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Election Assistance Commission Overview

Election Assistance Commission OverviewWhat is the Election Assistance Commission?

The Election Assistance Commission is an independent agency of the United States Government that was formally created by the passing of the Help America Vote Act of 2002. Through this legislation, the Election Assistance Commission serves as the national clearinghouse and resource of information center regarding election administration.

In alignment with these general characteristics, the Election Assistance Commission is responsible for administering payments to states and developing guidance to meet the requirements established in the Help America Vote Act. Furthermore, the Election Assistance Commission, is responsible for adopting voluntary voting system guidelines and accrediting voting system testing protocol to subsequently certify voting equipment throughout the United States.

In summation, the Election Assistance Commission is responsible to streamline and accurately gather all information concerning voting equipment to certify that votes are casted properly and efficiently throughout the country.

Responsibilities of the Election Assistance Commission:

The election Assistance Commission is responsible for fulfilling the following duties associated with elections:

The Election Assistance Commission must maintain and create the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines

Create a national program for the testing, certification and decertification of voting systems

Report to Congress every two years on the effects of the NVRA elections

Administer federal funds to States for HAVA requirements

Study and report best practices of the effective administration of voting equipment

Communicate information on laws, procedures, studies and data related to the administration of federal elections to those responsible for implementing election law and procedures, to the media and other persons of interest

Election Assistance Commission Quick Facts

The following details outline the administration of the Election Assistance Commission:

The Election Assistance Commission was founded in 2002

The headquarters of the Election Assistance Commission are located in Washington D.C.

The Election Assistance Commission operates with 44 employees and an annual budget of approximately $18 million

The Election Assistance Commission is responsible for the jurisdiction over public elections in the United States of America

The head of the Election Assistance Commission is Chair Donetta Davidson

What is an Independent Government Agency?

An independent agency of the United States Federal Government is a department or organization that exists outside of the federal executive departments or those headed by a Cabinet secretary. In a more specific sense, the term Independent Government Agency, is used to describe agencies that, while constitutionally operating within the executive branch, are free from presidential authority or control, as a result of the President’s limited membership within the agency.

Independent government agencies are established through separate statutes passed by the United States Congress; each respective statutory grant of authority will define the goals or mission that the agency must work towards, in addition to the substantive areas, if applicable, over which the Independent Agency may have the power of rulemaking. These agency regulations, when enforced, maintain the power of federal law.

Facts About the Environmental Protection Agency

Facts About the Environmental Protection AgencyWhat is the Environmental Protection Agency?

The United States Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government responsible for protecting human health and the environment through drafting and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by the United States Congress.

The Environmental Protection Agency conducts a variety of environmental assessments, research initiatives and educational programs to inform the public and policymakers as to the overall health of the environment. The primary responsibility of the Environmental Protection Agency revolves around setting and enforcing national standards, under a variety of environmental laws, in direct consultation with state and local governments. By doing so, the Environmental Protection Agency can delegate monitoring and enforcement responsibility to individual states and Native American Tribes located throughout the United States.

Enforcement powers of the Environmental Protection Agency include fines, the institution of sanctions and other penalized measures. Furthermore, the Environmental Protection Agency will work closely with industries and all levels of government to promote energy conservation resources and efforts and pollution prevention procedures.

Environmental Protection Agency Quick Facts

The following details outline the administration of the Environmental Protection Agency:

The Environmental Protection Agency was founded on December 2 of 1970

The Environmental Protection Agency operates with roughly 17,400 employees and annual budget of nearly $10.5 billion

The headquarters of the Environmental Protection Agency are located in Washington D.C., however, the Environmental Protection Agency maintains local offices throughout the United States of America

The Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for the jurisdiction over

The head of the Environmental Protection Agency is Administrator Lisa Jackson; the head of the EPA is appointed by the President of the United States and subsequently confirmed by Congress

Government Agency of the Executive Branch

Government agencies are defined as organizations, councils, and offices operating under the jurisdiction of the Federal Government of the United States of America; each federal agency retains specific administrative jurisdiction over specific facets latent within the operations of the United States Government. The # functions as a government agency under the Executive Branch of the United States government, which is comprised of 3 total branches; in addition to the Executive branch – which is responsible for the regulation and enforcement of operational legislation existing within the United States of America – there also exists the Legislative and Judicial Branches.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Equal Employment Opportunity CommissionWhat is the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission?

