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AGENCY INDEX SUMMARY

The following is a summary description of the functions and activities of Federal agencies responsible for administering programs listed in the Catalog. The programs (numbers) are also listed with the administering agency.

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Research Service (10.001) -- Conducts research to develop new knowledge and technology to ensure an abundance of high quality agricultural commodities and products at reasonable prices to meet the increasing needs of an expanding economy and to provide for the continued improvement in the standard of living of all Americans. It conducts basic, applied, and developmental research on animal and plant production; use and improvement of soil, water, and air; processing, storage, distribution, food safety, consumer services and human nutrition research, and food and agriculture sciences.

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Office of Advocacy and Enterprise (OAE) (10.140) Provides overall policy and leadership, coordination and direction for the Departments of Civil Rights and EEO programs; Planning for and coordination of the participation of minor college and universities departmental programs; oversight of all procurement activities to assure maximum participation of small and disadvantage business in the procurement process; and direction in monitoring of agency compliance in promoting full and open competition in the departments contracting process. Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) (10.153-10.165) --Administers standardization, grading, voluntary and mandatory inspection, market news, marketing orders, regulatory, and related programs.

Cooperative State Research Service (10.200-10.217) --Participates in a nationwide system of agricultural research program planning and coordination between the States and the Department of Agriculture to encourage and assist in the establishment and maintenance of cooperation within and among the States and between the States and their Federal research partners. The primary function is to administer the Acts of Congress that authorize Federal appropriations for agricultural research carried on by the State agricultural experiment stations of the 50 States, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, and Micronesia the Northern Marianas, approved schools of forestry, the 1980 land-grant institutions and Tuskegee University, colleges of veterinary medicine, and other eligible institutions.

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tives. The studies conducted by ACS (some through joint Federal/State efforts) are intended to provide farmers with information on financial, organizational, legal, social and economic aspects of cooperative activity. In today's rapidly changing economic environment, ACS provides technical advice to assist farmer cooperatives in the development and operation of viable, profitable organizations serving the nation's small farm

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Human Nutrition Information Service (10.375) Conducts applied research in food and nutrition--what foods Americans buy and eat, what nutrients are in the foods we eat, and how we can make informed food choices. HNIS research is used by policymakers to formulate research-based policies for nutrition and food intervention programs, consumer education, food fortification, and regulatory activities. HNIS reports the results of its work in both technical and popular publications and in forms that can be used by computers. Funds for grants and contracts are provided to universities and nonprofit organizations and institutions to perform analysis and research work in support of the system of National Food Consumption Surveys and in development of education materials and techniques to help Americans make the best decisions about food and diet.

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Food Safety and Inspection Service (10.475-10.477) Assures that meat and poultry products moving in interstate and foreign commerce are safe, wholesome, unadulterated and honestly and informatively labeled, as required by the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Poultry Products Inspection Act. The Meat and Poultry Inspection Program provides continuous implant inspection of all domestic plants preparing meat and poultry products for sale or distribution in commerce; reviews inspection systems in foreign establishments that prepare meat or poultry products for export to the United States; and provides technical and financial assistance to States which maintain meat and poultry inspection programs equal to Federal inspection. Extension Service (10.500) Coordinates and provides administrative, technical, and other services to a nationwide Cooperative Extension System, in partnership with State and local governments and the private sector. The primary function of this system is to take the research findings of the Department of Agriculture, the State Land-Grant Colleges and programs administered by the Department of Agriculture, and to develop and deliver informal, out-of-school educational programs. These programs communicate and demonstrate to people how they can apply research findings to identify and solve farm, home, and community problems. This work is carried out through extension offices in each State, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, and Micronesia, plus 16 1890 land-grant universities and Tuskegee University as the State partner.

Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) (10.550-10.571) -- Administers programs to make food assistance available to people who need it. These programs are operated in cooperation with State and local governments.

Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) (10.600-10.601) --The export promotion and service agency for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Stimulates overseas markets for U.S. agricultural products. FAS fulfills its role as the promotional agency for the world's largest agricultural export business through its network of agricultural counselors, attaches, and trade officers stationed overseas and its backup team of analysts, marketing specialists, negotiators, and related specialists. FAS maintains a worldwide agricultural intelligence and reporting reporting system through its attache service. FAS also has a continuing market development program to develop, service, and expand commercial export markets for U.S. agricultural products. By virtue of the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978, FAS received authority to open at least 6 and not more than 25 agricultural trade offices overseas to develop, maintain and expand international markets for U.S. agricultural commodities. Eleven of these offices have been established and are located in such key markets as West Germany, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and Venezuela. To improve access for U.S. farm products abroad, FAS international trade policy specialists coordinate and direct USDA's responsibilities in international trade agreement programs and negotiations. FAS also manages the Public Law 480 Program, Titles I and III (Food for Peace Program), and the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) Export Credit Guarantee Programs. Public Law 480 is aimed at long-range improvement in the economies of developing countries. Commercial programs promote commercial agricultural exports by providing credit guarantees to exporters which are used to obtain additional U.S. exports. Title I, the concessional sales section of Public Law 480, provides for low-interest, long-term credit to recipients of U.S. farm commodities. The title II program authorizes the donation of agricultural commodities to foreign governments, voluntary relief agencies, or intergovernmental organizations. Title III permits multiyear programming and forgiveness of dollar payments, provided the recipient country undertakes specific agricultural and economic development projects for commodities delivered under title I agreements.

Forest Service (10.652-10.669) -- Promotes and achieves a pattern of natural resource uses that will best meet the needs of people now and in the future; generation of forestry opportunities to accelerate rural community growth; protection and improvement of the quality of air, water, natural beauty, and open space environment in urban and community areas; encouragement of growth and development of forestry-based enterprises and optimum forest land ownership patterns; expansion of environment conservation; involvement of the public in forestry policy and program formulation.

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source groups, Federal, State, and local government agencies; also assists in agricultural pollution control, environmental improvement, and rural community development.

National Agricultural Statistics Service (10.950) -- Crop and livestock estimates involve collecting, analyzing, and publishing agricultural production and marketing data, including: number of farms and acreage in farms; crop acreage, yields, production, stocks, value, and utilization; inventories and production of livestock, poultry, eggs, and dairy products; prices received by farmers for products, prices paid for commodities and services for living and production, and related indexes; farm employment and wage rates; cold storage supplies; and other relevant aspects of the agricultural economy. Estimates for about 150 crops and 50 livestock items are published in about 500 Federal and 10,000 State-Federal reports each year. All information is made available to the news media and the public at scheduled release times. Statistical research and service is directed toward improving crop and livestock estimating techniques. Considerable emphasis is placed on improving sample survey designs as well as testing new forecasting and estimating techniques, such as using satellite data. Also included here are the review, coordination, and monitoring of the surveys conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the review of all proposed statistical forms and survey plans prior to submittal to the Office of Management and Budget for clearance. Office of International Cooperation and Development (OICD) (10.960-10.963) -- The programs of the Office of International Cooperation and Development (OICD) focus on sharing knowledge of agriculture through development assistance and cooperation with other countries. The Office's primary activities are providing technical assistance and training in agriculture to other countries, particularly the developing world; working with international food and agricultural organizations to solve world food problems; and sponsoring scientific exchanges and research that will help farmers both at home and abroad.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Bureau of the Census (11.001-11.006) -- Conducts decennial censuses of population and housing; a mid-decade census of population to be taken initially in 1985 and every 10 years thereafter; quinquennial censuses of agriculture, State and local governments, manufacturers, mineral industries, distributive trades, construction industries, and transportation; current surveys which provide information on many of the subjects covered in the censuses at weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual, or other intervals; compilation of current statistics on U.S. foreign trade, including data on imports, exports, and shipping; conducts special censuses at the request and expense of State and local government units; publishes estimates and projections of the population and housing characteristics; issues current reports on manufacturing, retail and wholesale trade, selected services, construction, imports and exports, State and local government finances and employment, and other subjects; and makes searches of decennial census records and furnishes certificates to individuals for use as evidence of age, relationship, or place of birth.

Economic and Statistical Analysis (ESA) (11.025) -- Provides a clear picture of the U.S. economy through the preparation, development, and interpretation of the national income and product accounts, summarized by the gross national product (GNP); the wealth accounts, which show the business and other components of national wealth; the input-output accounts, which trace the interrelationships among industrial markets; personal income and related economic series by geographic area; the U.S. balance of payments accounts and associated foreign investment accounts; and measures relating to environmental change and to welfare within the framework of the national economic accounts. The data and analyses prepared are dis

