Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 78.djvu/657

 PUBLIC LAW 88-499-AUG. 30, 1964

78 S T A T. ]

615

Public Law 88-499 AN ACT To provide for continuous improvement of the administrative procedure of Federal agencies by creating an Administrative Conference of the United States, and for other purix)ses.

August 30, 1964 [S. 1664]

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That this Act may conf^l^ceAir* be cited as the "Administrative Conference Act". FINDINGS A N D DECLARATION OF POLICY

SEC. 2. The Congress finds and declares that— (a) administration of regulatory and other statutes enacted by Congress in the public interest substantially affects large numbers of private individuals and many areas of business and economic activity; (b) the protection of public and private interests requires continuing attention to the administrative procedure of Federal agencies to insure maximum efficiency and fairness in achieving statutory objectives; (c) responsibility for assuring fair and efficient administrative procedure is inherent in the general responsibilities of officials appointed to administer Federal statutes; (d) experience has demonstrated that cooperative effort among Federal officials, assisted hj private citizens and others whose interest, competence, and objectivity enable them to make a unique contribution, can find solutions to complex problems and achieve substantial progress in improving the effectiveness of administrative procedure; and (e) it is the purpose of this Act to provide suitable arrangements through which Federal agencies, assisted by outside experts, may cooperatively study mutual problems, exchange information, and develop recommendations for action by proper authorities to the end that private rights may be fully protected and regulatory activities and other Federal responsibilities may be carried out expeditiously in the public interest. DEFINITIONS

SEC. 3. As used in this Act— (a) "Administrative program" includes any Federal function which involves protection of the public interest and the determination of rights, privileges, and obligations of private persons through rulemaking, adjudication, licensing or investigation, as those terms are used in the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 1001-1011), except that it does not include any military, naval, or foreign affairs function of the United States. (b) "Administrative agency" means any authority as defined by section 2(a) of the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 1001(a)). (c) "Administrative procedure" means procedure used in carrying out an administrative program and shall be broadly construed to include any aspect of agency organization, procedure, or management whicn may affect the equitable consideration of public and private interests, the fairness of agency decisions, the speed of agency action, and the relationship of operating methods to later judicial review, but shall not be construed to include the scope of agency responsibility as established by law or matters of substantive policy committed by law to agency discretion. 31-667 0-65—42

60 Stat. 237.

