FEDERAL GOVERNMENT:
Executive
|
OOOOIndependent
Executive Agencies |
| OOOO
OOOThese are agencies under the Executive branch which lie outside the jurisdiction of the cabinet departments. Many are of critical importance to life and living in America. We have devoted more space to some than to others not because they are more important, but usually for one or both of two reasons: either because they are less transparent than others, and so require a bit more dissection to expose their parts; or because they encompass a number of smaller and distinct offices and bureaus. Not all agencies are shown here. If you're interested in everything, the Library of Congress supplies a complete list, as does the LSU Library. OOOSpecial attention should be paid to two government sites covering important aspects of executive agencies operations: Regulations.gov, where the citizen can review and post comments on pending changes in agency regulations, and the The Unified Agenda, which is published twice a year in April and October, and outlines the proposed agenda for all agencies for the following six months. OOOAlso important is the Federal Register. Published by the Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), it is the official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as executive orders and other presidential documents. OOOThe
g indicates
a particularly recommended site. |
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| g | BROADCASTING BOARD OF GOVERNORS | |||||
| The BBG is "responsible for all U.S. government and government sponsored, non-military, international broadcasting." It operates Voice of America, Radio Sawa (Mideast), Radio Farda (Iran), Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, Radio and TV Martí (Cuba) and WorldNet Television. All of these are accessible from the BBG's home page. | ||||||
| CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY | ||||||
| g | Electronic
Reading Room: Several collections of documents, including those
pertaining to China, Vietnam and the Soviet Union, made available by the
Freedom of Information Act. The World Fact Book: An almanac of basic information for every country in the world. Very useful. |
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| g | CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION | |||||
| Important for its listing of product recalls, its library provides documents and statistics on a host of product-safety related issues as well as a complete list of regulations formulated and enforced by the CPSC. | ||||||
| g | Recalls.gov: Inter-agency one-stop-shop for product recall information. Not affiliated with CPSC. | |||||
| g | CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL & COMMUNITY SERVICE | |||||
| The government's service volunteer clearinghouse for both SeniorCorps and AmeriCorps. The Corporations main business is funding non-governmental service organizations. The web site does provide volunteer information for individuals, though only through through the CNCSs affiliates. | ||||||
| g | ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY | |||||
| The "Key Topics" on the right or the Browse EPA Topics on the left are good places to start. Laws, Regulations and Dockets provides both major environmental laws, and also pending legislation and regulations. There is also a page on its history. You can also find environmental information, including legislation, regulations and publications at GPOAccess Topics: Environment. | ||||||
| EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION | ||||||
| The EEOC is responsible for enforcing federal laws covering discrimination respecting race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age an disability. Among others, it maintains pages on: | ||||||
| g | Filing a Charge: What to do if you think you've been the victim of discrimination. | |||||
| g | Laws, Regulations and Policy Guidance: What the EEOC enforces. | |||||
| Litigation Information: Settlements and statistics. | ||||||
| g | Statistics: Some EEOC employment data, but most from the Census. | |||||
| FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION | ||||||
| If it's radio, telephone, television, wire, satellite or cable, its the FCC's responsibility. In other words, except for print, the FCC regulates all aspects of media in the United States. | ||||||
| g | Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau: Telephones, cable, wireless, satellite and internet. | |||||
| OgOFiling a Complaint: Slammed lately? | ||||||
| OgONational Do Not Call Registry: Includes information on telemarketing. | ||||||
| OgOUnderstanding Your Phone Bill: An actual bill (not really yours) with explanantions. | ||||||
| g | Enforcement Bureau: Telephone company mergers, consumer-related telephone issues, the emergency alert system, etc. | |||||
| OgOCompliance with Common Carrier Merger Conditions: Your phone company getting too big? | ||||||
| OgOConsumer-Related Telephone Issues: Slammed? Too many faxes? Telemarketers? | ||||||
| OgOEmergency Alert System: That hideous whine in the middle of Survivor. | ||||||
| g | Media Bureau: Cable television, broadcast television and radio. | |||||
| OgOAudio Division: AM & FM. Go to "Major Subject Areas" in the middle of the page. | ||||||
| OgOVideo Division: Television. | ||||||
| OOO Engineering Division: Apparently has most to do with cable TV, including CTV rules. | ||||||
| OgOIndustry Analysis Division: Economics, ownership, cross-ownership & mergers. | ||||||
| OOO Media Bureau Data Bases: Zip files. | ||||||
| OgOMedia Bureau Official Documents: Reports, orders, public notices. | ||||||
| OgOMedia Bureau Fact Sheets: Lots of consumer information. | ||||||
| OgOMedia Bureau Reports: On the cable industry. | ||||||
| OgOMedia Bureau Research Papers: In depth analysis of varied media issues. | ||||||
| OOO Policy Division: Covers a number of media issue areas. | ||||||
