[United States Government Manual]
[June 01, 2008]
[Pages i-ix]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[[Page i]]

The United States Government Manual
2008/2009




Office of the Federal Register

National Archives and Records Administration

[[Page ii]]



Revised June 1, 2008

Raymond A. Mosley,
Director of the Federal Register.

Allen Weinstein,
Archivist of the United States.

On the cover: 100 years of celebrating the Grand Canyon as a national 
monument.
  

     As one of the most majestic sites in the world, the Grand Canyon 
(Canyon), located in Grand Canyon, Arizona, overwhelms the imagination 
with its magnitude and captivating beauty. Its dimensions are immense 
and its grandeur timeless, measuring 1 mile deep, up to 18 miles wide, 
and 277 river miles long. Many scientists conclude that the gorge of the 
Grand Canyon was shaped by the Colorado River in Arizona and parts of 
Nevada over a period of more than 6 million years.
  
    The Canyon is dubbed one of the natural wonders of the world largely 
because of its splendid natural features. It boasts exotic plant life, 
ancient pueblos, stunning multi-colored rocks, colorful waters, and 
magnificent waterfalls. Also, vast species of mammals, reptiles and 
amphibians, fish, and birds exist at the Canyon, many threatened or 
endangered but protected under the Endangered Species Act.
  
    President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed Grand Canyon National 
Monument (Monument) on January 11, 1908, to protect the Canyon from 
uncontrolled development. The Monument was managed by the U.S. Forest 
Service until 1919 when it was proclaimed a national park and management 
transferred to the National Park Service.
  
    Today, two Native American tribes still inhabit the Grand Canyon. 
The Havasupai live on a reservation inside the Canyon and are the only 
permanent inhabitants, where they and their ancestors have lived for 
over 800 years. The Hualapai live in the mountains along the pine-clad 
southern side of the Canyon. They operate a visitors' center, including 
a skywalk which projects over the Canyon's rim.
  
    Popular with tourists today are the numerous lookouts, trails, and 
raft and boat excursions. The contrast of sun and shadow against the 
vast array of rock-forms creates changing hues of radiance along the 
Canyon's walls. The magnificence of the Canyon will forever be a vision 
of unparalleled beauty. In this centennial year of its designation as a 
national monument, please join us in celebrating its splendor.
  
    We accord special thanks to the National Park Service and the 
Library of Congress for providing the images used on the cover. We also 
thank Creative and Digital

[[Page iii]]

Media Services at the Government Printing Office for its artistic 
contributions in designing the cover.



 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing 
                                 Office

 Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov  Phone: toll free (866) 512-1800; DC area 
                             (202) 512-1800

Fax: (202) 512-2250  Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-0001

ISBN 978-0-16-078659-4

[[Page v]]



Preface

As the official handbook of the Federal Government, The United States 
Government Manual provides comprehensive information on the agencies of 
the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. The Manual also 
includes information on quasi-official agencies; international 
organizations in which the United States participates; and boards, 
commissions, and committees.
    A typical agency description includes a list of principal officials, 
a summary statement of the agency's purpose and role in the Federal 
Government, a brief history of the agency, including its legislative or 
executive authority, a description of its programs and activities, and a 
``Sources of Information'' section. This last section provides 
information on consumer activities, contracts and grants, employment, 
publications, and many other areas of public interest.
    The 2008/2009 Manual was prepared by the Presidential and 
Legislative Publications Unit, Office of the Federal Register, under the 
supervision of Gwendolyn J. Henderson. Alfred W. Jones was Managing 
Editor, assisted by Matthew R. Regan and Heather McDaniel.

