Executive Order 11731—Amending Executive Order No. 11647 Relating to Federal Regional Councils

On February 10, 1972, I formally established Federal Regional Councils for each of the ten Federal regions, and established an Under Secretaries Group for Regional Operations to strengthen and improve services to the public at the regional level. I have now determined that the mandate of the Federal Regional Councils should be broadened to include the coordination of direct Federal program assistance to State and local governments (as well as grant assistance as now provided), that the membership of the Councils and the Under Secretaries Group for Regional Operations should be changed, and that the Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget should be substituted as Chairman of the Under Secretaries Group in place of the Associate Director of that agency.

Now, THEREFORE, by virtue of the authority vested in me as President of the United States of America, sections 1, 2, and 3 of Executive Order No. 11647 of February 10, 1972, are amended to read as follows:

SECTION 1. Federal Regional Councils. (a) There is hereby continued a Federal Regional Council for each of the ten standard Federal regions. Each Council shall be composed of the principal regional officials of the Departments of Labor, Health, Education, and Welfare, Housing and Urban Development, Agriculture, the Interior, and Transportation, the Office of Economic Opportunity, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration.

The President shall designate one member of each such Council as Chairman of that Council and such Chairman shall serve at the pleasure of the President. Representatives of the Office of Management and Budget may participate in any deliberations of each Council.

(b) Each member of each Council may designate an alternate who shall serve as a member of the Council involved whenever the regular member is unable to attend any meeting of the Council.

(c) When the Chairman determines that matters which significantly affect the interests of the Federal agencies which are not represented on any such Council are to be considered by the Council, he shall invite the regional director or other appropriate representative of the agency involved to participate in the deliberations of the Council.

SEC. 2. Functions of the Council. Each Federal Regional Council shall be constituted as a body within which the participating agencies will, under the general policy formulation of the Under Secretaries Group, and to the maximum extent feasible, assist State and local government by the coordination of the Federal program grants and operations through:

(1) the development of better ways to deliver the benefits of Federal programs over the short term;

(2) the development of integrated program and funding plans with Governors and local chief executives;

(3) the encouragement of joint and complementary Federal grant applications by local and State governments;

(4) the expeditious resolution of conflicts and problems which may arise between Federal agencies;

(5) the evaluation of programs in which two or more member agencies participate;

(6) the development of more effective ways of allocating Federal resources to meet the long-range needs of State and local communities;

(7) the supervision of regional interagency program coordination mechanisms; and

(8) the development of administrative procedures to improve day-to-day cooperation on an interagency and intergovernmental basis.

SEC. 3. Under Secretaries Group for Regional Operations. The Under Secretaries Group for Regional Operations is hereby continued and shall be composed of the Under Secretaries of Agriculture, the Interior, Labor, Health, Education, and Welfare, Housing and Urban Development, and Transportation, the Administrator of the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, the Deputy Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity, the Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, an Associate Director of the Domestic Council, and the Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget, who shall serve as the Chairman of the Group. When the Chairman determines that matters which significantly affect the interest of Federal agencies which are not represented on the Group are to be considered by the Group, he shall invite an appropriate representative of the agency involved to participate in the deliberations of the Group. The Under Secretaries Group for Regional Operations shall, consistent with the objectives and priorities established by the President and the Domestic Council, establish policy with respect to Federal Regional Council matters, provide guidance to the Councils, respond to their initiatives, and seek to resolve policy issues referred to it by the Councils. The Under Secretaries Group, under the Chairmanship of the Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget, shall be responsible for the proper functioning of the system established by this order.

RICHARD NIXON

The White House,

July 23, 1973.