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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) (11.40511.432) Reports the weather of the U.S. and its possessions and provides weather forecasts to the general public, issues warnings against such destructive natural events as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and tsunamis and provides special services in support of aviation, marine activities, agriculture, forestry, urban air-quality control, and other weather-sensitive activities; monitors and reports all nonfederal weather modification activities conducted in the U.S.; conducts an integrated program of management, research, and services related to the protection and rational use of living marine mammals; prepares and issues nautical and aeronautical charts, provides the Nation's precise geodetic surveys, and conducts broad research programs in marine and atmospheric sciences, solar-terrestrial physics, and experimental meteorology, including weather modifications; predicts tides, currents, and the state of the oceans, conducts research and development aimed at providing alternatives to ocean dumping; provides Federal leadership in promoting wise and balanced management of the Nation's coastal zone; provides satellite observations of the environment by establishing and operating a national environmental satellite system; conducts integrated program of research and services relating to the oceans and inland waters, the lower and upper atmosphere, space environment, and the earth; acquires, stores, and disseminates worldwide environmental data through a system of meteorological, oceanographic, geodetic, and seismological data centers; develops a system of data buoys for automatically obtaining and disseminating marine environmental data; promotes the development of technology to meet future needs of the marine community.

National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) (11.550) -- Exercises significant responsibility in the areas of communication security, privacy protection, and the application of public service satellites, public telecommunications facilities planning and construction; formulates policies to support the development, growth and regulation of telecommunications, information, and related industries; furthers the efficient development and use of telecommunications and information services; provides policy and management for the use of electromagnetic spectrum; provides telecommunications facilities grants to public service users.

National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) (11.60111.613) -- Provides the national system of physical, chemical, and materials measurement; coordinates the system with measurement systems of other nations and furnishes essential services leading to accurate and uniform physical and chemical measurement throughout the Nation's scientific community, industry, and commerce; conducts materials research leading to improved methods of measurement, standards, and data on the

properties of materials needed by industry, commerce, educational institutions, and Government; develops, produces, and distributes standard reference materials; and provides calibration services. The National Engineering Laboratory provides technology and technical services to users in the public and private sectors to address national needs and to solve national problems in the public interest; conducts research in engineering and applied science in support of objectives in these efforts; develops engineering data and measurement capabilities; provides engineering measurement traceability services; develops test methods and proposes engineering standards and code changes; develops and proposes new engineering practices; and develops and improves mechanisms to transfer results of its research to the user. The Institute for Computer Sciences and Technology develops and recommends Federal information processing standards and participates in the development of voluntary commercial ADP standards; conducts research in the science and technologies of automatic data processing, computers, and related systems.

National Technical Information Service (NTIS) (11.650) --Simplifies and improves public access to Department of Commerce publications and to data files and scientific and technical reports sponsored by Federal agencies. NTIS is the central point in the United States for the public sale of Government-funded research and development reports and other analyses prepared by Federal agencies, their contractors, or grantees. The public may quickly locate abstracts of interest from among the 650,000 federally sponsored research reports completed and published from 1964 by using the agency's on-line computer search service (NTISearch). Current abstracts of new research reports and other specialized technical information in various categories of interest are published in some 26 weekly abstract newsletters. An all-inclusive biweekly journal (Government Reports Announcements and Index) is published for librarians, technical information specialists, and those requiring such comprehensive volumes.

Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) (11.800-11.802) Assists minority businesses in achieving effective and equitable participation in the American free enterprise system and in overcoming social and economic disadvantages that have limited their participation in the past. The agency provides national policies and leadership in forming and strengthening a partnership of business, industry, and government with the Nation's minority businesses. Management and technical assistance is provided to minority firms on request, primarily through a network of local business development organizations funded by the Agency.

Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) (11.900) -- Examines applications for three kinds of patents: design patents(issued for 3 1/2, 7, or 14 years), plant patents (issued for 7 years), and utility patents (issued for 17 years). Also processes international applications for patents under the provisions of the Patent Cooperation Treaty. In addition to the examination of patent and trademark applications, issuance of patents, and registration of trademarks, the Office sells printed copies of issued documents; records and indexes documents transferring ownership; maintains a scientific library and search files containing over 20 million documents, including U.S. and foreign patents and U.S. trademarks; provides search rooms for the public to research their applications; hears and decides appeals from prospective inventors and trademark applicants; participates in legal proceedings involving the issue of patents or trademark registrations; helps represent the United States in international efforts to cooperate on patent and trademark policy.

Technology Administration (11.980) -- Provides a strong focus for coordination of the Department's science and technology activities and to improve the competitiveness and productivity of U.S. industry.

