[United States Government Manual]
[July 01, 1995]
[Pages 501-503]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]
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ADMINISTRATIVE CONFERENCE OF THE UNITED STATES
Suite 500, 2120 L Street NW., Washington, DC 20037-1568
Phone, 202-254-7020
Chairman Thomasina V. Rogers
Executive Director Connie M. Harshaw,
Acting
Research Director Jeffrey S. Lubbers
General Counsel Gary J. Edles
Council:
Vice Chairman Sally Katzen
Members Susan Au Allen, Walter
Gellhorn, William
B. Gould IV, C.
Bowden Gray, Ginger
E. Lew, William R.
Neale, John D.
Podesta, Jack
Quinn, Paul A.
VanderMyde
[For the Administrative Conference of the United States statement of
organization, see the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 1, Part 301]
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The Conference develops recommendations for improving the fairness and
effectiveness of procedures by which Federal agencies administer
regulatory, benefit, and other Government programs. Conference members
are Federal officials, private lawyers, university professors, and other
experts in administrative law and government who meet to consider
studies of selected problems involving administrative procedures and the
regulatory process.
The Administrative Conference of the United States was established as a
permanent independent agency by the Administrative Conference Act (5
U.S.C. 591-596) enacted in 1964.
Membership
By statute the Administrative Conference has no fewer than 75 and no
more than 101 members, a majority of whom are Government officials. The
Chairman of the Conference is appointed by the President with the advice
and consent of the Senate for a 5-year term. The Council, which acts as
the executive board, consists of the Chairman and 10 other members
appointed by the President for 3-year terms. Federal officials named to
the Council may constitute no more than one-half of the total Council
membership. Members
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representing the private sector are appointed by the Chairman, with the
approval of the Council, for 2-year terms. The Chairman is the only
full-time compensated member.
The entire membership is divided into committees, each assigned a
broad area of interest such as adjudication, administration,
governmental processes, judicial review, regulation, or rulemaking. The
membership meeting in plenary session by statute must meet at least
once, and customarily meets twice, each year.
Activities
Subjects for inquiry are developed by the Chairman and approved by the
Council. The committees conduct thorough studies of these subjects,
propose recommendations, and prepare supporting reports. Recommendations
are evaluated by the Council and, if ready for Assembly consideration,
are distributed to the membership with the supporting reports and placed
on the agenda of the next plenary session. The deliberations of the
committees and Assembly are public.
The Chairman is authorized to encourage the departments and agencies
to adopt the recommendations of the Conference and is required to
transmit to the President and to Congress an annual report and interim
reports concerning the activities of the Conference, including reports
on the implementation of its recommendations.
Recommendations adopted by the Conference may call for new
legislation or for action on the part of affected agencies. A
substantial number of recommendations have been
implemented and others are in the process of being implemented.
The Chairman may make independent inquiries into procedural matters,
including matters proposed by individuals inside or outside the
Government. The purpose of such inquiries is to determine whether the
problems should be made the subject of Conference study in the interest
of developing fair and effective procedures for such cases.
Upon the request of the head of a department or agency, the Chairman
is authorized to furnish advice and assistance on matters of
administrative procedure. The Conference may collect information and
statistics from departments and agencies and publish such reports as it
considers useful for evaluating and improving administrative processes.
The Conference also serves as a forum for the interchange among
departments and agencies of information that may be useful in improving
administrative practices and procedures.
Sources of Information
The Conference furnishes upon request copies of its recent
recommendations and reports. It also maintains a library where copies of
all official Conference documents are available for public inspection.
Recommendations of the Conference appear in title 1, part 305, of the
1993 Code of Federal Regulations. A listing of recommendations appears
(but is not published in full text) in the 1994 Code of Federal
Regulations.
For further information, contact the Public Information Office,
Administrative Conference of the United States, Suite 500, 2120 L Street
NW., Washington, DC 20037. Phone, 202-254-7020.
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