The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is an Independent federal law enforcement agency that is responsible for enforcing laws to prevent workplace discrimination. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will discourage unfair treatment in the workplace by investigating discrimination complaints that may arise based on an individual’s race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, perceived intelligence, age, religion, disability and any acts of retaliation for reporting and/or opposing discriminatory practices.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is empowered to file discrimination suits against those employers who commit such acts on behalf of alleged victims. In addition to filing the claims, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is empowered to adjudicate the claims of discrimination brought against federal agencies.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was established on July 2, 1965; the Commission is specified under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the ADA Amendments Act of 2008.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Quick Facts

The following details outline the administration of the Equal Opportunity Commission:
The Equal Opportunity Commission was established on July 2nd of 1965
The headquarters of the Equal Opportunity Commission are located in Washington, D.C. 
The Equal Opportunity Commission is responsible for the jurisdiction over the Employment Industries of the United States of America
The head of the Equal Opportunity Commission is Chairman Stuart Ishimaru
The Equal employment Opportunity commission operates with roughly 2,200 employees and an annual budget of $344 million

What is an Independent Government Agency?

An independent agency of the United States Federal Government is a department or organization that exists outside of the federal executive departments or those headed by a Cabinet secretary. In a more specific sense, the term Independent Government Agency, is used to describe agencies that, while constitutionally operating within the executive branch, are free from presidential authority or control, as a result of the President’s limited membership within the agency.

Independent government agencies are established through separate statutes passed by the United States Congress; each respective statutory grant of authority will define the goals or mission that the agency must work towards, in addition to the substantive areas, if applicable, over which the Independent Agency may have the power of rulemaking. These agency regulations, when enforced, maintain the power of federal law.

Quick Synopsis of Farm Credit Administration

Quick Synopsis of Farm Credit AdministrationWhat is the Farm Credit Administration?

The Farm Credit Administration is an independent agency of the United States Governments’ Executive branch. The Farm Credit Administration is responsible for examining and regulating the banking systems, associations and related entities of the Farm Credit System—a network of borrower-owned financial institutions that were created to provide liens of credit to farmers, ranchers and agricultural cooperatives. The Farm Credit Administration derives its authority from the passing of the Farm Credit Act of 1971.

The powers awarded to the Farm Credit Administration, although realigned and refurbished by the passing of the Farm Credit Act of 1971, has its roots in the Farm Credit Act of 1933. This originally legislation, which was part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, helped farmers refinance their mortgages over a longer period of time at or blow market interest rates.

This system helped farmers recover from the Dustbowl; additionally, the Emergency Farm Mortgage Act loaned additional funds to farmers who were in danger of losing their lands. The legislation was established through an Executive order by Roosevelt and effectively placed all existing agricultural credit organizations under the direct supervision of the newly-formed agency.

Currently, the Farm Credit Administration is run by the Federal Farm Credit Board—a committee consisting of 13 members (one from each of the 12 agricultural districts of the United States and one appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture)—intended to develop policy and regulation for the Farm Credit Administration.

Farm Credit Administration Quick Facts

The following details outline the administration of the Farm Credit Administration:

The Farm Credit Administration was founded in 1933 under the New Deal
The headquarters of the Farm Credit Administration are located in Mclean, Virginia
The Farm Credit Administration is responsible for the jurisdiction over the Agricultural districts of the United States of America

What is an Independent Government Agency?

An independent agency of the United States Federal Government is a department or organization that exists outside of the federal executive departments or those headed by a Cabinet secretary. In a more specific sense, the term Independent Government Agency, is used to describe agencies that, while constitutionally operating within the executive branch, are free from presidential authority or control, as a result of the President’s limited membership within the agency.

Independent government agencies are established through separate statutes passed by the United States Congress; each respective statutory grant of authority will define the goals or mission that the agency must work towards, in addition to the substantive areas, if applicable, over which the Independent Agency may have the power of rulemaking. These agency regulations, when enforced, maintain the power of federal law.