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Department of the Army, Office of the Chief of Engineers (12.10012.112) Civil functions of the Department of the Army include the Civil Works Program, the administration of Arlington and Soldiers' Home National Cementeries, and other related matters. The Army's Civil Works Program, a responsibility of the Corps of Engineers is the Nation's major Federal water resources development activity and involves engineering works such as major dams, reservoirs, levees, harbors, waterways, locks, and many other types of structures. These works provide flood protection for cities and major river valleys, reduce the cost of transportation, supply water for municipal and industrial use, generate hydroelectric power, provide recreational opportunities for vast numbers of people, regulate the rivers for many purposes including the improvement of water quality and the enhancement of fish and wildlife, protect the shores of the oceans and lakes, and provide still other types of benefits. Planning assistance is also provided to States and other nonfederal entities for the comprehensive management of water resources, including pollution abatement works. In addition, through the Civil Works Program the Federal government protects the navigable waters of the United States under legislation empowering the Secretary of the Army to prohibit activities which would reduce the value of such waters to the Nation.

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Office of the Assistant Secretary (Force Management and Personnel) (12.600-12.610) Has responsibility for the fields of manpower and personnel plans, policy, and management; manpower requirements; military and civilian compensation, including retired pay; National Guard and Reserve affairs; education and individual training; civil rights and equal opportunity; religious, morale, and welfare matters. Other responsibilities include labor-management relations; logistics management; supply maintenance, transportation, and services policy; energy management and conservation; safety and accident prevention; environmental quality; economic adjustment; military base structure and utilization; transportation management, sealift, and airlift readiness; customs inspection; drug and narcotics enforcement efforts; installations and real property acquisition, maintenance and disposal; military construction and family housing; and postal policy.

Secretaries of Military Departments (12.700) -- Donates or lends obsolete combat materiel to veterans' organizations, soldiers' monument associations, State museums, incorporated museums, and incorporated municipalities.

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Public Health Service (PHS) (13.103-13.399, 13.820-13.995) --Promotes and assures the highest level of health attainable for

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every individual and family in America, and to develop cooperation in health projects with other nations. The major functions of PHS are to: stimulate and assist States and communities with the development of local health resources and further the development of education for the health professions; assist in the improvement of the delivery of health services to all Americans with reinforced emphasis upon assisting the health care needs of the nation's homeless population; conduct and support research in medical and related sciences and disseminate scientific information; protect the health of the Nation against impure and unsafe foods, drugs and cosmetics, and other potential hazards; provide national leadership for the prevention and control of communicable diseases, most especially the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS); and other efforts to improve the quality of public health. PHS is comprised of eight major components structured to meet specialized public health needs: Alcohol, Drug Abuse and Mental Health Administration, Centers for Disease Control, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Food and Drug Administration, Health Resources and Services Administration, National Center for Health Services Research and Health Care Technology Assessment, Indian Health Service, and the most expansive component, National Institutes of Health. Each has its own unique mission in the arena of public health. Alcohol, Drug Abuse and Mental Health Administration (ADAMHA) To provide a national focus for the Federal effort to expand and foster knowledge and effective strategies to cope with the health problems and issues associated with the use and abuse of alcohol and drugs and with mental illness and mental health. ADAMHA is supported by three major Institutes. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) To protect the public health of the nation by conducting studies and activities towards the goal of the prevention and control of diseases and other preventable conditions and responding to public health emergencies. CDC is composed of nine major operating components. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry To carry out the health-related responsibilities of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980, as amended by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and provisions of the Solid Waste Disposal Act relating to sites and substances found thereby, and other forms of uncontrolled releases of toxic substances into the environment. The Agency provides leadership and direction to programs and activities designed to protect both the public and workers from exposure and/or the adverse health effects of hazardous substances in storage sites or released in fires, explosions, or transportation accidents. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - To protect the health of the nation against contaminated and hazardous foods, drugs, and cosmetics, and other potential threats to the quality of health. FDA is supported by six specialized Centers and a network of Regional Operations. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) - To provide leadership in the Public Health Service for general health services and resource issues relating to access, equity, quality, and cost of health care. HRSA is supported by three Bureaus. National Center for Health Services Research and Health Care Technology Assessment - Το plan, develop, and administer research, evaluations, and research training on the financing, organization, quality, and utilization of health services, including both intramural and extramural research throughout the nation. Indian Health Service To provide a comprehensive health service delivery system for American Indians and Alaska Natives with the opportunity for greatest tribal involvement in developing and managing programs to meet their health needs, with the key goal towards obtaining an ideal level of health of the Indian and Alaska Native people. National Institutes of Health (NIH) - To improve the health of the American people by conducting and supporting biomedical research focusing upon the causes, prevention, and cure of diseases; supporting research training and

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