text: once a law is passed (local, state or federal) does it have to be published in some official media? which? and administatrative dicisions such as, promotions, retirements, transfers, appointments, govt. purchases, do they also have to be published in some kind of official media? it depends on the jurisdiction. each legislative body makes its own rules about what needs to be published and how and when. all federal laws are published by the government printing office and are also online at http://thomas.loc.gov administrative decisions are not as regulated, but are a matter of public record, so if you request them, you can see any information about them. executive appointments requiring senate oversight are published by the gpo and online as well as part of the congressional record. as for state and local publications, there are too many and they are too different to make any generalizations. see the legislature's website.