Administrative Conference of the United States

The Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS) is an independent agency of the United States government that was established in 1964 by the Administrative Conference Act (5 U.S.C. § 593). The conference's purpose is to "promote improvements in the efficiency, adequacy, and fairness of the procedures by which federal agencies conduct regulatory programs, administer grants and benefits, and perform related governmental functions." To this end, the conference conducts research and issues reports concerning various aspects of the administrative process and, when warranted, makes recommendations to the President, Congress, particular departments and agencies, and the judiciary concerning the need for procedural reforms. Of these recommendations, 33% have focused on reducing government costs and increasing revenue, 26% on improving the use of science in the administrative process, and 20% on reducing litigation in the regulatory process. Implementation of conference recommendations may be accomplished by direct action on the part of the affected agencies or through legislative changes.