Presidential Commission (United States)
Encyclopedia
In the United States
, a Presidential Commission is a special task force ordained by the President
to complete some special research or investigation. They are often used politically
in one of two ways: either to draw attention to a problem (the publication of a report by a commission can generally be counted on to draw attention from the media
, depending on how its release is handled); or, on the other hand, to delay action on an issue (if the President wants to avoid taking action but still look concerned about an issue, he can convene a commission and then let it slip into obscurity). However, there have been cases (the Tower
, Rogers and Warren Commission
s) where the commission has created reports that have been used as evidence in later criminal proceedings.
Encyclopedia of Governmental Advisory Organizations (Detroit, MI: Gale, 1973- . annual editions).
Kenneth Kitts, Presidential Commissions and National Security: The Politics of Damage Control (Boulder: Lynne Rienner, 2006).
Steven D. Zink, Guide to the Presidential Advisory Commissions, 1973-1987 (Alexandria, VA: Chadwyck-Healey, Inc,, 1987).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, a Presidential Commission is a special task force ordained by the President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
to complete some special research or investigation. They are often used politically
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
in one of two ways: either to draw attention to a problem (the publication of a report by a commission can generally be counted on to draw attention from the media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
, depending on how its release is handled); or, on the other hand, to delay action on an issue (if the President wants to avoid taking action but still look concerned about an issue, he can convene a commission and then let it slip into obscurity). However, there have been cases (the Tower
Tower Commission
Commissioned on November 26, 1986 by American President Ronald Reagan, the Tower Commission was in response to the Iran Contra scandal. Taking effect on December 1, Reagan appointed Republican and former Senator John Tower of Texas, former Secretary of State Edmund Muskie, and former National...
, Rogers and Warren Commission
Warren Commission
The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy, known unofficially as the Warren Commission, was established on November 27, 1963, by Lyndon B. Johnson to investigate the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963...
s) where the commission has created reports that have been used as evidence in later criminal proceedings.
List of Presidential Commissions
- Philippine Commission - "Taft Commission" (1900)
- Commission on the Organization of Government Scientific Work (1903)
- Committee on Department MethodsCommittee on Department MethodsThe Committee on Department Methods, popularly known as the Keep Commission, was appointed by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1905. The Commission's members were Charles H. Keep, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury and Chairman of the Commission, James R. Garfield, Gifford Pinchot, Frank H....
- "Keep Commission" (1905–1909) - President's Commission on Economy and EfficiencyCommission on Economy and EfficiencyThe Commission on Economy and Efficiency was a presidential commission appointed by President William Howard Taft between 1910 and 1913 to look at and propose reforms for the United States federal government...
(1910–1912) - President's Commission on Administrative ManagementBrownlow CommitteeThe President's Committee on Administrative Management, commonly known as the Brownlow Committee or Brownlow Commission, was a committee that in 1937 recommended sweeping changes to the executive branch of the United States government. The recommendations made by the committee resulted in the...
- "Brownlow Committee" (1937) - Commission to Investigate the Japanese Attack on Pearl HarborRoberts CommissionTwo presidentially-appointed commissions have been described as "the Roberts Commission." One related to the circumstances of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and another related to the protection of cultural resources during and following World War II...
- a.k.a. "Roberts Commission" (1941) - President's Committee on Civil Rights (1946)
- President's Scientific Research Board (1946)
- Presidential Commission on Higher EducationHigher Education for American DemocracyHigher Education for American Democracy was a report to U.S. President Harry S. Truman on the condition of higher education in the United States. The commission to write this report was established on July 13, 1946, and it was chaired by George F...
(1947) - Commission on Organization of the Executive Branch of the Government - Hoover Commission (1947)Hoover CommissionThe Hoover Commission, officially named the Commission on Organization of the Executive Branch of the Government, was a body appointed by President Harry S. Truman in 1947 to recommend administrative changes in the Federal Government of the United States...
- President's Committee on Equality of Treatment and Opportunity in the Armed Services (1948)
- President’s Committee on Religious & Moral Welfare & Character Guidance in the Armed Forces (1948)
- President's Water Resources Policy Commission (1950)
- President's Communications Policy Board (1950)
- President's Commission on Migratory Labor (1950)
- President's Commission on Internal Security and Individual Rights (1951)
- President's Commission on the Health Needs of the Nation (1951)
- President's Commission on Immigration and Naturalization (1952)
- Commission on Intergovernmental RelationsCommission on Intergovernmental RelationsThe Commission on Intergovernmental Relations was created by an act of the United States Congress on July 10, 1953, to make recommendations for the solution of problems involving federal and state governments...
- a.k.a. "Kestnbaum Commission" (1953) - Presidential Commission on the Status of WomenPresidential Commission on the Status of WomenThe Presidential Commission on the Status of Women was established to advise the President of the United States on issues concerning the status of women. It was created by John F. Kennedy's executive order 10980 signed December 14, 1961.-Background:...
(1961) - The President's Commission on the Assassination of President KennedyWarren CommissionThe President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy, known unofficially as the Warren Commission, was established on November 27, 1963, by Lyndon B. Johnson to investigate the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963...
- a.k.a. "Warren Commission" (1963) - President's Review Committee for Development Planning in AlaskaPresident's Review Committee for Development Planning in Alaska-Enabling Authority:President Lyndon Johnson created the Commission on April 2, 1964, with Executive Order 11150. He later abolished the Commission on October 2, 1964, with Executive Order 11182, and replaced it with the President's Review Committee for Developmental Planning in...
