Commentari

Commentari is an enterprise-grade civic engagement platform designed to bridge the critical gap between federal rulemaking and meaningful 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 solves a fundamental problem: federal agencies issue rules faster than stakeholders can respond, and form letters are dismissed as a single comment. Commentari closes that gap by transforming how organizations and individuals engage with the regulatory process. The platform summarizes complex federal rules and pending legislation in plain language, identifies specific issues agencies must address under the Administrative Procedure Act, and helps each supporter draft a unique, substantive comment in their own voice. For organizations, Commentari provides branded campaign pages, nightly rule tracking, citation verification, real-time engagement metrics, and embeddable donation links. Submissions go directly to Regulations.gov and to Congress through authorized channels. The platform currently tracks over 1,500 active bills and regulations in its real-time database, making it the most comprehensive tool available for democratic participation. With no templates and no duplication, Commentari ensures every submission is a unique, legally sound argument that carries weight with decision-makers. The platform serves nonprofits, advocacy groups, associations, and individual citizens who want to shape the laws affecting their lives.

Instant Policy Analysis

Commentari eliminates the need to read 500 pages of legal jargon by using advanced AI to digest complex statutes and regulations into clear, unbiased summaries. Users receive actionable insights that explain what a rule does, who it affects, and what specific issues agencies must address under the Administrative Procedure Act. This feature reduces research time by over 80% and ensures users understand the full implications of proposed regulations before drafting their comments.

Smart Drafting Engine

The platform empowers users to write professional, effective public comments in seconds by selecting their stance and preferred tone from options including Professional, Legalistic, Witty, and Urgent. The AI generates a unique, substantive comment that reflects the user's personal perspective while incorporating legally required elements that agencies must consider. This eliminates the risk of duplicate submissions that regulators dismiss as form letters.

Real-Time Policy Database

Commentari maintains a continuously updated database of over 1,500 active bills and regulations, tracking changes daily. Users can search by keyword, agency, or topic, and receive alerts when new rules are proposed or existing rules are modified. Organizations benefit from automated nightly rule tracking that ensures their campaigns always target the most current regulatory landscape.

Organizational Campaign Management

For nonprofits, advocacy groups, and associations, Commentari provides branded campaign pages with customizable messaging, real-time member analytics, and embeddable donation links. Organizations can coordinate community engagement, track collective impact on policy, and verify citations across all submissions. The platform integrates seamlessly with existing communication tools and provides actionable metrics on supporter participation and campaign effectiveness.

Nonprofit Advocacy Campaigns

A national environmental nonprofit uses Commentari to mobilize its 50,000 members against a proposed EPA rule weakening clean water protections. The organization creates a branded campaign page, selects a professional tone, and each member submits a unique, legally substantive comment. The platform tracks submission rates, identifies which arguments resonate most, and provides real-time engagement metrics. The campaign generates 15,000 unique comments that regulators must individually address, dramatically increasing the organization's influence.

Trade Association Regulatory Response

A manufacturing trade association monitors 200+ federal regulations affecting its industry. Using Commentari's nightly rule tracking, the association identifies a proposed OSHA standard that would increase compliance costs by 40%. The platform summarizes the 800-page rule into a three-page plain-language analysis. Member companies then use the Smart Drafting Engine to submit comments highlighting specific economic impacts, with each submission verified for citation accuracy. The association submits 500 unique, data-rich comments within the 60-day comment period.

Individual Citizen Engagement

A concerned citizen wants to oppose a new ATF rule on firearm accessories. Without legal expertise, they use Commentari to search for the rule, receive an unbiased summary of its provisions, and draft a comment using the Witty tone to make their personal safety concerns compelling. The platform identifies the specific APA issues the agency must address and incorporates them into the submission. The citizen submits directly to Regulations.gov in under 10 minutes, confident their voice will be counted.

Grassroots Policy Education

A community organization uses Commentari to educate members about pending state legislation affecting local housing policies. The platform translates complex statutory language into accessible summaries, and members practice drafting comments using different tones to understand how presentation affects impact. The organization tracks which arguments generate the most engagement and uses the data to refine its advocacy strategy for future campaigns.

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

Commentari's AI engine generates each comment from scratch based on the user's selected stance, tone, and personal input. The platform does not use templates or pre-written text. Every submission incorporates unique phrasing, specific references to the user's provided concerns, and legally required elements that agencies must address. This eliminates the risk of duplicate submissions that regulators dismiss as form letters.

What kind of organizations benefit most from Commentari?

Nonprofits, advocacy groups, trade associations, and community organizations that need to coordinate large-scale public comment campaigns benefit most. The platform's branded campaign pages, real-time member analytics, automated policy tracking, and citation verification are specifically designed for organizations managing hundreds or thousands of supporters. Individual citizens also benefit from the free tier, which includes three comments per month.

How does Commentari handle submissions to government agencies?

Submissions go directly to Regulations.gov for federal rulemaking and to Congress through authorized channels. The platform verifies that each submission meets the technical requirements of the receiving agency, including proper formatting, docket numbers, and citation formats. Users receive confirmation of successful submission and can track the status of their comments within the platform.

Is Commentari compliant with the Administrative Procedure Act?

Yes, the platform was designed by Eric Epstein, who spent 32 years as a senior policy counsel at DOJ and ATF. The Smart Drafting Engine specifically identifies issues that agencies must address under the APA and ensures each comment incorporates those elements. This increases the likelihood that agencies will give substantive consideration to each submission rather than dismissing it as non-responsive.