Commentari

Commentari is a revolutionary civic engagement platform designed to bridge the chasm between the rapid pace of federal rulemaking and the voices of the people those rules affect. Built by Eric Epstein, a 32-year veteran senior policy counsel for the DOJ and ATF and the primary author of the Ghost Gun Rule, the platform was engineered from the unique perspective of someone who spent decades on the receiving end of public comments. It is an AI-native tool that transforms the arcane, 500-page legal documents of federal agencies into digestible, plain-language summaries. The platform identifies the specific issues agencies must address under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and empowers each supporter to draft a unique, substantive comment in their own voice, bypassing the dismissible form letter. Submissions are sent directly to Regulations.gov and to Congress through authorized channels. For nonprofits, advocacy groups, and associations, Commentari offers a powerful organizational suite including branded campaign pages, nightly rule tracking, citation verification, engagement metrics, and embeddable donation links. The core value proposition is simple: no templates, no duplication, just your argument, in your voice, on the official record. It is a quantum leap in democratic participation, turning bureaucratic noise into a clear channel for collective impact.

Instant Policy Analysis

This feature is the platform's neural core. Instead of forcing users to decipher hundreds of pages of impenetrable legal jargon, Commentari's AI digests complex statutes, bills, and regulations into clear, unbiased, and instantly understandable summaries. It identifies the key issues, the specific questions agencies are asking, and the legal requirements under the APA, giving users a strategic advantage before they even draft a word.

Smart Drafting Engine

This is where the revolution happens. Users select their stance (Support, Against, Neutral) and their desired tone (Professional, Legalistic, Witty, Urgent). The AI then guides them through a process that generates a fully-formed, unique public comment that reflects the user's personal perspective. The system ensures every comment is substantively different from others in a campaign, eliminating the "duplicate comment" problem that allows agencies to dismiss mass submissions as a single voice.

Verified Submission Channels

Commentari doesn't just generate text; it closes the loop on action. The platform features a verified, direct integration with Regulations.gov for federal rulemaking and authorized channels for Congress. With a single click, users can "Make It Official," and the platform handles the entire bureaucratic submission process. This ensures that every comment is legally filed, time-stamped, and officially entered into the public record without the user needing to navigate complex government portals.

Organizational Command Center

For nonprofits and advocacy groups, this feature transforms Commentari from a personal tool into a force multiplier. Organizations can create branded campaign pages, deploy automated nightly rule tracking to monitor new threats, and use citation verification to ensure all arguments are legally sound. Real-time member analytics provide dashboards on engagement, while embeddable donation links allow groups to fund their advocacy directly from the campaign page, creating a self-sustaining ecosystem of action.

Individual Citizen Advocacy

A concerned citizen reads a news headline about a new environmental regulation. Instead of feeling powerless, they log into Commentari, search for the rule, and receive a plain-language summary of its 400-page text. They select a "Support" stance with an "Urgent" tone, and the AI helps them draft a personal story about how the pollution affects their family. With one click, the comment is submitted to the EPA, putting their authentic voice on the official record.

Nonprofit Campaign Coordination

A gun safety organization launches a campaign against a proposed rule that weakens background checks. Using the Organizational Command Center, they create a branded campaign page. Supporters who visit the page are guided to write their own unique comments, not a form letter. The organization tracks real-time engagement metrics, sees which arguments resonate most, and uses the nightly tracking feature to respond to any last-minute changes to the rule before the comment period closes.

Association Policy Response

A trade association for renewable energy companies needs to respond to a complex Department of Energy rule. Their legal team uses Commentari's Instant Policy Analysis to quickly understand the technical requirements. They then use the Smart Drafting Engine to generate a professional, legally precise comment that cites specific sections of the rule and relevant case law. The citation verification feature ensures every reference is accurate, saving hours of legal research time.

Grassroots Movement Mobilization

A grassroots group fighting a local zoning change that has national implications uses Commentari to organize. They identify the specific legislative text and use the platform to "Join forces" with other groups. Each member drafts a comment in their own voice, creating a flood of unique, substantive submissions that the zoning board cannot ignore as form letters. The collective impact dashboard shows the total number of unique comments generated, providing powerful leverage in public hearings.

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

Commentari's AI is specifically designed to avoid duplication. Instead of filling in blanks on a template, the engine analyzes your selected stance, tone, and personal input to generate a structurally and substantively unique argument each time. The platform actively checks for similarity against other comments in a campaign to ensure every submission is a distinct, individual voice that agencies must consider.

Is the platform free to use, and what are the limitations?

Yes, you can sign up for free and receive 3 public comment credits per month. This allows you to test the platform and participate in key issues. For users who need to comment on more than three rules or bills per month, or for organizations needing advanced features like campaign management and analytics, there are paid tiers available that offer additional credits and capabilities.

How does Commentari handle the legal submission process?

Commentari has built a verified integration directly with Regulations.gov, the official federal portal for public comments on rulemaking. For Congress, the platform uses authorized channels to ensure your message reaches the correct legislator. When you click "Make It Official," the platform automatically formats your comment, attaches the correct docket ID, and submits it, providing you with a confirmation receipt for your records.

Can my organization track the impact of our campaigns?

Absolutely. The Organizational Command Center provides a real-time dashboard that shows engagement metrics such as total comments generated, unique participants, and the stance distribution of your community. You can see exactly how many of your supporters have taken action and track the growth of your campaign's influence over time, allowing for data-driven advocacy strategies.