(1964) - President's Commission on Crime in the District of Columbia (1965–1969)
- President's Commission on Budget Concepts (1967–1969)
- President's Commission of Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice (1965–1969)
- National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence (1969)
- President's Commission on Campus Unrest (1970)
- President's Advisory Board on International Investment (1977)
- Presidential Advisory Board on Ambassadorial Appointments, (1977)
- President's Commission on Mental Health (1977)
- President's Commission on Military Compensation (1977)
- President's Commission on Foreign Language and International Studies (1978)
- President's Commission on the Coal Industry (1978)
- President's Commission on Pension Policy (1978)
- Presidential Commission on World Hunger (1978)
- President's Commission on the Holocaust (1978)
- President's Commission on the Accident at Three Mile Island (1979)
- President's Advisory Committee for Women (1979)
- President's Commission for a National Agenda for the Eighties (1979)
- President's Commission for the Study of Ethical Problems in Medicine & Biomedical & Behavioral Research (1979)
- Advisory Committee on Small and Minority Business Ownership (1980)
- President's Commission on United States-Liberian Relations (1980)
- President's Committee on the International Labor Organization (1980)
- President's Committee on Small Business Policy (1981)
- President's Council on Spinal Cord Injury (1981)
- President's Commission on Hostage Compensation (1981)
- President's Private Sector Survey on Cost Control - a.k.a. "Grace Commission" (1982)
- National Commission on Excellence in EducationNational Commission on Excellence in EducationThe National Commission on Excellence in Education produced the 1983 report titled A Nation at Risk. It was chaired by David P. Gardner and included prominent members such as Nobel prize-winning chemist Glenn T. Seaborg....
(1983) - U.S. President's Commission on CIA activities within the United States - a.k.a. Rockefeller Commission (1975)
- Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger AccidentRogers Commission ReportThe Rogers Commission Report was created by a Presidential Commission charged with investigating the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster during its 10th mission, STS-51-L...
- a.k.a. "Rogers Commission" (1986) - President's Special Review Board (Iran-Contra)Tower CommissionCommissioned on November 26, 1986 by American President Ronald Reagan, the Tower Commission was in response to the Iran Contra scandal. Taking effect on December 1, Reagan appointed Republican and former Senator John Tower of Texas, former Secretary of State Edmund Muskie, and former National...
- a.k.a. "Tower Commission" (1986) - President's Commission on Organized CrimePresident's Commission on Organized CrimeThe President's Commission on Organized Crime was a United States governmental body that existed during the Ronald Reagan administration. It was established by executive order 12435 in 1984....
(1986) - President's Commission on the HIV EpidemicPresident's Commission on the HIV EpidemicThe President's Commission on the HIV Epidemic was a commission formed by then-President Ronald Reagan in 1987 to investigate the AIDS pandemic. It is also known as the Watkins Commission for its chairman, James D...
(1987) - President's Commission on Aviation Security and TerrorismPresident's commission on aviation security and terrorismPan American Flight 103 blew up over Lockerbie, Scotland, on December 21, 1988.243 passengers, 16 crew members, and 11 people on the ground were killed by the explosion. It was the second most disastrous passenger airline explosion up to that time...
(1990) - President's Commission on Veterans Education (1996)
- Presidential Advisory Commission on Holocaust Assets in the United States (1998)
- President's Commission To Strengthen Social Security (2001)
- President's Commission on Excellence in Special EducationPresident's Commission on Excellence in Special EducationThe President's Commission on Excellence in Special Education was a Presidential Commission formed by United States President George W. Bush on October 2, 2001, through the Executive Order 13227 and amended on February 6, 2002 through Executive Order 13255.The commission issued its final report on...
(2001) - Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace IndustryCommission on the Future of the United States Aerospace IndustryThe Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry was formed jointly by United States President George W. Bush and the United States Congress in 2001...
(2001) - National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States - a.k.a. 9/11 Commission (2002)
- President's Commission on the United States Postal ServicePresident's Commission on the United States Postal ServiceThe President's Commission on the United States Postal Service was a Presidential Commission formed by United States President George W. Bush on December 11, 2002, through the Executive Order 13278....
(2002) - President's Commission on Implementation of United States Space Exploration PolicyPresident's Commission on Implementation of United States Space Exploration PolicyThe President's Commission on Implementation of United States Space Exploration Policy was a Presidential Commission formed by United States President George W. Bush on January 27, 2004, through the Executive Order 13326. Its final report was submitted on June 4, 2004.-Commissioners:There were nine...
(2004) - Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction (2005)
- National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and ReformNational Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and ReformThe National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform is a Presidential Commission created in 2010 by President Barack Obama to identify "…policies to improve the fiscal situation in the medium term and to achieve fiscal sustainability over the long run."...
(2010) - National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore DrillingNational Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore DrillingThe National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling is a bipartisan presidential commission, established by Executive Order 13543 signed by Barack Obama on May 21, 2010, that is “tasked with providing recommendations on how the United States can prevent and mitigate...
(2010)
For additional reading
Donna Batten, et al.Encyclopedia of Governmental Advisory Organizations (Detroit, MI: Gale, 1973- . annual editions).
Kenneth Kitts, Presidential Commissions and National Security: The Politics of Damage Control (Boulder: Lynne Rienner, 2006).
Steven D. Zink, Guide to the Presidential Advisory Commissions, 1973-1987 (Alexandria, VA: Chadwyck-Healey, Inc,, 1987).