NOV 0 399 49 00

ALDERMAN-GOVT DOCUMENTS

The United States

Manual

Government

1999/2000

Office of the Federal Register
National Archives and Records Administration

Revised June 1, 1999

Raymond A. Mosley,

Director of the Federal Register.

John W. Carlin,

Archivist of the United States.

On the Cover: A montage of images depicting American urban and rural life;
inventions, industry, and immigration; nuclear testing and space exploration; wartime
scenes and peace demonstrators; inventors and civil rights leaders; and Presidents
and their families. These photographs are among those included in "Picturing the
Century: One Hundred Years of Photography from the National Archives." This free
exhibit, on display in the Circular Gallery of the National Archives Building in
Washington, DC, presents nearly 200 photographs selected from the National
Archives and Records Administration's vast holdings. Most of the photographs were
taken by Federal Government employees or contractors or were collected by a
Federal agency; some were taken by distinguished photographers, while others are
uncredited. They depict momentous events, capture the hopes and fears of the
American people, and illustrate the transformation of American society during the
20th century. "Picturing the Century" is on display through July 4, 2001.

For information on NARA's holdings, exhibits, and publications, visit the National
Archives Internet site at http://www.nara.gov/.

For sale by the U.S. Government Printing Office
Superintendent of Documents, Mail Stop: SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-9328
ISBN 0-16-050117-2

Preface

As the official handbook of the Federal Government, The United States Government Manual provides comprehensive information on the agencies of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. The Manual also includes information on quasiofficial agencies; international organizations in which the United States participates; and boards, commissions, and committees.

A typical agency description includes a list of principal officials, a summary statement of the agency's purpose and role in the Federal Government, a brief history of the agency, including its legislative or executive authority, a description of its programs and activities, and a "Sources of Information" section. This last section provides information on consumer activities, contracts and grants, employment, publications, and many other areas of public interest.

The 1999/2000 Manual was prepared by the Presidential and Legislative Publications Unit, Office of the Federal Register. Maxine L. Hill was Lead Editor, and Karen L. Ashlin was Managing Editor, assisted by Anna Glover, Michael Hoover, Jennifer Mangum, and Karen Thornton.

THE FEDERAL REGISTER AND ITS SPECIAL EDITIONS

The Manual is published as a special edition of the Federal Register (see 1 CFR 9.1). Its focus is on programs and activities. Persons interested in detailed organizational structure, the regulatory documents of an agency, or Presidential documents should refer to the Federal Register or one of its other special editions, described below. Issued each Federal working day, the Federal Register provides a uniform system for publishing Presidential documents, regulatory documents with general applicability and legal effect, proposed rules, notices, and documents required to be published by statute.

The Code of Federal Regulations is an annual codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register. The Code is divided into 50 titles that represent broad areas subject to Federal regulation. The Code is kept up to date by the individual issues of the Federal Register.

The Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents serves as a timely, up-to-date reference source for the public policies and activities of the President. It contains remarks, news conferences, messages, statements, and other Presidential material of a public nature issued by the White House during the week reported.

A companion publication to the Weekly Compilation is the Public Papers of the Presidents, which contains public Presidential documents and speeches in convenient book form. Volumes of the Public Papers have been published for every President since Herbert Hoover, with the exception of Franklin D. Roosevelt, whose papers were published privately.

OTHER OFFICE OF THE FEDERAL Register PUBLICATIONS

The Office of the Federal Register publishes slip laws, which are pamphlet prints of each public and private law enacted by Congress. Slip laws are compiled annually as the United States Statutes at Large. The Statutes volumes contain all public and private laws and concurrent resolutions enacted during a session of Congress;