| Office of Engineering & Technology: Assigns broadcast spectrum. | ||||||
| g | Office of the General Council: The FCC's lawyer. See a list of recent litigation involving the agency. | |||||
| Office of the Inspector General: The FCC's internal policeman. | ||||||
| Office of Legislative Affairs: Statements and testimony from the Chairman. | ||||||
| Wireless Telecommunications Bureau: Amateur, cellular, PCS, paging and public safety. | ||||||
| g | Wireline Competition Bureau: Regulates the phone companies. Relevant links on home page. | |||||
| g | FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION | |||||
| The FDIC insures bank deposits up to $100,000. The subject tabs across the top - Consumer Protection, Industry Analysis and Regulation & Examination - lead to excellent and exceptionally thorough information in their subject areas. | ||||||
| Regional Economic Conditions (RECON): Economic analysis down to the state, local and metropolitan level, | ||||||
| g | FEDERAL ELECTIONS COMMISSION | |||||
| The FEC regulates the financing of federal elections. It is an excellant source for campaign finance information, the rules and regulations regulating campaign spending and contributions as well as historical and demographic information related to federal elections. The wealth of the site is easily accessible from its home page. | ||||||
| g | FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD OF GOVERNORS | |||||
| The "Fed" regulates the nation's banks, conducts its monetary policy and provides other financial services. It is the most important financial institution in the nation, and an understanding of its processes is a must for the citizen. What the site offers is well laid out on its home page as well as the Site Index and Site Map, which should be consulted. Among the not so obvious: | ||||||
| g | The Beige Book: Published eight times a year, a thumbnail sketch of the economy reported from the 12 federal reserve regions. | |||||
| Federal Open Market Committee: Determines U.S. monetary policy through sales and purchases of federal securities. | ||||||
| g | Federal Reserve Districts: All 12 on an interactive map. Most very worth a visit, especially yours. | |||||
| g | National Information Center: Organizational and financial data on both domestic and foreign banks operating in the U.S. | |||||
| g | FEDERAL TRADE COMISSION | |||||
| The FTC enforces consumer protection and anti-trust laws. Its For Consumers links to a wealth of consumer information. Its Formal Actions page provides a link to a List of Cases brought by the FTC since 1996. Most of its papers and reports are linked from its Economic Resources page and the Office of the General Counsel. The reports, in the form of studies, reflect FTC policy and cover a range of issues affecting consumers, from advertising and labeling to regulation and online sales. The FTC also runs the sites for Spam and Identity Theft. | ||||||
| GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION | ||||||
| The GSA is mostly about government property: buying it, maintaining it, and selling it. It also provides a host of services to the government and government personnel, from relocation to information technology. Scattered throughout the site are lists of private suppliers to the government. The GSA also acts as a clearinghouse of citizen and consumer information for the entire executive branch through the following: | ||||||
| g | FirstGov.gov: "The U.S. Government's official web portal", a citizen's guide to government. | |||||
| g | Pueblo.gsa.gov: A major source of citizen-oriented printed information on the web. | |||||
| g | Kids.gov: FirstGov for... | |||||
| g | The Consumer Action Web Site: Tips on buying almost anything, a Consumer Assistance Directory and advice on complaints. | |||||
| g | Federal Procurement Data Center: Operates and maintains the Federal Procurement Data System, the central repository of statistical information on Federal contracting. The system contains detailed information on contract actions over $25,000 and summary data on procurements of less than $25,000. | |||||
| g | Schedules E-Library: Where the government shops for savings, this is where government entities come for their supplies. Interesting are the list of companies and corporations who supply the GSA. | |||||
| g | USAServices: The National Contact Center provides several ways to query the government services, programs and benefits. | |||||
| g | NATIONAL AERONUATICS & SPACE ADMINISTRATION | |||||
| Everything NASA has to offer: earth and space science and exploration. | ||||||
| g | NATIONAL ARCHIVES & RECORDS ADMINISTRATION | |||||
| The nation's record-keeper, filing cabinet and publisher of the Federal Register, a daily paper of the rule-making and regulatory business of the Executive branch, its departments and agencies, as well as the Code of Federal Regulations, an annual compilation. NARA also runs the several presidential libraries, maintains the Records of Congress and offers the excellent on-line Exhibit Hall featuring everything from the nation's founding documents to the story of Nixon's famous 1970 meeting with Elvis. It is possible to search some NARA records on line through its Archival Research Catalogue. Finally, browse the Site Index. | ||||||
| NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION | ||||||
| Created to promote the progress of science and - in the spirit of it's 1950 founding - to secure the national defense. The NSF is primarily a grant-making and coordinating body for science and engineering, though it offers a host of scientific reports found under News & Media and science and technology statistics. | ||||||
| g | NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD | |||||
| Created primarily to investigate aviation accidents, the NTSB's mission spread to cover major highway, rail, marine and pipeline incidents. The agency maintains on-line records of its investigations. | ||||||
