Independent Agencies in the United States
Independent Agencies in the United States

Author: Professor Marshall J. Breger

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2015-04-01

Total Pages: 576

ISBN-13: 0190266821

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

It is essential for anyone involved in law, politics, and government to comprehend the workings of the federal independent regulatory agencies of the United States. Occasionally referred to as the "headless fourth branch of government," these agencies do not fit neatly within any of the three constitutional branches. Their members are appointed for terms that typically exceed those of the President, and cannot be removed from office in the absence of some sort of malfeasance or misconduct. They wield enormous power over the private sector. Independent Agencies in the United States provides a full-length study of the structure and workings of federal independent regulatory agencies in the US, focusing on traditional multi-member agencies, such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Communications Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, and the Federal Trade Commission. It recognizes that the changing kaleidoscope of modern life has led Congress to create innovative and idiosyncratic administrative structures including government corporations, government sponsored enterprises governance, public-private partnerships, systems for "contracting out," self-regulation and incorporation by reference of private standards. In the process, Breger and Edles analyze the general conflict between political accountability and agency independence. They provide a unique comparative review of the internal operations of US agencies and offer contrasts between US, EU, and certain UK independent agencies. Included is a first-of-its-kind appendix describing the powers and procedures of the more than 35 independent US federal agencies, with each supplemented by a selective bibliography.

Presidential Appointments to Full-Time Positions in Independent and Other Agencies During the 112th Congress
Presidential Appointments to Full-Time Positions in Independent and Other Agencies During the 112th Congress

Author: Congressional Research Service

Publisher: CreateSpace

Published: 2015-01-13

Total Pages: 44

ISBN-13: 9781507737125

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The President makes appointments to positions within the federal government, either using the authorities granted to the President alone or with the advice and consent of the Senate. This report identifies all nominations that were submitted to the Senate for full-time positions in 40 organizations in the executive branch (27 independent agencies, 6 agencies in the Executive Office of the President [EOP], and 7 multilateral organizations) and 4 agencies in the legislative branch. It excludes appointments to executive departments and to regulatory and other boards and commissions, which are covered in other reports. Information for each agency is presented in tables. The tables include full-time positions confirmed by the Senate, pay levels for these positions, and appointment action within each independent agency. Additional summary information across all agencies covered in the report appears in the appendix. During the 112th Congress, the President submitted 34 nominations to the Senate for full-time positions in independent agencies, agencies in the EOP, multilateral agencies, and legislative branch agencies. Of these 34 nominations, 27 were confirmed, 1 was withdrawn, and 6 were returned to him in accordance with Senate rules. For those nominations that were confirmed, a mean (average) of 142.7 days elapsed between nomination and confirmation. The median number of days elapsed was 112.0. The President made one recess appointment to a full-time position in an independent agency during the 112th Congress. Information for this report was compiled using the Senate nominations database of the Legislative Information System (LIS) at http: //www.lis.gov/nomis/, the Congressional Record (daily edition), the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, telephone discussions with agency officials, agency websites, the United States Code, and the 2012 Plum Book (United States Government Policy and Supporting Positions).