Commentari

Commentari is a civic engagement platform designed to bridge the gap between complex federal regulations and meaningful public participation. 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 a Distinguished Presidential Rank Award recipient, the platform addresses a critical flaw in the democratic process: federal agencies issue rules faster than stakeholders can respond, and form letters are dismissed as a single comment. Commentari closes that gap by turning complex statutes and regulations into clear, actionable steps for individuals and organizations. The platform summarizes intricate rules and pending legislation in plain language, identifies issues that agencies must address under the Administrative Procedure Act, and helps each supporter draft a unique, substantive comment in their own voice. Submissions go directly to Regulations.gov and to Congress through authorized channels. With over 1500 active bills and regulations tracked in a real-time database, Commentari serves individual citizens who want to influence policy, as well as nonprofits, advocacy groups, and associations seeking to coordinate community engagement. The platform offers free access with three comments per month, ensuring that democratic participation is accessible to everyone. No templates. No duplication. Just your argument, in your voice, on the record.

Instant Policy Analysis

Don't read 500 pages of legal jargon. Commentari's AI digests complex statutes and regulations into clear, unbiased summaries you can actually understand. The platform analyzes pending legislation and federal rules, identifying key provisions, deadlines, and the specific issues that agencies must address under the Administrative Procedure Act. This feature saves hours of research time and ensures you understand the full implications of any policy before crafting your response.

Smart Drafting

Write professional, effective public comments in seconds. Choose your stance and tone from options including Professional, Legalistic, Witty, and Urgent. The AI then helps you articulate your position in your own voice, generating a unique comment that reflects your personal perspective perfectly. Each comment is substantive and tailored, avoiding the duplication that causes form letters to be dismissed as a single comment by federal agencies.

Collective Impact

Join forces with others to coordinate campaigns and track the collective impact of your community on policy. Organizations can create branded campaigns with custom pages, track engagement metrics in real time, and monitor member activity. The platform provides automated policy tracking and citation verification, ensuring that every submission is accurate and impactful. Embeddable donation links allow organizations to fund their advocacy efforts directly through the platform.

Real-Time Policy Database

Access over 1500 active bills and regulations currently tracked in Commentari's real-time database. Search for policies by topic, browse trending issues, or set up nightly rule tracking alerts. The database is continuously updated to reflect the latest federal register publications and congressional actions, ensuring you never miss an opportunity to comment on a rule that affects your life or your organization's mission.

Individual Citizen Advocacy

A concerned citizen learns about a proposed federal rule that could affect their local environment or community. Instead of struggling through hundreds of pages of legal text, they use Commentari to get a plain-language summary of the rule. They select their position and tone, generate a unique comment that reflects their personal experience, and submit it directly to Regulations.gov. Their voice is now on the record, and their comment carries weight because it is substantive and unique.

Nonprofit Campaign Coordination

An environmental nonprofit wants to mobilize its membership to comment on a new emissions regulation. Using Commentari's organization features, they create a branded campaign page with custom messaging and donation links. Members receive automated summaries of the rule and guidance on key arguments. The organization tracks engagement metrics in real time, seeing how many members have submitted comments and what positions they have taken. The coordinated effort multiplies their impact.

Trade Association Policy Response

A trade association representing small manufacturers needs to respond quickly to a new OSHA rule. The association's policy team uses Commentari to analyze the rule's requirements and identify the specific provisions that are most burdensome. They draft a campaign for member companies, each of which can submit a unique comment describing how the rule would affect their specific operations. The association tracks submissions and uses the data to inform their direct lobbying efforts.

Academic Research and Education

A university professor teaching public policy uses Commentari as a classroom tool. Students learn how to analyze federal regulations, identify the legal requirements agencies must meet under the Administrative Procedure Act, and draft persuasive public comments. The platform provides a practical, hands-on experience in civic engagement while teaching critical thinking about the regulatory process and the importance of public participation in democracy.

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

Commentari's AI generates each comment based on your specific inputs, including your chosen stance, tone, and the policy you are addressing. The system does not use templates or pre-written text. Instead, it analyzes the policy and helps you articulate your personal perspective in your own voice. This ensures that every submission is substantive and unique, which prevents it from being dismissed as a single, duplicated comment by federal agencies.

Is Commentari free to use?

Yes, Commentari offers a free tier that allows you to generate and submit up to three public comments per month. This makes civic engagement accessible to everyone, regardless of budget. For organizations and power users who need more capacity, advanced features like branded campaigns, nightly rule tracking, citation verification, and engagement analytics are available through organizational partnerships.

How does Commentari submit my comment to the government?

Commentari integrates directly with Regulations.gov for federal rulemaking comments and with authorized channels for congressional submissions. When you generate and approve your comment, the platform handles all the technical requirements for submission, including proper formatting, identification of the specific docket or bill number, and verification that your comment meets the agency's submission requirements. You retain control over your comment and can review it before submission.

Who created Commentari and why should I trust it?

Commentari was built by Eric Epstein, a 32-year senior policy counsel for the DOJ and ATF. He is the primary author of the Ghost Gun Rule and a recipient of the Distinguished Presidential Rank Award. Having spent decades on the receiving end of public comments, he designed the platform to address the specific shortcomings he observed in the public comment process. The platform operates under clear terms of service, privacy policy, and responsible use guidelines to ensure ethical AI deployment and data protection.