Commentari

Commentari is a civic engagement platform designed to close the gap between federal rulemaking and public participation. Built by Eric Epstein, a 32-year senior policy counsel at the DOJ and ATF, primary author of the Ghost Gun Rule, and Distinguished Presidential Rank Award recipient, the platform was crafted by someone who spent decades on the receiving end of public comments. Federal agencies issue rules faster than stakeholders can respond, and form letters get dismissed as a single comment. Commentari solves this by turning complex statutes and regulations into clear action. The platform helps users understand policies and craft impactful comments that shape the laws affecting their lives. It summarizes complex rules and pending legislation in plain language, identifies issues 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. For organizations, Commentari offers branded campaigns, nightly rule tracking, citation verification, engagement metrics, and embeddable donation links. The core philosophy is simple: no templates, no duplication, just your argument, in your voice, on the record. With over 1,500 active bills and regulations tracked in a real-time database, Commentari empowers democratic participation through technology.

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. This feature breaks down bureaucratic documents into plain language, identifying key issues agencies must address under the Administrative Procedure Act. Users gain a thorough understanding of pending legislation and rules without spending hours deciphering dense legal text.

Smart Drafting

Write professional, effective public comments in seconds. Choose your stance and tone from options including professional, legalistic, witty, or urgent, and let the AI tools help you articulate your position. Each supporter drafts a unique, substantive comment in their own voice, ensuring no templates and no duplication. The result is a personalized argument that carries more weight with decision-makers.

Collective Impact

Join forces with others to coordinate campaigns and track the collective impact of your community on policy. Organizations can manage branded campaigns with real-time member analytics, nightly rule tracking, citation verification, and engagement metrics. Embeddable donation links allow nonprofits and advocacy groups to mobilize supporters and multiply their influence on specific regulations or legislation.

Verified Submission Integration

Comments are submitted directly to Regulations.gov and to Congress through authorized, verified channels. Commentari handles the paperwork, ensuring each submission is properly routed and recorded. This seamless integration eliminates the friction of navigating government portals and gives users confidence that their voice is officially on the record with the appropriate federal agency or legislative body.

Individual Civic Participation

A concerned citizen wants to comment on a proposed environmental regulation but lacks the legal expertise to craft a persuasive argument. Using Commentari, they search the live database of active bills and regulations, receive a plain-language summary of the rule, and choose their stance and tone. The AI helps them draft a unique, substantive comment reflecting their personal perspective, which is then submitted directly to Regulations.gov, ensuring their voice is heard.

Nonprofit Advocacy Campaigns

An environmental nonprofit needs to mobilize its membership to comment on a pending EPA rule. The organization uses Commentari's organizational features to create a branded campaign page, track member engagement in real time, and verify citations in submitted comments. Supporters receive nightly updates on rule changes, and the organization can embed donation links to fund ongoing advocacy efforts while coordinating a unified yet personalized response.

Trade Association Policy Engagement

A trade association representing small manufacturers wants to influence proposed OSHA safety standards. Commentari helps the association analyze the complex rule, identify specific compliance burdens, and guide each member to draft a comment that highlights their unique operational challenges. The platform's citation verification ensures all technical references are accurate, and the association can track collective engagement metrics to demonstrate grassroots support to policymakers.

Legal Professional Research

A lawyer or policy analyst needs to quickly understand the implications of a new federal rule for their clients. They use Commentari's instant policy analysis to digest hundreds of pages of regulatory text into a clear summary. The platform identifies issues the agency must address under the Administrative Procedure Act, allowing the professional to craft targeted, legally sound comments that challenge or support specific provisions with precision and authority.

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

Commentari is built on a philosophy of no templates and no duplication. The platform uses AI to help each supporter draft a comment in their own voice, based on their personal perspective, chosen stance, and preferred tone. The system does not generate identical comments for multiple users. Instead, it guides you to articulate your unique argument, ensuring your submission carries individual weight and is not dismissed by agencies as a form letter.

Is Commentari free to use, and what is included in the free tier?

Yes, Commentari offers a free tier that allows users to generate up to 3 comments per month. This gives individuals the opportunity to test the platform and participate in the civic engagement process without any upfront cost. For users who need more frequent commenting or organizational features, additional plans are available. The free tier includes access to the policy analysis and smart drafting tools.

How does Commentari handle submission to government agencies?

Commentari integrates directly with Regulations.gov and authorized congressional channels. When you complete your comment, the platform handles the submission process for you, ensuring your comment is properly formatted, routed to the correct agency or legislator, and recorded in the official docket. You do not need to navigate government portals or worry about technical requirements. Commentari verifies that your submission is officially on the record.

Can organizations customize their campaigns on Commentari?

Yes, organizations such as nonprofits, advocacy groups, and trade associations can create branded campaign pages with custom messaging and calls to action. They gain access to real-time member analytics to track engagement, automated policy tracking for nightly rule updates, citation verification to ensure accuracy, and embeddable donation links to fund their advocacy. These tools allow organizations to lead their communities to meaningful, coordinated action.