REORGANIZATION PLAN NO. 4 OF 1965
Eff. July 27, 1965, 30 F.R. 9353, 79 Stat. 1321 , as amended
Pub. L. 90–83, §10(c), Sept. 11, 1967, 81 Stat. 224
Prepared by the President and transmitted to the Senate and the House of Representatives in Congress assembled, May 27, 1965, pursuant to the provisions of the Reorganization Act of 1949,
ABOLITION OF CERTAIN COMMITTEES, COUNCILS, AND BOARDS
Part I
Section 1. Transfer of Functions
All functions of each of the following-named bodies, together with all functions of the Chairman and of other officers of each thereof, are hereby transferred to the President of the United States:
(a) The National Housing Council, provided for in section 6 of Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1947 (
(b) The National Advisory Council on International Monetary and Financial Problems, provided for in section 4 of the Bretton Woods Agreements Act,
(c) The Board of the Foreign Service, provided for in section 211 of the Foreign Service Act of 1946,
(d) The Board of Examiners for the Foreign Service, provided for in section 212 of the Foreign Service Act of 1946 (22 U.S.C. 827) [see 22 U.S.C. 3931].
(e) The Civilian-Military Liaison Committee, provided for in section 204 of the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958,
Sec. 2. Performance of Transferred Functions
The President may from time to time make such provisions as he may deem appropriate authorizing the performance of the functions transferred by the provisions of section 1 of this reorganization plan by any other officers of the executive branch of the Government or by any agencies or employees of that branch.
Sec. 3. Abolition of Bodies
(a) Each of the bodies referred to in paragraphs (a) to (e), inclusive, of section 1 of this reorganization plan is hereby abolished.
(b) The President shall make or cause to be made such provisions as may be necessary with respect to the winding up of any outstanding affairs of the bodies abolished by the provisions of section 3 of this reorganization plan.
Part II
Section 11. Transfer of Functions
(a) [Repealed.
(b) There are hereby transferred to the Administrator of the Small Business Administration all functions of the Loan Policy Board of the Small Business Administration, provided for in section 4(d) of the Small Business Act,
(c) There are hereby transferred to the Secretary of the Interior all functions of the advisory board provided for in section 2(a) of the Act of August 20, 1937,
(d) There are hereby transferred to the Attorney General all functions of the Awards Board provided for in section 3 of the Atomic Weapons Rewards Act of 1955,
(e) The transfers made by subsections (a) to (d), inclusive, of this section shall be deemed to include all functions of the Chairman and of other officers of the respective transferor bodies referred to in those subsections. [Subsection repealed by
Sec. 12. Performance of Transferred Functions
Each officer to whom functions are transferred by the provisions of section 11 of this reorganization plan may from time to time make such provisions as he may deem appropriate authorizing the performance of the functions so transferred to him by his subordinate officers, employees, or agencies. [Section repealed by
Sec. 13. Abolitions
(a) Each of the bodies the functions of which are transferred by the provisions of section 11 of this reorganization plan is hereby abolished. Each officer to whom functions are transferred by those provisions shall make such provisions as may be necessary with respect to the winding up of any outstanding affairs of the body or bodies the functions of which are so transferred to him.
(b) The functions vested in the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare by the provisions of section 7(b) of the Juvenile Delinquency and Youth Offenses Control Act of 1961,
Message of the President
To the Congress of the United States:
I transmit herewith Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1965, prepared in accordance with the Reorganization Act of 1949, as amended, and providing for reorganizations of various committees and other similar bodies.
The strength and vitality of our democracy depends in major part upon the Federal Government's adaptability, on its capacity for fast flexible response to changing needs imposed by changing circumstances. If we are to maintain this capacity, we must have a government that is streamlined and capable of quickly adjusting and readjusting its organization and operating procedures to take up and surmount new challenges.
As government grows more complex and programs increasingly cut across traditional agency lines, we must exercise special care to prevent the continuance of obsolete interagency committees and other coordinating devices which waste time and delay action and the undue proliferation of new committees. Interagency committees are a valuable and often indispensable means for facilitating coordination, but we should be sure that a committee is the most efficient way to accomplish a given task and that it is structured to meet current needs effectively.
At my direction, guidelines for the management of interagency committees have been established. I have recently asked the heads of departments and agencies to give their personal attention to a complete review of all the interagency committees in which their agencies participate to determine which ones might be eliminated, consolidated or otherwise reorganized. We will take appropriate action to obtain essential improvements in the organization and use of those committees which have been established by the executive branch.
The reorganizations accomplished by the reorganization plan transmitted herewith will enable us to take similar action with respect to a number of committees which have been established by statute. In many instances the statutory provisions creating these committees are very specific as to membership and describe in detail the functions to be performed. These provisions are rarely sufficiently flexible to permit the membership or role of the committees to be accommodated to changing circumstances or to permit their termination when they have outlived their usefulness.
The accompanying reorganization plan will abolish nine statutory committees. In each case the responsibility for providing suitable arrangements to assure effective consultation and coordination is placed in a specific official. Wherever the continuing need for and usefulness of a committee has been demonstrated, I would anticipate the establishment of a successor committee along he general lines of the body now provided by law. Certainly prompt action will be taken to create successor committees to such bodies as the Board of Foreign Service and the National Advisory Council on International Monetary and Financial Problems. But we will have the flexibility promptly to make such changes in functions and membership as might be required to eliminate overlapping and duplication and to adjust to the development of new programs and shifts in executive branch responsibilities.
A number of the committees affected by the reorganization plan are advisory to the President or have functions which are closely related to responsibilities already vested in the President. The functions of those committees will be transferred to the President by the reorganization plan. The functions of the others will be transferred to the appropriate individual agency heads.
The management and control of interagency committees have been a matter of growing concern to both the executive branch and the Congress. The taking effect of the reorganization plan will contribute significantly to better management of interagency committees and will assist efforts to simplify and modernize coordinating arrangements within the executive branch.
Executive Order No. 10940 of May 11, 1961, provides for the President's Committee on Juvenile Delinquency and Youth Crime. The Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare is required to consult with that committee on matters of general policy and procedure arising in the administration of the Juvenile Delinquency and Youth Offenses Control Act of 1961 and to consider certain recommendations of that committee (42 U.S.C. 2546(b)). To require the Secretary by law to consult with a committee established by Executive order is clearly anomalous. The plan abolishes the relevant functions of the Secretary with respect to consulting and considering the recommendations of the President's Committee. The reorganization plan does not otherwise affect the Committee; it has no effect upon Executive Order No. 10940. The statutory authority for the exercise of the functions to be abolished by section 13(b) of the reorganization plan is contained in section 7(b) of the Juvenile Delinquency and Youth Offenses Control Act of 1961 (
After investigation I have found and hereby declare that each reorganization included in Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1965 is necessary to accomplish one or more of the purposes set forth in section 2(a) of the Reorganization Act of 1949, as amended.
Although the reorganizations provided for in the reorganization plan will not of themselves result in immediate savings, the improvement achieved in administration will in the future allow the performance of the affected functions at lower costs and in a more timely manner than at present. It is, however, impracticable to specify or itemize at this time the reductions of expenditures which it is probable will be brought about by the taking effect of the reorganizations included in the reorganization plan.
I recommend that the Congress allow the accompanying reorganization plan to become effective.
Lyndon B. Johnson.