The Federal Register and Its Special Editions

The Manual is published as a special edition of the Federal Register 
(see 1 CFR 9.1). Its focus is on programs and activities. Persons 
interested in detailed organizational structure, the regulatory 
documents of an agency, or Presidential documents should refer to the 
Federal Register or one of its other special editions, described below.
    Issued each Federal working day, the Federal Register provides a 
uniform system for publishing Presidential documents, regulatory 
documents with general applicability and legal effect, proposed rules, 
notices, and documents required to be published by statute.
    The Code of Federal Regulations is an annual codification of the 
general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register. The Code 
is divided into 50 titles that represent broad areas subject to Federal 
regulation. The Code is kept up to date by the individual issues of the 
Federal Register.
    The Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents serves as a timely, 
up-to-date reference source for the public policies and activities of 
the President. It contains remarks, news conferences, messages, 
statements, and other Presidential material of a public nature issued by 
the White House during the week reported.
    A companion publication to the Weekly Compilation is the Public 
Papers of the Presidents, which contains public Presidential documents 
and speeches in convenient book form. Volumes of the Public Papers have 
been published for every President since Herbert Hoover, with the 
exception of Franklin D. Roosevelt, whose papers were published 
privately.

Other Office of the Federal Register Publications

The Office of the Federal Register publishes slip laws, which are 
pamphlet prints of each public and private law enacted by Congress. Slip 
laws are compiled annually as the United States Statutes at Large. The 
Statutes volumes contain all public and private laws and concurrent 
resolutions enacted during a session of Congress;

[[Page vi]]

recommendations for executive, legislative, and judicial salaries; 
reorganization plans; proposed and ratified amendments to the 
Constitution; and Presidential proclamations. Included with many of 
these documents are sidenotes, U.S. Code and statutes citations, and a 
summary of their legislative histories.

Publication Availability

The publications of the Office of the Federal Register are available for 
sale by writing to the following address:

  Superintendent of Documents
  P.O. Box 371954
  Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954

Publications are also available for sale through the Government Printing 
Office online bookstore at http://bookstore.gpo.gov, the Government 
Printing Office bookstore located in Washington, DC, and the retail 
sales outlet in Laurel, MD. Telephone inquiries should be directed to 
202-512-1800.

Electronic Services

The Office of the Federal Register maintains an Internet site for public 
law numbers, the Federal Register's public inspection list, and 
information on the Office and its activities at www.archives.gov/
federal-register. This site also contains links to the texts of The 
United States Government Manual, public laws, the Weekly Compilation of 
Presidential Documents, the Federal Register, and the Code of Federal 
Regulations (both as officially published on a quarterly basis and a new 
unofficial, daily updated version, the e-CFR) in electronic format 
through GPO Access. For more information about these online 
publications, contact Electronic Information Dissemination Services, 
U.S. Government Printing Office. Phone, 202-512-1530, or 888-293-6498. 
Internet, www.gpoaccess.gov. E-mail, [email protected].

Further Information

Information on The United States Government Manual and other 
publications of the Office of the Federal Register may be obtained by 
writing to the following address:

  Office of the Federal Register
  National Archives and Records Administration
  Washington, DC 20408

Inquiries should be directed by phone to 202-741-6000, faxed to 202-741-
6012, or e-mailed to [email protected].

[[Page vii]]



Contents

                                             DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENC1
                                       CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATE5
                              Chart: The Government of the United Stat21
                                                      LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
                                                          Congress    25
                                          Architect of the Capitol    43
                                      United States Botanic Garden    45
                                  Government Accountability Office    47
                                        Government Printing Office    50
                                               Library of Congress    54
                                       Congressional Budget Office    61
                                                         JUDICIAL BRANCH
                            The Supreme Court of the United States    67
                                                      Lower Courts    68
                                                    Special Courts    75
                 Administrative Office of the United States Courts    77
                                           Federal Judicial Center    81
                               United States Sentencing Commission    82
                                                        EXECUTIVE BRANCH
                                The President of the United States    87
                           The Vice President of the United States    87
                                 Executive Office of the President    88
                                            The White House Office    88
                 Office of the Vice President of the United States    89
                                      Council of Economic Advisers    90
                                  Council on Environmental Quality    91
                                         National Security Council    92
                                          Office of Administration    93
                                   Office of Management and Budget    93
                            Office of National Drug Control Policy    96
                                      Office of Policy Development    97
                           Office of Science and Technology Policy    98
                  Office of the United States Trade Representative    99
                                                      Executive Agencies