Federal Communications Commission

Federal Communications Commission

What is the Federal Communications Commission?
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government that was officially created through Congressional Statute 47 U.S.C. With the majority of the Federal Communication’s Commissioner’s appointed by the President of the United States, the agency works to achieve six distinct goals in the areas of media, broadband, competition, the spectrum, public safety and homeland security. 
The Federal Communications Commission was established by the passing of the Communications Act of 1934; this legislation acted as the successor to the Federal Radio Commission and formally required the FCC with regulating all non-federal government use of the radio spectrum, including all radio and television broadcasting and all interstate telecommunications. 
As stated in section one of the Communications Act, the Federal Communications Commission’s primary mission is to “make available so far as possible, to all the people of the United States, without discrimination based on the basis of color, race, religion, national origin, or sex, rapid, efficient, Nation-wide, and world-wide wire and radio communication services with adequate facilities at reasonable charges.” Furthermore, the Federal Communications Commission aims at promoting safety of life and property through the use of wire and radio communications. 

Federal Communications Commission Quick Facts
The following details outline the administration of the Federal Communications Commission:
The Federal Communications Commission was formed on June 19 of 1934
The headquarters of the Federal Communications Commission are located in Washington, D.C.
The Federal Communications Commission is responsible for the jurisdiction over the media outlets of the United States of America
The head of the Federal Communications Commission is Chairman Julius Genachowski, however, the FCC is divided and subsequently run with 5 commissioners
The Federal Communications Commission operates with an annual budget of $353 million.

What is an Independent Government Agency?
An independent agency of the United States Federal Government is a department or organization that exists outside of the federal executive departments or those headed by a Cabinet secretary. In a more specific sense, the term Independent Government Agency, is used to describe agencies that, while constitutionally operating within the executive branch, are free from presidential authority or control, as a result of the President’s limited membership within the agency.
Independent government agencies are established through separate statutes passed by the United States Congress; each respective statutory grant of authority will define the goals or mission that the agency must work towards, in addition to the substantive areas, if applicable, over which the Independent Agency may have the power of rulemaking. These agency regulations, when enforced, maintain the power of federal law.

Brief Guide to the Commission on Civil Rights

Brief Guide to the Commission on Civil RightsWhat is the Commission on Civil Rights?

The Commission on Civil Rights is an independent government agency of the United States Federal Government responsible for investigating, reporting on and subsequently making recommendations concerning civil rights issues that face the nation.

The Commission on Civil Rights, as an organization, is composed of eight Commissioners; four of which are appointed by the President of the United States, two by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and two by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The Commission of the Civil Rights was created by the Civil Rights Act of 1957, which was formally signed into law by then President Dwight Eisenhower. The legislation was enacted in response to a recommendation by an ad hoc President’s Committee on Civil Rights. Following the formation of the ad hoc committee, a permanent organization was created and subsequently re-organized and re-configured by the passing of the United States Commission on Civil Rights Acts of 1983 and 1991 and the Civil Rights Commission Amendments Act of 1994.

When created, the first responsibility of the Commission on Civil Rights was investigating the presence of racial discrimination in voting rights in Montgomery, Alabama. As a result of their functions and general responsibility, the Commission on Civil Rights is often referred to as a “Civil Rights Watch Dog” that in essence, aims to ensure that the federal government is enforcing civil rights laws fairly and evenhandedly.

How is the Commission on Civil Rights Organized?

The Commission on Civil Rights, as stated before, is run by eight commissioners who serve six-year staggered terms. To keep a bipartisan feel no more than four Commissioners of the Commission on Civil Rights can be of the same political party. In addition, neither the two Senate appointees nor the two House appointees may be of the same political party.

A Guide to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission

A Guide to the Commodity Futures Trading CommissionWhat is the Commodity Futures Trading Commission?

