The Office of Consumer Affairs (OCA) seeks to promote a better understanding between businesses and consumers, to help businesses improve the quality of their services, to educate consumers to make wise purchasing decisions, and to provide the consumer viewpoint in the development of policy. The office: assists consumers with marketplace issues and educates them about resources that are available to help them; publishes guides to help businesses respond to consumer needs; and represents and coordinates the Department's consumer affairs activities with consumer groups, other Federal, state, county, and municipal government agencies, and international organizations.

This is the web site of the Office of Independent Counsel in the investigation and prosecutions involving matters relating to former Secretary of Agriculture, Alphonso Michael Espy. Donald C. Smaltz was appointed Independent Counsel by the Special Division of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on September 9, 1994, to "investigate to the maximum extent authorized by [law]" whether Secretary Espy "committed a violation of any federal criminal law . . . relating in any way to the acceptance of gifts by him from organizations or individuals with business pending before the Department of Agriculture." He was also given jurisdiction to investigate "other allegations or evidence of violations of any federal criminal law by organizations or individuals developed during the course of the investigation of Secretary Espy and connected with or arising out of that investigation." The purpose of this web site is to give the public access to public information that defines and explains the investigation.

In keeping with President Clinton's priorities to create a government that works better and costs less, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) launched a comprehensive evaluation of the agency's organizational structure in May of 1997. We did this because our future depends on delivering quality services quickly, working with our transportation partners in the common goal of building the finest transportation system in the world. Yet, as many companies and agencies across the nation have discovered, what were good business practices yesterday may no longer be effective today. Some changes were necessary. In our review, we looked at ways to streamline FHWA's field organization and enhance the program delivery role of our division offices, which work directly with our partners and customers in each state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

The Congressional Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) closed on September 29, 1995. During its 23-year history, OTA provided Congressional members and committees with analyses of the scientific and technological issues that were increasingly relevant to public policy and legislative action. The agency's legacy is found in the many items of legislation it influenced and in the channels of communication its staff helped foster between legislative policymakers and members of the scientific, technical, and business communities. The Office's legacy is also found in its hundreds of publications, gathered for the first time in electronic form on the set of 5 CD-ROMs: The OTA Legacy, 1972-1995. This Web site presents the complete contents of the five CD-ROMs with additional enhancements and features that facilitate access and retrieval.

The Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Health Care Industry was created by President Clinton to "advise the President on changes occurring in the health care system and recommend such measures as may be necessary to promote and assure health care quality and value, and protect consumers and workers in the health care system."

On January 7, 2005, President Bush announced the establishment of a bipartisan panel to advise on options to reform the tax code to make it simpler, fairer, and more pro-growth to benefit all Americans. The Advisory Panel will submit to the Secretary of the Treasury a report containing revenue neutral policy options for reforming the Federal Internal Revenue Code as soon as practicable, but not later than November 1, 2005. These options should: simplify Federal tax laws to reduce the costs and administrative burdens of compliance with such laws; share the burdens and benefits of the Federal tax structure in an appropriately progressive manner while recognizing the importance of homeownership and charity in American society; and promote long-run economic growth and job creation, and better encourage work effort, saving, and investment, so as to strengthen the competitiveness of the United States in the global marketplace.

Executive Order 13168, dated September 27, 2000 established the President's Commission on Improving Economic Opportunity in Communities Dependent on Tobacco Production While Protecting Public Health (Commission). The purpose of the Commission is to provide advice to the President on changes occurring in the tobacco farming economy and recommend such measures as may be necessary to improve economic opportunity and development in communities that are dependent on tobacco production, and protect consumers, particularly children, from hazards associated with smoking.

The mission of the Commission shall be to provide recommendations to the President on implementation of the vision outlined in the President's policy statement entitled "A Renewed Spirit of Discovery" and the President's Budget Submission for Fiscal Year 2005 (collectively, "Policy"). The Commission shall examine and make recommendations to the President regarding: a) science research agenda to be conducted on the Moon and other destinations as well as human and robotic science activities that advance our capacity to achieve the Policy; b) The exploration of technologies, demonstrations, and strategies, including the use of lunar and other in situ natural resources, that could be used for sustainable human and robotic exploration; c) Criteria that could be used to select future destinations for human exploration; d) Long-term organization options for managing implementation of space exploration activities; e) The most appropriate and effective roles for potential private sector and international participants in implementing the Policy; and f) Methods for optimizing space exploration activities to encourage the interests of America's youth in studying and pursuing careers in mathematics, science, and engineering; and g) Management of the implementation of the Policy within available resources.

President Clinton established the Commission on the Celebration of Women in American History to consider how best to acknowledge and celebrate the roles and accomplishments of women in American history. It will hold meetings to consider ideas for such celebration, including a focal point for women's history in Washington, D.C., and the use of technology to connect existing and planned historical sites, museums and libraries. The first meeting of the Commission was held on July 16, 1998, at the Canandaigua County Courthouse, the site where Susan B. Anthony was tried and convicted for voting. The Commission's recommendations were reported to the President on November 15, 2000.

On May 2, President Bush announced establishment of a bipartisan, 16-member Commission "to study and report specific recommendations to preserve Social Security for seniors while building wealth for younger Americans." The Commission will provide bipartisan recommendations to the President for modernizing and restoring fiscal soundness to the Social Security System according to the following principles: modernization must not change Social Security benefits for retirees or near retirees; the entire Social Security surplus must be dedicated to Social Security only; Social Security payroll taxes must not be increased; the Government must not invest Social Security funds in the stock market; modernization must preserve Social Security's disability and survivors components; and modernization must include individually controlled, voluntary personal retirement accounts, which will augment the Social Security safety net.

