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How to Track Legislation and Regulations

There are four web-based tools that are used by the AZA Government Affairs department to track Federal regulations and legislation.

1. Federal Register

The Federal Register (published daily) contains proposed and final rules and regulations; draft and final agency policies; agency meeting announcements; and final agency reports.

You can find information in the Federal Register in two ways:

Read the daily publication
The text of each day's Federal Register is available via this table of contents. If you are looking for a specific regulation, you'll need the date of the Federal Register notice and the name of the regulatory agency (e.g., Fish and Wildlife Service or the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service). This information is not searchable.

Search the archives
Past issues of the Federal Register are archived in a searchable database.

2. Code of Federal Regulations

The best source of information on existing Federal regulations is the Code of Federal Regulations.

At this site, you will find that the code has been broken down into 50 separate titles. The titles which are of the most concern to the AZA community are:

  • Title 9: Animal and Animal Products - USDA / APHIS/ Animal Care;
  • Title 21: Food and Drug - FDA / Communicable Diseases / Interstate Conveyance;
  • Title 42: Public Health - Public Health Service / CDC / Foreign Quarantine / Inspection and Licensing / Etiologic Agents / Non-Human Primates; and
  • Title 50: Wildlife and Fisheries - US Fish and Wildlife Service / National Marine Fisheries Service / Endangered Species Act / CITES / Marine Mammal Protection Act / Marine Mammal Commission.

3. Congress and Legislation

There are several web sites available for research the legislative activities of Congress. The AZA Government Affairs Department prefers to use Thomas, a service of the Library of Congress. You can search by bill number or a key word or phrase (including the bill's author) to find the text of the legislation and other important information such as bill summaries, co-sponsors, committee referrals, and bill status.

4. United States Code

Many new laws are created by simply amending old laws by altering or replacing a word or phrase. To view the most current version of existing legislation, consult the United States Code.

Click on "Browse the United States Code" to view the list of fifty titles. The titles of most concern to the AZA community are:

  • Title 7 - Agriculture;
  • Title 16 - Conservation;
  • Title 21 - Food and Drug; and
  • Title 42 - Public Health and Welfare.

All of these tools offer advanced and specialized search options. If you have any difficulty finding what you need, please contact Steve Olson, AZA Director of Government Affairs at 301/562-0777x249 or solson@aza.org for assistance.

Government Committees and Agencies

Congressional Committees: Senate
Congressional Committees: House
Cooperative Government Agencies
Convention on the Trade of Endangered Species
of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES)

CITES is an international agreement among participating nations. Its aim is to ensure that the import and export of live or dead species or parts thereof does not threaten their survival. Species can be listed in Appendix I (species threatened with extinction due to international trade), Appendix II (species not presently threatened with extinction, but may become so unless trade is regulated), and Appendix III (species regulated by a party nation for conservation purposes). In the United States, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service handles management authority for CITES.

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