, "demonstrating efficiency, enhancing customer service, increasing transparency, and streamlining the regulatory process." FederalRegister.gov also provides bulk access to the source code of the Federal Register and makes XML data available in bulk, along with an easy-to-use Application Programming Interface so other agencies and non-governmental organizations can make customized versions.

A prestigious panel of experts from outside the Government voted unanimously to grant the Walter Gellhorn Innovation Award to FederalRegister.gov, recognizing innovation and best practices by Government agencies. The Model Agency Initiative surveys agencies, asking them to identify an area of strength they believe could serve as a model for other government agencies, as well as programs or practices at other agencies that they wish they could replicate in their own agency.

"This award is a testament to the collaboration between GPO and OFR and our joint effort to lead the way in Government innovation," said Public Printer Bill Boarman. "FederalRegister.gov is an informative Web site and a great tool that Government agencies and the public can use to customize Federal Register content."

"The Federal Register is honored to receive the prestigious Gellhorn Innovation Award," said Director of the Federal Register Ray Mosley.  "To see the hard work of OFR and GPO staffs recognized with this award by ACUS is especially gratifying. We continue to be inspired to make government better."

For more information on the award and ACUS:  http://www.acus.gov/best-practices/awards/walter-gellhorn-innovation-award-winner-office-of-the-federal-register/

"This submission met nearly all the criteria. FederalRegister.gov streamlines and enhances public participation in the regulatory process, and unifies the Regulatory Agenda. It provides direct access to individual agency dockets on Regulations.gov; it includes a comment countdown clock to alert readers to comment due dates; and it integrates Unified Agenda data into Federal Register documents," said ACUS Chairman Paul Verkuil.

The print and online versions of the Federal Register are the official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as executive orders and other Presidential documents. GPO coordinated the development aspects of FederalRegister.gov in collaboration with OFR. GPO's Federal Digital System (FDsys), a content management system and preservation repository, feeds content into FederalRegister.gov and acts as the holder of the official content and archived information.