Federal Advisory Committees A Primer

Federal advisory committees are frequently chartered by the Chief Executive, Congress, and agency heads to render independent advice and to make recommendations. This report sets forth definitions and requirements for creating commissions as required by the Federal Advisory Committee Act. Twelve commissions were created by the Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for FY1999, and are used here to illustrate the various options that are available for creating independent study bodies.