                                                   Departments    
                                         Department of Agriculture   103
                                            Department of Commerce   127
                                             Department of Defense   151
                                       Department of the Air Force   162
                                            Department of the Army   167
                                            Department of the Navy   176

[[Page viii]]

                                                  Defense Agencies   187
                                             Joint Service Schools   197
                                           Department of Education   201
                                              Department of Energy   209
                           Department of Health and Human Services   218
                                   Department of Homeland Security   231
                       Department of Housing and Urban Development   237
                                        Department of the Interior   243
                                             Department of Justice   258
                                               Department of Labor   278
                                               Department of State   294
                                      Department of Transportation   309
                                        Department of the Treasury   332
                                    Department of Veterans Affairs   348
                  Independent Establishments and Government Corporations
                                    African Development Foundation   363
                                   Broadcasting Board of Governors   364
                                       Central Intelligence Agency   367
                              Commodity Futures Trading Commission   368
                                Consumer Product Safety Commission   370
                    Corporation for National and Community Service   373
                           Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board   377
                                   Environmental Protection Agency   379
                           Equal Employment Opportunity Commission   383
                           Export-Import Bank of the United States   389
                                        Farm Credit Administration   391
                                 Federal Communications Commission   394
                             Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation   400
                                       Federal Election Commission   404
                                     Federal Housing Finance Board   405
                                 Federal Labor Relations Authority   408
                                       Federal Maritime Commission   411
                        Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service   415
                  Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission   416
                                            Federal Reserve System   418
                        Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board   423
                                          Federal Trade Commission   424
                                   General Services Administration   429
                                         Inter-American Foundation   436
                                    Merit Systems Protection Board   437
                     National Aeronautics and Space Administration   439
                      National Archives and Records Administration   445
                              National Capital Planning Commission   454
                              National Credit Union Administration   456
                National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities   458
                                   National Endowment for the Arts   459
                             National Endowment for the Humanities   460
                          Institute of Museum and Library Services   463
                                    National Labor Relations Board   465
                                          National Mediation Board   469
                  National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak)   473
                                       National Science Foundation   474
                              National Transportation Safety Board   479
                                     Nuclear Regulatory Commission   483
                  Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission   487

[[Page ix]]

                   Office of the Director of National Intelligence   489
                                       Office of Government Ethics   490
                                    Office of Personnel Management   493
                                         Office of Special Counsel   497
                           Overseas Private Investment Corporation   498
                                                       Peace Corps   500
                              Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation   503
                                      Postal Regulatory Commission   507
                                         Railroad Retirement Board   508
                                Securities and Exchange Commission   511
                                          Selective Service System   515
                                     Small Business Administration   518
                                    Social Security Administration   528
                                        Tennessee Valley Authority   532
                                      Trade and Development Agency   534
                United States Agency for International Development   537
                          United States Commission on Civil Rights   542
                      United States International Trade Commission   544
                                      United States Postal Service   549
                            Guide to Boards, Commissions, and Committ555
                                                 Quasi-Official Agencies
                                        Legal Services Corporation   559
                                           Smithsonian Institution   561
                                           State Justice Institute   575
                                  United States Institute of Peace   576
                                     Selected Multilateral Organizati579
                                        Selected Bilateral Organizati589
                    Appendix A: Commonly Used Abbreviations and Acron591

                   Appendix B: Terminated and Transferred Agencies   597

                             Appendix C: Agencies Appearing in the
                                       Code of Federal Regulations   657
                                                              NAME IN667
                                                    AGENCY/SUBJECT IN687
                                                          RECENT CHAN693
