Commentari

Commentari is a civic engagement platform designed to bridge the critical gap between the rapid pace of federal rulemaking and the ability of citizens and organizations to respond effectively. Federal agencies issue rules faster than stakeholders can respond, and form letters are often dismissed as a single, unoriginal comment. Commentari closes that gap by turning complex legal and regulatory documents into clear, actionable opportunities for public participation. The platform was built by Eric Epstein, a 32-year veteran senior policy counsel at the DOJ and ATF, the primary author of the Ghost Gun Rule, and a Distinguished Presidential Rank Award recipient. Having spent decades on the receiving end of public comments, Epstein designed Commentari to empower individuals and organizations to submit substantive, unique comments that carry real weight. The platform 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 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 platform is for anyone who wants their voice heard in the democratic process, from individual advocates to large advocacy groups, nonprofits, and trade associations. With a live database tracking over 1,500 active bills and regulations, Commentari makes democratic participation accessible, effective, and impactful. There are no templates and no duplication; it is your argument, in your voice, on the public record.

Instant Policy Analysis

Don't read 500 pages of legal jargon. Commentari’s AI digests complex statutes, regulations, and legislative proposals into clear, unbiased summaries that users can actually understand. This feature provides instant clarity on what a proposed rule or bill means, how it affects you, and what specific issues the agency must address under the Administrative Procedure Act. Users gain a comprehensive understanding of the policy landscape without spending hours deciphering dense legal text, enabling them to form informed opinions quickly and confidently.

Smart Drafting with Unique Comment Generation

Write professional, effective public comments in seconds. Users can choose their stance (support, against, or neutral) and their preferred tone (professional, legalistic, witty, or urgent). The AI then generates a unique, substantive comment that reflects the user's personal perspective perfectly. Unlike form letters or template-based submissions, each comment is crafted in the user's own voice, ensuring it is not dismissed as a duplicate submission. This feature dramatically increases the likelihood that the comment will be read and considered by agency officials.

Real-Time Policy Database and Tracking

Commentari maintains a live database of over 1,500 active bills and regulations, updated nightly. Users can search for specific policies, browse trending topics, or track rules relevant to their interests. For organizations, this includes automated nightly rule tracking that alerts them to new developments, changes in status, and upcoming deadlines. This ensures users never miss an opportunity to comment on a critical policy, and organizations can coordinate their campaigns around the most timely and impactful issues.

Collective Impact and Organization Tools

The platform enables users to join forces with others and track the collective impact of their community on policy. For organizations, Commentari provides powerful tools including branded campaign pages, real-time member analytics, and seamless integration with existing systems. Organizations can embed donation links directly into campaign pages, verify citations, and measure engagement metrics. This feature transforms individual comments into a coordinated, measurable movement, allowing groups to demonstrate their influence and multiply their impact on the legislative and regulatory process.

Individual Citizen Advocates

An individual who is concerned about a new environmental regulation can use Commentari to quickly understand the proposed rule in plain language. They can then draft a unique comment expressing their personal concerns using a professional or urgent tone, and submit it directly to the federal register through the platform's verified integration. This individual can participate meaningfully in the democratic process without needing a law degree or hours of free time, ensuring their personal story and perspective are captured on the public record.

Nonprofit Advocacy Groups

A nonprofit focused on consumer safety can use Commentari to coordinate a campaign among its members. The organization can create a branded campaign page explaining a pending regulation, use the platform's AI to help each member draft a unique comment from their own perspective, and track real-time engagement metrics. The organization can also embed a donation link to support its advocacy efforts and receive nightly updates on the rule's status, allowing for agile and effective campaign management.

Trade Associations and Industry Groups

A trade association representing small manufacturers can leverage Commentari to mobilize its members against a burdensome proposed rule. The association can use the platform to provide members with clear summaries of the rule's economic impact, offer smart drafting tools with a legalistic tone, and verify that all submitted comments cite relevant statutes and data properly. The collective impact tracking feature allows the association to demonstrate to policymakers the unified voice of its industry.

Grassroots Community Organizers

A local community organizer fighting a zoning change or a state-level bill can use Commentari to educate and mobilize residents. The organizer can search the database for the specific policy, generate a plain-language summary for community meetings, and help residents who may not be comfortable with legal jargon draft and submit their own comments. This empowers a broader, more diverse group of citizens to participate in decisions that directly affect their neighborhoods and daily lives.

What makes Commentari different from other public comment tools?

Commentari is fundamentally different because it is built by someone who spent 32 years on the receiving end of public comments at the DOJ and ATF. This unique perspective ensures the platform is designed to produce comments that agencies actually read and consider. Unlike tools that rely on form letters or templates, Commentari generates a unique, substantive comment for each user in their own voice, preventing dismissal as a duplicate submission. The platform also provides unbiased policy analysis and identifies specific legal requirements under the Administrative Procedure Act, giving each comment a strategic advantage.

How does the AI ensure my comment is unique and not a template?

The AI is designed to generate comments based on your personal stance, chosen tone, and the specific details of the policy at hand. It does not use pre-written templates or fill-in-the-blank forms. Instead, it analyzes the regulatory text, identifies the key issues, and crafts original language that reflects your individual perspective. Each comment is generated from scratch, ensuring that no two users receive identical text. This uniqueness is critical for the comment to carry weight and not be counted as a single, form-letter submission by agency reviewers.

Is my personal information safe and how is my data used?

Commentari takes data privacy and security seriously. The platform has a comprehensive Privacy Policy that outlines how personal information is collected, used, and protected. User data is used solely to facilitate the comment drafting and submission process, improve the platform, and provide analytics for organizations. The platform does not sell personal information. For complete details, users should review the Privacy Policy available on the website. The platform also adheres to a Responsible Use policy that outlines ethical AI guidelines for users.

Can organizations track the success of their campaigns?

Yes, organizations have access to a suite of powerful analytics tools. They can view real-time engagement metrics, including how many members have drafted comments, how many have submitted them, and the overall sentiment of the comments generated. The platform provides nightly rule tracking to monitor changes in the policy being targeted. Organizations can also verify citations used in comments and track the collective impact of their community, providing concrete data to demonstrate their advocacy efforts to stakeholders and funders.