Commentari

Commentari is a civic engagement platform designed to bridge the significant gap between federal rulemaking and public participation. Built by Eric Epstein, a 32 year veteran senior policy counsel at the DOJ and ATF, the platform addresses a critical problem: federal agencies issue complex rules faster than stakeholders can meaningfully respond, and generic form letters are routinely dismissed as a single, non substantive comment. Commentari closes this gap by empowering individuals and organizations to craft unique, substantive public comments that carry real weight in the regulatory process.

The platform serves a diverse audience, including individual citizens who want to influence policies affecting their lives, nonprofit organizations seeking to mobilize their communities, advocacy groups coordinating large scale campaigns, and trade associations representing industry interests. Its core value proposition is turning dense, bureaucratic documents into clear, actionable opportunities for participation. Commentari summarizes complex rules and pending legislation in plain language, identifies issues that agencies must legally 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, ensuring your voice is officially on the record. For organizations, the platform offers branded campaign pages, nightly rule tracking, citation verification, engagement metrics, and embeddable donation links. The guiding principle is simple: no templates, no duplication, just your argument, in your voice, on the record. By working together through Commentari, communities can collectively shape the laws and regulations that govern their lives.

Instant Policy Analysis

Don't waste time reading 500 pages of legal jargon. Our AI digests complex statutes and regulations into clear, unbiased summaries that you can actually understand. This feature allows you and your team to quickly grasp the core issues of any pending rule or bill, identify what is at stake, and determine your position. It transforms overwhelming documents into accessible knowledge, enabling informed participation for everyone in your community, regardless of their legal background.

Smart Drafting with Customizable Tone

Write professional, effective public comments in seconds. Choose your stance (support, against, or neutral) and select a tone that matches your personality and audience, including Professional, Legalistic, Witty, or Urgent. Our AI tools help you articulate your position clearly and persuasively, ensuring your comment is unique and substantive. This feature ensures that every supporter can contribute a comment that reflects their personal perspective, avoiding the duplication that leads to dismissal by regulators.

Verified Submission and Integration

Make your voice count with direct, verified submission to the federal government. Comments are sent directly to Regulations.gov and to Congress through authorized channels, handling all the paperwork for you. This seamless integration ensures your input is officially on the record and tracked. For organizations, this feature supports branded campaigns with automated policy tracking, citation verification, and real time member analytics, allowing you to coordinate collective action and measure your community's impact on policy.

Collective Impact Tracking

Join forces with others and see your influence grow. This feature allows you to coordinate campaigns, track the collective impact of your community on specific policies, and monitor real time engagement metrics. With over 1500 active bills and regulations currently tracked in our live database, you can see how many people are participating, what positions they are taking, and how your collective voice is building momentum. It transforms individual actions into a powerful, measurable force for democratic change.

Individual Citizen Advocacy

A concerned citizen wants to voice their opinion on a new environmental regulation but feels overwhelmed by the 300 page legal document. Using Commentari, they receive a clear, unbiased summary of the rule in plain language. They select their stance and choose a "Witty" tone to reflect their personality. The AI helps them draft a unique, substantive comment that highlights how the rule impacts their local community. They submit it directly to Regulations.gov, knowing their personal story and argument are now part of the official record.

Nonprofit Campaign Coordination

A nonprofit focused on housing rights needs to mobilize its members to comment on a proposed federal rule about rent control. They use Commentari's organizational features to create a branded campaign page. Members receive a plain language summary of the rule and are guided to draft their own comments, each in their own voice, on the specific issues they care about. The organization tracks real time engagement metrics, sees how many comments are generated, and verifies citations. The collective impact of hundreds of unique, substantive comments creates a powerful, coordinated voice.

Trade Association Member Engagement

A trade association representing small manufacturers must help its members respond to a complex OSHA safety regulation. Instead of sending a one size fits all form letter, the association uses Commentari to help each member draft a comment reflecting their specific factory setup and safety concerns. The platform's "Legalistic" tone option helps members sound authoritative. Nightly rule tracking alerts the association to any changes or deadlines. The result is a coordinated campaign of unique, highly relevant comments that regulators must consider individually.

Advocacy Group Legislative Response

An advocacy group focused on digital privacy needs to respond quickly to a new bill introduced in Congress. They use Commentari to generate an instant analysis of the legislation, identifying key provisions their members should address. The group creates a campaign encouraging members to submit comments to their legislators through the platform's authorized congressional channels. They track which legislators are receiving the most comments and adjust their strategy in real time, working together to shape the outcome of the legislation.

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

Commentari is built on the principle of no templates and no duplication. Instead of providing a pre written form letter, our AI works collaboratively with you. It analyzes your chosen stance and tone, then helps you articulate your own personal perspective, experiences, and arguments. The system is designed to generate a unique comment each time, based on your specific inputs, ensuring your submission stands out and is taken seriously by regulators.

Is my comment actually submitted to the government, or is it just a draft?

Your comment is officially submitted. Commentari has verified integrations with Regulations.gov for federal rules and authorized channels for Congress. After you review and approve your drafted comment, the platform handles all the paperwork and submission logistics. You will receive confirmation that your comment is on the record, making your participation official and legally recognized.

Who is Eric Epstein and why is his background important?

Eric Epstein is the founder of Commentari and a 32 year veteran of the DOJ and ATF, where he served as a senior policy counsel. He is the primary author of the Ghost Gun Rule and a recipient of the Distinguished Presidential Rank Award. His decades of experience on the receiving end of public comments gave him unique insight into why most comments are ignored. He designed Commentari to solve the specific problems he witnessed, ensuring every voice can be heard effectively and substantively.

How can my organization use Commentari to manage a campaign?

Organizations can partner with Commentari to access powerful campaign management tools. This includes creating branded campaign pages, setting up automated nightly tracking of relevant rules, verifying citations in member comments, and viewing real time engagement analytics. You can embed donation links and track the collective impact of your community. The platform is designed to help you lead your community to meaningful, coordinated action on the policies that matter most.