Executive Order 12314

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and statutes of the United States of America, and in order to establish interagency coordinating groups structured to respond to opportunities for promoting Federal policies and to support interagency and intergovernmental cooperation, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. Establishment of Federal Regional Councils. (a) There is hereby restructured a Federal Regional Council for each of the ten standard Federal regions (Office of Management and Budget Circular No. A-105). Each Council shall be composed of a principal policy official in the region at the Administrator, Director, Secretarial Representative, or equivalent level, from each of the following agencies: (1) The Department of the Interior. (2) The Department of Agriculture. (3) The Department of Labor. (4) The Department of Health and Human Services. (5) The Department of Housing and Urban Development. (6) The Department of Transportation. (7) The Department of Energy. (8) The Department of Education. (9) The Environmental Protection Agency. (b) The President shall designate a Chairman for each Council. Representatives of the Office of Management and Budget may participate in the deliberations of the Councils. (c) Each member of each Council shall designate an alternate to serve whenever the regular member is unable to attend any meeting of the Council. The alternate shall be a principal official in the region at the Deputy or equivalent level, or the head of an operating unit of the agency. (d) Whenever matters are to be considered by a Council which significantly affect the interests of agencies not represented on that Council, the Regional Director or other appropriate representative of the affected agency shall participate in the deliberations of the Council. Sec. 2. Federal Regional Council Functions. (a) Each Council shall, upon request, establish liaison with State, tribal, regional, and local offices, and shall inform elected officials, including State legislators, concerning Government policies and initiatives, through such mechanisms as are appropriate in individual cases. (b) Each Council shall respond to State, tribal, regional, and local concerns or inquiries about major agency policy and budgeting decisions, in order to ensure that the total effect of those actions and related actions of other agencies are explained and understood. (c) Each Council shall assist in explaining the following federalism initiatives: (1) Reform of the Federal aid system through block grants. (2) Devolution of Federal programs and functions. (3) Reduction in the number and impact of Federal regulations and administrative requirements. (d) Each Council shall coordinate the Federal response to social and economic impacts resulting from Federal actions. (e) Each Council shall identify significant problems with Federal regulations, policies and actions for resolution in the field or refer such problems to the appropriate agency for resolution in a timely fashion, to ensure that problems which are of interest to State and local governments are acted upon expeditiously. Sec. 3. Oversight. (a) The Office of Management and Budget will provide policy guidance to the Councils in consultation with the White House Office of Policy Development; establish policy with respect to Federal Regional Council procedural matters; respond to Council initiatives; seek to resolve policy issues referred to it by the Councils; coordinate Federal Regional Council activities relating to State and local governments with the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs; and, coordinate Council activities relating to specific programmatic areas with the appropriate Federal agencies. (b) The Office of Management and Budget shall provide direction for, and oversight of, the implementation by the Councils of Federal management improvement actions and of Federal aid reforms. Sec. 4. General Provisions. (a) Each agency represented on a Council shall provide, to the extent permitted by law, appropriate staff for common or joint interagency activities as requested by the Chairman of the Council. (b) Executive Order No. 12149 is revoked.

RONALD REAGAN The White House, July 22, 1981.

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 2:17 p. m., July 23, 1981] Note: The text of the Executive order was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on July 23.