Executive Order 10934—Establishing the Administrative Conference of the United States

WHEREAS the performance of regulatory functions and related responsibilities for the determination of private rights, privileges, and obligations by executive departments and administrative agencies of the United States Govemment substantially affects large numbers of private individuals and many areas of economic and business activity and WHEREAS it is essential to the protection of private and public interests and to the sustained development of the national economy that Federal administrative procedures ensure maximum efflciency and fairness in the performance of these governmental functions; and WHEREAS the steady expansion of the Federal administrative process during the past several years has been attended by increasing concern over the efflciency and adequacy of department and agency procedures, and WHEREAS the experience of the several groups which have examined Federal administrative procedures in recent years demonstrates that substantial progress in improving department and agency procedures can result from cooperative effort by the departments and agencies, working together with members of the practicing bar, and other interested persons: SECTION 1. Establishment of the Conference. There is hereby established a conference to be known as the Administrative Conference of the United States which shall consist of a Council of eleven members named by the President, one of whom he shall designate to be Chairman of the Conference, and a general membership from Federal executive departments and administrative agencies the practicing bar, and other persons specially informed by knowledge and experience with respect to Federal administrative procedures. SEC. 2. Purpose. The purpose of the Conference shall be to assist the President, the Congress and the administrative agencies and executive departments in improving existing administrative procedures. To this end the Conference shall conduct studies of the efflciency, adequacy and fairness of procedures by which Federal executive departments and administrative agencies protect the public interest and determine the rights, privileges and obligations of private persons. The Conference shall from time to time report to the President any conclusions reached by its members based on such studies, together with suggestions for appropriate measures to improve the administrative process The Conference shall make a Final Report to the President no later than December 31, 1962, summarizing its activities, evaluating the need for further studies of administrative procedures, and suggesting appropriate means to be employed for this purpose in the future. SEC. 3. Membership. The composition of the general membership of the Conference shall be determined by the Council, provided that the total membership shall be not less than fifty persons, and at least a majority of the total membership shall be from Federal executive departments and administrative agencies, so distributed as to effect an appropriate representation among the several departments and agencies. General members from Government service shall be designated by the heads of their respective departments and agencies. Other general members shall be named by the Chairman with the approval of the Council from the practicing bar, scholars in the fields of administrative law and government, and other persons specially informed by knowledge and experience with respect to Federal administrative procedures. Members of the Conference who are not in Government service shall participate in the activities of the Conference solely as private individuals without official responsibility on behalf of the Government of the United States. SEC. 4. Staff. The Attorney General of the United States is hereby authorized and directed to furnish to the Conference research and staff assistance from the Office of Administrative Procedure in the Department of Justice, through the Director of that Office and the Chairman of the Conference, and the Director of the Office of Administrative Procedure shall act as Executive Secretary of the Conference. SEC. 5 . Operation of the Conference. The Conference shall have authority to adopt bylaws and regulations not inconsistent with the provisions of this order for the conduct of its functions. Every member of the Conference will be expected to participate in all respects according to his own views, and not necessarily as a representative of any department or agency or other group from which he may have been chosen. SEC. 6. Committees. Committees of the Conference shall be appointed by the Chairman, with the approval of the Council. Committees shall have authority to designate subcommittees from their own membership for the purposes of conducting studies and making reports to the full committees. SEC. 7. Functions of the Council. The Council is hereby authorized to perform the following functions: (a) To meet under the chairmanship and upon the call of the Chairman of the Conference. (b) To determine the composition of the general membership of the Conference as provided in section 3 above. (c) To make appropriate arrangements with the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives for participation in the activities of the Conference by interested committees of the Congress. Representatives of the Congress shall have the privilege of the floor of the Conference. (d) To determine the time and place of plenary sessions of the Conference. (e) To propose bylaws and regulations, including rules of procedure and committee organization, for adoption by the Conference. (f) To propose to the Conference the matters concerning which the Conference and its committees shall conduct investigations and studies. (g) To receive and consider reports of committees of the Conference and proposals adopted by the Conference, and to transmit them to the President together with the views of the Council concerning such matters. SEC. 8 . Cooperation of Federal agencies. All executive departments and administrative agencies of the Federal Government are authorized and directed to cooperate with the Conference and to furnish such information and assistance not inconsistent with law as may reasonably be required in the performance of its functions. SEC. 9. Expenditures of the Conference. Each executive department and administrative agency which is represented by one or more members of the Conference named or designated as provided in section 3 of this order shall, as may be necessary for the purpose of effectuating the provisions of this order, furnish assistance to the Conference in accordance with section 214 of the act of May 3, 1945, 59 Stat. 134 (31 U.S.C. 691). Such assistance may include detailing employees to the Conference to perform such functions consistent with the purposes of this order as the Conference may assign to them. JOHN F. KENNEDY THE WHITE HOUSE, April 13, 1961