Rulemaking takes place after a law is enacted. Generally speaking, legislatures set broad policy mandates by passing statutes, then agencies create more detailed regulations through rulemaking. Regulations or rules define the process by which a law is carried out. Rules are
Rulemaking goes through multiple steps, including a public comment period, before it is adopted for implementation. The infographic below shows the federal rulemaking process. Note state rulemaking follows a similar process.