President George W. Bush established the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health in April 2002 as part of his commitment to eliminate inequality for Americans with disabilities. The President directed the Commission to identify policies that could be implemented by Federal, State and local governments to maximize the utility of existing resources, improve coordination of treatments and services, and promote successful community integration for adults with a serious mental illness and children with a serious emotional disturbance.

To present a thorough historical record of the collection and disposition of the assets of Holocaust victims that came into the possession or control of the Government of the United States. The Presidential Advisory Commission on Holocaust Assets in the United States (PCHA), established by the U.S. Holocaust Assets Commission Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-186), is charged with conducting original research into the fate of assets taken from victims of the Holocaust that came into the possession of the U.S. Federal government; reviewing research done by others regarding assets that came to private collections and non-Federal government organizations (especially state governments and financial institutions); and advising the President on policies that should be adopted to make restitution to the rightful owners of stolen property or their heirs. The primary goal is to develop an historical account of those valuables that came into the hands of the Federal government. Original research is conducted in the areas of art and cultural property, gold, and non-gold financial property by teams of researchers headed by experts Jonathan Petropoulos, Marc Masurovsky and Helen Junz.

On June 13, 2003 the NASA Administrator appointed two vetereran astronauts to lead an external task group in an independent assessment of the agency's "Return to Flight" efforts and to help the nation return the Space Shuttle safely to flight. On August 17th, 2005, the task group completed its work with the delivery of a final report to the NASA Administrator.

For 155 years, the Smithsonian Institution has had as its mission "the increase and diffusion of knowledge." Given the important questions facing the scientific world today, the existing level of institutional financial and physical resources, the strengths of the Institution's people and its collections, how should the Smithsonian set priorities for scientific research in the years ahead and, in general, carry out its historic mission more effectively? 1) How should scientific research be organized to optimize the use of the Institution's human, physical and financial resources? 2) How should the performance of scientific research by individuals and research departments be evaluated? 3) How can the relationship between research and public programming be enhanced? 4) What suggestions, of any type might the Science Commission have to strengthen research at the Smithsonian? 5) What should be the qualifications of those chosen to lead key scientific research units of the Smithsonian? 6) What should be done to enhance public recognition of Smithsonian science?

This is the website for the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction. SIGIR provides oversight for Iraq reconstruction programs and operations. Specifically, SIGIR is mandated with the oversight responsibility of the use, and potential misuse, of the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund (IRRF) and all obligations, expenditures, and revenues associated with reconstruction and rehabilitation activities in Iraq. SIGIR reports administratively to the Secretaries of State and Defense and provides quarterly and semi-annual reports directly to the U.S. Congress. The website includes all the quarterly and semi-annual reports submitted to Congress, as well as other reports about audits, investigations, inspections, and evaluations. Additionally, it includes a video archive and statements of testimonies before the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate committees.

The Special Oversight Board shall provide advice and recommendations based on its review of Department of Defense investigations into possible detections of, and exposures to, chemical or biological weapons agents and environmental and other factors that may have contributed to Gulf War illnesses.

The Texas Tax Reform Commission (TTRC) was a bipartisan group of 24 Texans who developed proposals to modernize the state tax system and provide long-term property tax relief as well as sound financing for public schools. Governor Rick Perry directed the Commission to make recommendations on how to reform the state's business tax structure and provide significant property tax relief. Both goals are essential to promoting long-term economic growth and ensuring a stable, long-term source of revenue for public education. Accordingly. the Commission presented its final Report in March, 2006 and the recommendations not only address the Governor's directive, but also meet later court-mandated improvements in how Texas funds its schools.

Congress established the Census Monitoring Board to observe and monitor all aspects of the preparation and implementation of the 2000 decennial census. The method employed by the Census to count over 275 million Americans in 2000.

Congress established the Census Monitoring Board to observe and monitor all aspects of the preparation and implementation of the 2000 decennial census. After the completion of the 200 census, many thoughtful parties continue a sincere debate over the implementation of statistical adjustment as a means of increasing the accuracy of the census and for its use in redistricting and the allocation of government funds and services. On March 1, 2001, the Census Bureau's Executive Steering Committee overseeing the post-census evaluation phase, the Accuracy and Coverage Evaluation (A.C.E.), recommended against adjusting the count. Reasonable people, including leading statisticians, have reviewed the statistical adjustment methodology and have raised legitimate questions. This report attempts to put that methodology into perspective and add to what will be further debate and discussion on how all of us as shareholders can continue to work together to ensure the most accurate census possible.

U.S. Census Monitoring Board is a bipartisan board charged with monitoring the Bureau of the Census' preparations for the 2000 Census and reporting its findings to Congress and the President.

The USCNS/21 is charged with thinking comprehensively and creatively about how the United States should provide for its national security in the 21st century.

This website contains information about the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) which is a collaborative program to increase access to data and information about biological resources in the United States, including databases, informational resources, and analytical tools. This site organizes relevant resources based on regions and subjects, as well as grouping together tools for particular needs.

The purpose of the Commission is to study the nature, causes, and consequences of the United States merchandise trade and current account deficits.

The Final Report of the U.S.-Canada Power System Outage Task Force provides a thorough investigation of the causes of the August 14, 2003 blackout. It also recommends actions to minimize the likelihood and scope of similar events in the future.