1.1 Purpose. This chapter states the objectives of the Service's committee management program and describes various committees, general authorities, and responsibilities for committees utilized by the Service or on which Service personnel participate as official representatives.
1.3 Committee Management Program. The objectives of the Service committee management program are to:
A. Ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and Executive Orders.
B. Promote efficient committee management through the avoidance of duplication among committees.
C. Avoid the establishment of unnecessary committees, and to ensure that committees no longer serving a useful purpose are terminated.
D. Provide for the systematic recording and immediate availability of basic information concerning committees.
1.4 Authorities.
A. Public Law 92-463, the Federal Advisory Committee Act codified as 41 CFR 101-6.10.
B. 308 DM 1-8 (Committee Management).
C. 205 DM 16 (Advisory Committee Management - Delegations).
D. Executive Order 11222 (Prescribing Standards of Ethical Conduct for Government Officers and Employees).
E. Public Law 87-849 (Bribery, Graft, and Conflicts Entrustment).
F. OMB Circular No. A-120-- Guidelines for the Use of Advisory and Assistance Services.
G. Government in the Sunshine Act, (5 U.S.C. 552(b)).
1.5 Definitions.
A. Committee. Committee is defined as any commission, council, board, conference, panel, task force, or other similar group established by the Department or used by it for the rendering of advice or for any other purpose.
B. Advisory Committee. An advisory committee is any committee, board, commission, council, conference, panel, task force, or similar group, or any subcommittee or other subgroup thereof, which is established by statute or established or utilized by the President or an agency official in the interest of obtaining advice or recommendations. A determination to establish an advisory committee must be made in consultation with the Administrator of the General Services Administration. A timely notice must be published in the Federal Register prior to establishment of the specific advisory committee. Specific guidance on advisory committees is contained in 107 FW 1.
C. Interagency Committee. The term "interagency committee" means a committee made up of full-time officers or employees of two or more departments or agencies of the Federal Government, which is expected to be in existence more than 12 months. Specific guidance on interagency committees is contained in 105 FW 2.
D. Departmental (Intra-agency) Committee. Any committee (excluding ad hoc or informal committees) established by a Secretarial officer or other official authorized to create a Departmental committee, and composed wholly of employees from two or more bureaus or offices of the Department. Specific guidance on Departmental committees is contained in 105 FW 3.
E. Service (Intrabureau) Committee. Any committee (excluding ad hoc or informal committees) established by the head of a bureau or office of the Department and composed entirely of employees of that bureau or office. Intrabureau committees include Servicewide committees appointed by the Director, Regional committees appointed by the appropriate Regional Director and Headquarters committees appointed by the appropriate Headquarters Directorate member. Specific guidance on Service committees is contained in 105 FW 4.
F. Intergovernmental Committee. Any committee composed of representatives of State and/or local governments. Intergovernmental committees include public service committees (any local civic group whose primary function is that of rendering a public service with respect to a Federal program; or State or local committee, council, board, commission, or similar group established to advise or made recommendations to State or local officials or agencies) which are exempted from the requirements of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. Specific guidance on intergovernmental committees is contained in 105 FW 5.
G. State, Local, and Community Committee. There are occasions when Service employees are asked to serve on community committees, on local government committees, or on State government advisory groups. Specific guidance for such participation is found in 105 FW 6.
1.6 Responsibilities.
A. Assistant Director - Policy, Budget and Administration. The Assistant Director - Policy, Budget and Administration supervises the Service's committee management program and appoints a Service Committee Management Officer to be responsible for the Service's committee management program.
B. The Division of Policy and Directives Management. The Division of Policy and Directives Management provides staff assistance to the Assistant Director in overseeing the establishment and review of committee management programs, coordinates the Headquarters committee management program, and is responsible for:
(1) Notifying the Departmental Committee Management Officer of the appointment of the service Committee Management Officer and any subsequent redesignation.
(2) Maintaining required information concerning all committees functioning within the Service, and all committees in which the Service participates.
(3) Reviewing annually, or as requested, the operations of interagency and advisory committees for which the Service is responsible.
(4) Submitting periodic reports as prescribed by the Department and Office of Management and Budget directives on advisory and interagency committees.
(5) Preparing written guidance which specifies the procedures for establishing and terminating intrabureau committees.
(6) Preparing written guidance for the management of advisory committees. A copy of any such procedures, and any changes to such procedures, will be forwarded through the Service Committee Management Officer to the Departmental Committee Management Officer, Assistant Secretary - Policy, Management and Budget, for review purposes.
C. Regional Director. Each Regional Director is responsible for:
(1) Establishing a committee management program which will achieve the objectives set forth in this chapter.
(2) Designating a Regional Committee Management Officer who shall be responsible for coordinating the Regional committee management program, and serving as liaison with the Service Committee Management Officer.
(3) Maintaining a repository of information about all committees on which personnel of the Region are members.