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission is an independent agency of the United States government that is responsible for regulating the futures and option markets.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission uses the Commodity Exchange Act, which prohibits fraudulent conduct in the trading of futures contracts, as its foundation for enforcing such rulings. In 1974, the United States Congress amended this act to create a more comprehensive regulatory framework for the trading of futures contracts; through this alteration, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission was created.

The stated mission of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission is to protect market users and the public from fraud, abusive practices and manipulation regarding the sales of financial futures, options and commodities. Furthermore, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission aims to enforce such rulings to foster open, competitive and a financially sound futures and options market

Mission of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission:

The United States Congress created the Commodity Futures Trading Commission as an independent agency responsible for mandating and regulating the commodity futures and option markets in the United States. The agency’s mandate, since its creation, has been expanded and renewed several times, most recently in 2000, when Congress passed the Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000, which instructed the Securities & Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to develop a joint regulatory regime for single-stock futures.

In present times, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission assures the economic utility of the futures markets by encouraging their competitiveness and efficiency, ensuring the market’s integrity and protecting market participants against abusive trading practices, fraud and market manipulation. Additionally, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission ensures financial integrity in the markets by delivering a sound clearing process.

Commodity Futures Trading Commission Quick Facts

The following details outline the administration of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission:

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission was formed on April 15th of 1975

The headquarters of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission are located at 1155 21st Street in Northwestern Washington, D.C.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission operates with roughly 450 employees

The preceding agency of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission was the Commodity Exchange Authority

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission is responsible for the jurisdiction over the Commodities and Options Markets of the United States

The head of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission is Chairman Gary Gensler

A Guide to the Consumer Product Safety Commission

A Guide to the Consumer Product Safety CommissionWhat is the Consumer Product Safety Commission?

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is an independent agency of the United States government that was created in 1972 through the passing of the Consumer Product Safety Act. The primary responsibility of the Consumer Product Safety Commission is to protect the American consumer against “unreasonable risks of injuries associated with consumer products.”

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is an independent agency that does not report to any department or agency of the federal government. That being said, the Consumer Product Safety Commission is typically run by three commissioners who are each nominated by the President of the Untied States and subsequently confirmed by the Senate for staggered seven year terms.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has the authority to regulate the sale and manufacture of nearly 16,000 consumer products. Those products not under the jurisdiction of the Consumer Product Safety Commission include those specifically named by law of other federal agencies; for example, cars are regulated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, guns are regulated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and drugs are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission fulfills its complex mission by banning dangerous consumer products, instituting recalls of products that already hit the market and researching potential hazards associated with consumer products.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission conducts its research to reveal potential hazards associated with consumer products in a variety of ways, including maintaining a 24-horu customer support center and consumer hot line where consumers may report concerns about unsafe products or injuries associated with consumer items.

When the Consumer Product Safety Commission was created in 1972, the department maintained a budget of approximately $34.7 million dollars. At this time, the agency operated with roughly 800 employees. In present times, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has just 400 employees and an operating budget of $43 million. That being said, the passing of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, which was passed in 2008, will increase the agency’s funding to $136.4 million and add over 500 employees to the organization by 2014.

Consumer Product Safety Commission Quick Facts

The following details outline the administration of the Consumer Product Safety Commission:

The Consumer Product Safety Commission was founded in 1972

The Consumer Product Safety Commission currently operates with roughly 500 employees

The headquarters of the Consumer Product Safety Commission are located in Bethesda, Maryland

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is responsible for the jurisdiction over nearly 16,000 consumer products in the United States

The head of the Consumer Product Safety Commission is Agency Chairman Inez Moore

Programs of the Corporation for National and Community Service

Programs of the Corporation for National and Community ServiceWhat is the Corporation for National and Community Service?

The Corporation for National and Community Service is an independent agency of the United States Government, which was formally created by the passing of the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993. The primary mission of the Corporation for National and Community Service is to “support the American culture of citizenship, service, and responsibility.

As a government agency, the Corporation for National and Community Service operates like a foundation and stands as the country’s largest grant maker supporting volunteering efforts and humanitarian service projects.

