{ "id": "R44232", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "R44232", "active": true, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 462215, "date": "2016-12-09", "retrieved": "2017-07-17T16:45:18.157376", "title": "Creating a Federal Advisory Committee in the Executive Branch", "summary": "Federal advisory committees provide a formal forum for members of the public to provide advice and recommendations to the federal government on issues ranging from how to support trade goals of small and minority-owned businesses to which drugs best treat arthritis pain. Many of the roughly 1,000 federal advisory committees that operate at any given time are required to operate pursuant to the open meetings, records access, and reporting requirements of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). \nAdvisory committees are established for a number of reasons. These reasons often include acquiring new ideas from non-governmental experts, removing certain controversial topics from politically charged arenas, and reducing the workload of executive branch employees and Members of Congress. \nHistorically, Congress has established the majority of federal advisory committees. Of more than 1,000 federal advisory committees operating pursuant to FACA (FACA committees) in FY2015, for example, 722 (71.6%) were mandated or authorized by Congress\u2014539 (53.4%) of which were required by statute while 183 (18.1%) were authorized, but not required, by statute. Other FACA committees were established by executive branch agencies or the President.\nIn FY2015, 20 new FACA committees that were required to be created by statute began operations. Five of these 20 new FACA committees were required to be established within the Department of the Interior\u2014more than any other federal agency. Legislative provisions seeking to establish 11 additional FACA committees have been introduced but not enacted in the 114th Congress.\nShould Congress want to authorize a new federal advisory committee, there are several statutory choices that might be considered. These considerations include a committee\u2019s mandate, membership requirements, powers, funding, and termination. This report provides a brief overview on how Congress can establish federal advisory committees, and provides some considerations as to why a federal advisory committee may or may not be an appropriate mechanism to assist a particular policy or funding question. The report also explores why FACA may or may not be appropriate for application to particular advisory committees. It presents data on the number of active FACA committees established by Congress with special emphasis on the committees established in FY2015. This report concludes by presenting a list of the federal advisory committees currently proposed for statutory establishment in the 114th Congress.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R44232", "sha1": "c5e306f4d082be108405a9e7b8b3c412b2bf7b0b", "filename": "files/20161209_R44232_c5e306f4d082be108405a9e7b8b3c412b2bf7b0b.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R44232", "sha1": "4fed028eb479d3526727fd821833c8127bd9f426", "filename": "files/20161209_R44232_4fed028eb479d3526727fd821833c8127bd9f426.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4930, "name": "Government Information" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 446530, "date": "2015-10-19", "retrieved": "2016-04-06T18:09:43.005120", "title": "Creating a Federal Advisory Committee in the Executive Branch", "summary": "Federal advisory committees allow members of the public to formally provide advice and recommendations to the executive branch of the federal government. These advisory committees, of which about 1,000 operate at any given time, provide advice and recommendations on issues ranging from how to support trade goals of small and minority-owned businesses to which drugs best treat arthritis pain. Many federal advisory committees are required to operate pursuant to the open meetings and records access requirements of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). \nAdvisory committees are established for a number of reasons, including to acquire new ideas from outside experts, remove certain controversial topics from politically charged arenas, and to help reduce the workload of Members of Congress. \nCongress has an important role in the establishment of federal advisory committees. Of the active federal advisory committees in FY2014, 705 (71.3%) were required or authorized by Congress\u2014515 (52.1%) of which were required by statute while 190 (19.2%) were authorized, but not required, by statute. Other federal advisory committees were established by executive branch agencies or the President.\nA committee\u2019s establishment and mandate, membership requirements, powers, funding, and termination are some of the many components that Congress may consider when establishing an advisory committee. \nThis report provides a brief overview on how Congress can establish federal advisory committees, and provides some considerations as to why a federal advisory committee may or may not be an appropriate mechanism for a particular policy or funding question. It presents data on the number of active committees established by Congress with special emphasis on the committees established in FY2014. This report concludes by presenting a list of the federal advisory committees currently proposed for establishment in legislation in the 114th Congress.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R44232", "sha1": "2190e4a68212011864699284a14b41ac9939e33f", "filename": "files/20151019_R44232_2190e4a68212011864699284a14b41ac9939e33f.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R44232", "sha1": "cfd94c44ab9425d6a496f53821f0d11ce48cdc2a", "filename": "files/20151019_R44232_cfd94c44ab9425d6a496f53821f0d11ce48cdc2a.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 2170, "name": "Government Information: Transparency, Protection, and Access" } ] } ], "topics": [ "American Law", "Economic Policy", "Intelligence and National Security", "National Defense", "Science and Technology Policy" ] }