{ "id": "R44253", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "R44253", "active": true, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 587776, "date": "2016-10-27", "retrieved": "2020-01-02T15:16:17.829692", "title": "Federal Advisory Committees: An Introduction and Overview", "summary": "Federal advisory committees\u2014which may also be labeled as commissions, councils, task forces, or working groups\u2014are established to assist congressional and executive branch policymaking and grantmaking. In some cases, federal advisory committees assist in solving complex or divisive issues. Federal advisory committees may be established by Congress, the President, or an agency head to render independent advice or provide the federal government with policy recommendations.\nIn 1972, Congress enacted the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA; 5 U.S.C. Appendix\u2014Federal Advisory Committee Act; 86 Stat. 770, as amended). FACA was prompted by the perception that some advisory committees were duplicative, inefficient, and lacked adequate oversight. FACA mandates certain structural and operational requirements, including formal reporting and oversight procedures. Additionally, FACA requires committee meetings be open to the public, unless certain requirements are met. Also, FACA committee records are generally required to be accessible to the public. Pursuant to statute, the General Services Administration (GSA) maintains and administers management guidelines for federal advisory committees.\nDuring FY2015, 1,009 active FACA committees reported a total of 72,200 members. Federal operating costs for those committees was reported as $367,568,370, of which $205,800,103 (56.0%) was spent on federal support staff to administer the committees. The preponderance of FACA committee members and meetings are providing advice and recommendations in the grantmaking processes of the federal government.\nFor Congress, several aspects of federal advisory committees may be of interest. For example, Congress can\nrequire the establishment of new federal advisory committees;\noversee the operations of existing advisory committees; and \nlegislate changes to FACA or the ethics responsibilities placed on members who serve on FACA committees. \nThis report offers a history of FACA, examines its current requirements, and provides data on federal advisory committees\u2019 operations and costs.\nTo date in the 114th Congress (2015-2016), one bill has been introduced that would amend FACA\u2019s implementation and administration. H.R. 2347, the Federal Advisory Committee Act Amendments of 2016, would create a formal process for the public to recommend potential advisory committee members and require member selection without regard to partisan affiliations. In addition, H.R. 2347 seeks to clarify the ethics requirements placed on committee members, and would increase each FACA committee\u2019s records access requirements. On March 1, 2016, H.R. 2347 passed the House. On March 2, 2016, H.R. 2347 was referred to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. No further action has been taken on the bill.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/R44253", "sha1": "d6879560567c04e8b7acb515a0def1dc6444df78", "filename": "files/20161027_R44253_d6879560567c04e8b7acb515a0def1dc6444df78.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44253_files&id=/0.png": "files/20161027_R44253_images_b9bc6916343a24173ffe6f7a2c4de74b1d302dda.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44253_files&id=/2.png": "files/20161027_R44253_images_34514550c552c01d97c1cede912cb3db72dd43b4.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44253_files&id=/1.png": "files/20161027_R44253_images_c142ae498f4a7ad095b3845403b8516d2489008e.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R44253", "sha1": "0209abe2ed49bf0ea46a44a274fa56f6b98c4d50", "filename": "files/20161027_R44253_0209abe2ed49bf0ea46a44a274fa56f6b98c4d50.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 446786, "date": "2015-10-28", "retrieved": "2016-04-06T18:04:49.527775", "title": "Federal Advisory Committees: An Introduction and Overview", "summary": "Federal advisory committees\u2014which may also be labeled as commissions, councils, or task forces\u2014are established to assist the executive branch in deliberating and, in some cases, helping to solve complex or divisive issues. Congress, the President, or an agency head may establish a federal advisory committee to render independent advice or provide policy recommendations.\nIn 1972, Congress enacted the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA; 5 U.S.C. Appendix\u2014Federal Advisory Committee Act; 86 Stat. 770, as amended), prompted by the perception that some advisory committees were duplicative, inefficient, and lacked adequate oversight. FACA mandates certain structural and operational requirements, including formal reporting and oversight procedures. Additionally, FACA requires committee meetings be open to the public, unless they meet certain requirements. Also, FACA committee records are to be accessible to the public. Pursuant to statute, the General Services Administration (GSA) maintains and administers management guidelines for federal advisory committees.\nDuring FY2014, 989 active federal advisory committees reported a total of 68,179 members. Federal operating costs for those committees was reported as $334,538,221, of which $192,458,943 (57.5%) was spent on federal support staff.\nFor Congress, several aspects of federal advisory committees may command attention. For example, Congress can\nrequire the establishment of new federal advisory committees;\noversee the operations of existing advisory committees; and \nlegislate changes to the requirements of FACA or the ethics responsibilities placed on members who serve on FACA committees. \nThis report offers a history of FACA, examines its current requirements, and provides data on federal advisory committees operations and costs.\nTo date in the 114th Congress (2015-2016), one bill has been introduced that would amend FACA\u2019s implementation and administration. H.R. 2347, the Federal Advisory Committee Act Amendments of 2015, would create a formal process for the public to recommend potential advisory committee members and require member selection without regard to their partisan affiliation. In addition, H.R. 2347 seeks to clarify the ethics requirements placed on committee members, and would increase records access requirements. On May 15, 2015, H.R. 2347 was concurrently referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the House Committee on Ways and Means. No further action has been taken on the bill.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R44253", "sha1": "0d05eedbf652fec15e66e9a0cfdbadbe2548e6b6", "filename": "files/20151028_R44253_0d05eedbf652fec15e66e9a0cfdbadbe2548e6b6.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R44253", "sha1": "9a06fa4fbab2b8090f0b41cc41325b09555fd47c", "filename": "files/20151028_R44253_9a06fa4fbab2b8090f0b41cc41325b09555fd47c.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [] } ], "topics": [ "American Law" ] }