Currently, the Corporation for National and Community Service delivers a variety of programs that are specifically designed to help communities address povery, their environment, their educational systems and other unmet human needs. The various programs of the Corporation for National and Community Service include:

AmeriCorps: This national service instituted by the Corporation for National and Community Service is designed to engage Americans in a variety of manners; programs under Americorp include: Volunteers in Service to America, the National Civilian community Corps, AmeriCorps National and AmeriCorps State programs.

Learn and Service America: This program engages students in community-based organizations and schools in service learning environments.

Senior Corps: This program offered by the Corporation for National and Community Service connects individuals over the age off with organizations and individuals who can support them or provide advice given their particular situation.

Corporation for National and Community Service Quick Facts

The following details outline the administration of the Corporation for National and Community Service:

The Corporation for National and Community Service was founded in 1990

The headquarters of the Corporation for National and Community Service are located at 1201 New York Avenue in Northwest Washington, D.C.
The Corporation for National and Community Service is responsible for the jurisdiction over The Federal Government of the United States of America
The head of the Corporation for National and Community Service is Agency Executive Patrick Corvington
 
The Corporation for National and Community Service operates with roughly 500 employees and an annual budget of $1.1 billion

What is an Independent Government Agency?

An independent agency of the United States Federal Government is a department or organization that exists outside of the federal executive departments or those headed by a Cabinet secretary. In a more specific sense, the term Independent Government Agency, is used to describe agencies that, while constitutionally operating within the executive branch, are free from presidential authority or control, as a result of the President’s limited membership within the agency.

Independent government agencies are established through separate statutes passed by the United States Congress; each respective statutory grant of authority will define the goals or mission that the agency must work towards, in addition to the substantive areas, if applicable, over which the Independent Agency may have the power of rulemaking. These agency regulations, when enforced, maintain the power of federal law.

Easy Guide to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Easy Guide to the Corporation for Public BroadcastingWhat is the Corporation for Public Broadcasting?

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a non-profit Independent Government Agency, created by an act of the United States Congress and formally funded by the United States Federal Government to promote the art of public broadcasting. In a historical sense, nearly 20% of all aggregate revenues of all public broadcasting stations have been funded by federal government agencies, principally through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Although the Corporation for Public Broadcasting provides some funding for PBS and National Public Radio, the majority of its funding (received from the Federal Government) is transferred to public television and radio stations that are members of the aforementioned stations, as well as to other broadcasters that are independents of these organizations.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting was established by the passing of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967; this legislation requires that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting operate with a “strict adherence to objectivity and balance in all programs or series of programs of a controversial nature.” Additionally, the legislation which ultimately created the Corporation for Public Broadcasting requires the agency to regularly review national programming for objectivity and balance, as well as report on “its efforts to address concerns about objectivity and balance.”

How is the Corporation for Public Broadcasting Funded?

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s annual budget is comprised almost entirely of an annual appropriation from the Untied States Congress plus interest it receives on such funds. For example, in the fiscal year of 2010, its appropriation was $422 million; the distributions of such funds were as follows:

$21 million for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s administrative costs
$25.2 million for funds to support the Public Broadcasting Service (as opposed to specific stations
$281.85 million for public television
$93.94 million for public radio efforts
Public broadcasting stations are funded through a combination of private donations from members, foundations and corporations, state and local taxes, local and national underwriting and federal funds.
   

Corporation for Public Broadcasting Quick Facts

The following details outline the administration of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting:
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting was founded on November 7th of 1967
The headquarters of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting are located in Washington, D.C.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is responsible for the jurisdiction over the United States of America
The head of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is CEO Patricia Harrison

What is an Independent Government Agency?

An independent agency of the United States Federal Government is a department or organization that exists outside of the federal executive departments or those headed by a Cabinet secretary. In a more specific sense, the term Independent Government Agency, is used to describe agencies that, while constitutionally operating within the executive branch, are free from presidential authority or control, as a result of the President’s limited membership within the agency.

Independent government agencies are established through separate statutes passed by the United States Congress; each respective statutory grant of authority will define the goals or mission that the agency must work towards, in addition to the substantive areas, if applicable, over which the Independent Agency may have the power of rulemaking. These agency regulations, when enforced, maintain the power of federal law.