When Congress passes a piece of legislation (also referred to as a law or a statute), relevant agencies are typically granted the authority to develop appropriate regulations (also referred to as rules) to accompany and enforce the law – the regulations are what "help government carry out public policy." While federal legislation is codified in the United States Code (U.S.C.), regulations are codified in the Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.). Click here for an example
The Copyright Act of 1976 was a law passed by Congress that established that "Copyright protection subsists, in accordance with this title, in original works of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression, now known or later developed, from which they can be perceived, reproduced, or otherwise communicated, either directly or with the aid of a machine or device" (17 U.S.C. § 102). In that law, Congress also specified that "The Register of Copyrights is authorized to establish regulations not inconsistent with law for the administration of the functions and duties made the responsibility of the Register under this title. All regulations established by the Register under this title are subject to the approval of the Librarian of Congress" (17 U.S.C. § 702). A regulation was then passed that established fees for registration, recordation, and related services. Currently the regulation states that registering a "standard claim in an original work of authorship for a single author" costs $35 in registration fees (37 CFR § 201.3(c)). So, the law helped shape the U.S.'s current copyright policy, while the regulation helped outline how the law would be enforced and administered.
The process for creating a regulation – known as rulemaking – can seem quite complicated at times. The two documents linked below provide easy-to-follow outlines of the regulatory process:
You can use Google to easily search government websites by including site:.gov at the end of your search string.
If you are not finding what you need, try adding the word policy or regulation to your search along with your topic (e.g. transportation policy).
Sample search: "natural gas" regulation site:.gov
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