| g | NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION | |||||
| Regulates nuclear power plants and the civilian use of nuclear materials. Under Facility Info Finder, you can find inspection reports for nuclear facilities throughout the U.S. (click on one the two options under "Operating Nuclear Power Reactors") as well as daily status and event notification reports. The NRC covers other issues through the tabs at the top of the page. | ||||||
| NUCLEAR WASTE TECHNICAL REVIEW BOARD | ||||||
| A group of academics who provide technical oversight of nuclear waste disposal, based on information provided primarily by the Department of Energy. Under its Reports is, among other things, its assessment of the D.O.E.'s Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository. | ||||||
| OFFICE OF FEDERAL HOUSING ENTERPRISE OVERSIGHT | ||||||
| Ensures the capital adequacy and financial soundness of two government-sponsored enterprises: the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac). There is also a great deal of practical and economic housing information on the site, including current mortage interest rates and percent change in housing prices. | ||||||
| OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET | ||||||
| The executive arm of the federal budget structure and the executive watchdog over how money is spent. | ||||||
| Office of E-Government and Information Technology: Shapes policy on how governent information is shared and purportedly promotes electronic access to government information. | ||||||
| Office of Federal Financial Management: Financial oversight arm of the OMB. | ||||||
| g | Office of Federal Procurement Policy: Shapes policy on how the federal government buys goods and services. The site includes links to FAR (GSA) and FarSite (USAF), both of which provide text of the code of federal aquisition regulations. | |||||
| g | Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs: Reviews regulatory rules as formulated by other agencies. It also partners with other agencies to provide information on federal regulations: the EPA's Regulations,gov where citizens can comment on pending regulations, and the GSA's Reginfo.gov which lists current federal regulations. | |||||
| OVERSEAS PRIVATE INVESTMENT CORPORATION | ||||||
| Provides loan and capital assistence to businesses and non-profits investing overseas. By charging for its services, OPIC is self-supporting. OPIC no longer supplies a list of its clients or projects, though a partial list may be gotten under news and events accessible from the site map. | ||||||
| PENSION BENEFIT GUARANTEE CORPORATION | ||||||
| Basically underwrites and guarantees private sector benefit plans, the PBGC pays pension benefits when those plans become defunct. As a virtual insurer, the PBGC collects premiums from employers who are part of the plan, and so is self-supporting. The site no longer maintains a list of Trusteed Plans, but there is a searchable list of defunct plans and their beneficiaries. | ||||||
| g | SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION | |||||
| The SEC has the power to register, regulate, and oversee the securities industry (the Stock Market) through brokerage firms, transfer agents, and clearing agencies as well as the nation's securities self regulatory organizations such as the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange, and NASDAQ. Its About the SEC is exceptionally thorough in explaining its mission. Finally, while the home page is themed, don't overlook the SEC Divisions on the bottom right. | ||||||
| g | EDGAR: If a company issues securities, it must report financial information here, freely available to the public. | |||||
| g | Regulatory Actions: What the SEC has done, or is about to do, respecting securities regulation. | |||||
| g | Office of Investor Education and Assistance: Its Publications, Alerts, Brokers and Advisors and Education links are very good. | |||||
| g | SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION | |||||
| Due to the importance of the subject (and despite its complexity), the SSA has managed to put links to most everything one could want on its home page. Its "Questions About" drop down menu in the top center of the page is particularly thorough. The Site Map should be consulted, though it to is obviously geared to the consumer. | ||||||
| g | The Office of Policy: The source for statistics, analysis and research in the SSA. | |||||
| gH | UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | |||||
| g | USAID is the principlal distributer of non-military, monetary and material assistence to foreign nations. | |||||
| Green Book: An historical record of American foreign assistance by country. See also Fact Sheets under Press. | ||||||
| g | Yellow Book: Directory of contracts, grants and cooperative agreements with universities, firms and non-profit institutions. | |||||
| UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION | ||||||
| The USITC provides trade expertise to both Congress and the President, determines the impact of imports on U.S. industries, and directs actions against certain unfair trade practices, such as patent, trademark, and copyright infringement. See the Site Map. | ||||||
| g | DataWeb: Trade, tariff and policy information, some of it out of date. | |||||
| g | Publications: Among other things, its reports highlight the domestic impact of trade policy and treaties, including NAFTA. | |||||
| UNITED STATES OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS | ||||||
| Keeps and eye on such things as potential conflicts of interest in the Executive Branch, but has no independent investigative functions. Its main function is to caution and advise. The chief value of the site is the extensive list of ethics Laws and Regulations pertaining to the Executive. | ||||||