Commentari

Commentari is a civic engagement platform designed to bridge the critical gap between federal rulemaking and public participation. The platform addresses a fundamental problem in democratic governance: federal agencies issue complex regulations and rules faster than stakeholders can meaningfully respond, while form letters and template-based comments are routinely dismissed as a single, non-substantive submission. Commentari closes this gap by leveraging artificial intelligence to help individuals and organizations craft unique, substantive public comments that carry legal weight under the Administrative Procedure Act. The product was built by Eric Epstein, a 32-year veteran of the DOJ and ATF who served as the primary author of the Ghost Gun Rule and received the Distinguished Presidential Rank Award. His unique perspective, having spent decades on the receiving end of public comments, informs every aspect of the platform. Commentari is designed for individual citizens who want their voice heard on pending legislation or regulations, as well as for nonprofits, advocacy groups, and associations seeking to coordinate community engagement campaigns. The platform summarizes complex rules and legislation in plain language, identifies issues that agencies must legally address, and helps each supporter draft a unique comment in their own voice. Submissions are sent directly to Regulations.gov for federal rules and to Congress through authorized channels, ensuring every comment is officially on the record. With no templates and no duplication, Commentari ensures that every argument is personal, substantive, and impactful.

Instant Policy Analysis

Commentari eliminates the need to read hundreds of pages of dense legal jargon. The platform uses AI to digest complex statutes and regulations, generating clear, unbiased summaries that anyone can understand. This feature breaks down the most critical aspects of a proposed rule or bill, highlighting key deadlines, legal requirements under the Administrative Procedure Act, and the specific issues that agencies must address in their final rulemaking. Users gain a comprehensive understanding of a policy’s implications without spending hours deciphering bureaucratic language, enabling them to make informed decisions about their stance and the arguments they wish to present.

Smart Drafting

The smart drafting feature empowers users to write professional, effective public comments in seconds. Users can select their stance on a policy (support, neutral, or against) and choose from a range of tones, including professional, legalistic, witty, or urgent. The AI then generates a draft comment that reflects the user’s personal perspective and voice, ensuring that each submission is unique and substantive. This feature is designed to avoid the pitfalls of form letters by creating original language that articulates the user’s position clearly and persuasively, increasing the likelihood that the comment will be considered seriously by agency reviewers.

Collective Impact and Campaign Management

For organizations, Commentari provides powerful tools to coordinate campaigns and track the collective impact of their community on policy. This feature includes branded campaign pages, real-time member analytics, automated policy tracking for new rules and legislation, and seamless integration with existing systems. Organizations can monitor engagement metrics, verify citations, and embed donation links directly into their campaigns. This transforms scattered individual efforts into a coordinated movement, allowing groups to demonstrate the breadth and depth of public sentiment on specific issues and multiply their influence on the regulatory process.

Verified Government Submission

Commentari ensures that every comment reaches its intended destination through verified integration with official government channels. For federal rules, comments are submitted directly to Regulations.gov, the official portal for federal rulemaking. For legislative matters, submissions are routed to Congress through authorized channels. This feature handles all the technical and bureaucratic paperwork, guaranteeing that the user’s comment is officially on the record with the correct docket or bill number. Users receive confirmation of their submission, providing peace of mind that their voice has been formally entered into the public record.

Individual Citizen Advocating on a Federal Regulation

A concerned citizen learns about a newly proposed federal regulation from the Environmental Protection Agency that could affect water quality in their local community. Using Commentari, they search the platform’s live database of over 1,500 active bills and regulations. The AI provides a plain-language summary of the 200-page rule, highlighting the specific provisions that impact local water systems. The citizen selects their stance as “Against” and chooses a “Witty” tone to craft a memorable comment. Commentari generates a unique, substantive draft that references the specific legal issues the EPA must address. The citizen reviews and submits the comment directly to Regulations.gov, ensuring their personal perspective is officially on the record.

Nonprofit Organization Coordinating a Campaign

An environmental nonprofit wants to mobilize its 10,000 members to submit comments opposing a new air quality rule. The organization uses Commentari’s campaign management tools to create a branded campaign page with a clear call to action. Members receive automated notifications about the rule and its deadlines. Each member uses the smart drafting tool to create a unique comment in their own voice, choosing from recommended talking points provided by the organization. The nonprofit tracks real-time engagement metrics, seeing how many members have submitted comments and their geographic distribution. This coordinated effort demonstrates widespread, authentic public opposition, significantly amplifying the organization’s advocacy power.

Legal Professional Drafting a Complex Comment

A lawyer or policy analyst needs to submit a technically precise comment on a proposed financial regulation. They use Commentari’s “Legalistic” tone option to generate a draft that adheres to proper legal terminology and structure. The platform’s citation verification feature ensures all references to statutes and prior regulations are accurate. The professional can then edit and expand upon the AI-generated draft, adding their own legal arguments while benefiting from the platform’s analysis of the rule’s compliance with the Administrative Procedure Act. This streamlines the drafting process while maintaining the high level of rigor required for legal submissions.

Advocacy Group Tracking Multiple Pending Bills

A coalition focused on criminal justice reform needs to stay informed about dozens of pending bills in Congress and proposed rules from the Department of Justice. They use Commentari’s automated policy tracking feature, which scans the database nightly for new developments. The coalition receives alerts when new rules are proposed or when existing bills are amended. Each member of the coalition can then quickly generate and submit comments on the most relevant policies without needing to manually search government websites. This continuous monitoring ensures the group never misses a critical comment period and can respond rapidly to emerging policy changes.

How does Commentari ensure my comment is unique and not treated as a form letter?

Commentari is explicitly designed to prevent the duplication that plagues traditional form letters. The AI generates each comment from scratch based on your selected stance, chosen tone, and the specific policy details. The platform does not use templates or pre-written text. Instead, it analyzes the policy’s language and legal requirements, then constructs original sentences that articulate your personal perspective. This ensures that every comment submitted through Commentari is substantively different from others, even if multiple users are commenting on the same rule. Federal agencies are required to consider unique, substantive comments individually, whereas form letters are often dismissed as a single submission.

Is Commentari free to use?

Yes, Commentari offers a free tier that allows individual users to generate and submit up to three public comments per month at no cost. This provides an accessible entry point for citizens who want to engage with the regulatory process occasionally. For users who need to submit more comments regularly, or for organizations that require advanced features like campaign management, branded pages, real-time analytics, and automated tracking, Commentari offers paid subscription plans. Specific pricing details for these premium tiers are available on the platform’s website under the “For Organizations” section.

What types of policies can I comment on using Commentari?

Commentari tracks a comprehensive database of over 1,500 active bills and regulations in real time. This includes proposed federal rules from all executive branch agencies that are subject to the public comment period required by the Administrative Procedure Act. The platform also covers pending legislation in the United States Congress. Users can search the database for specific policies by keyword, agency, or topic, or browse trending issues. The platform is continuously updated as new rules are proposed and new bills are introduced, ensuring that users have access to the most current opportunities for public participation.

How does Commentari handle my personal information and submission data?

Commentari takes data privacy and security seriously, as outlined in its Privacy Policy and Responsible Use guidelines. When you submit a comment through the platform, your name and comment text are transmitted to the relevant government agency (Regulations.gov or Congress) as required by law for the comment to be official. Commentari does not sell your personal information. The platform uses encryption to protect your data during transmission and storage. Your account information, including your comment history and preferences, is stored securely and is only used to improve your experience on the platform. You can review the full Privacy Policy and Terms of Service on the Commentari website for complete details on data handling practices.