Regulatory Process: Topic One

Revised Instructions - Part One

• Click on USA.gov link.
• Click on Government Agencies and Elected Officials at the Top of the Page
• Click on A-Z Index of US Government Agencies
• Find an agency in your area of interest and click on it to see the kind of information that is provided. (Note: This will vary by agency but will minimally include contact information, a link to the website, and a note on where it falls within the government structure. You might also get additional information, such as a link to forms, popular services, and related agencies.)
• Open the link for the Department of the Interior listing (listed under D for Department, not I for Interior).
• Scroll down to see related agencies, which include subagencies (see Exhibit 1-16 on p. 36 to see other terms for agencies/subagencies).

• Click on the link for the DOI website. The department websites will provide much more information than the directory listing. For example the DOI website offers an organizational chart:
  • On the DOI website, click on About.
  • Scroll down and click on Organizational Chart.

1. Use these tools (the A-Z index and/or the department website) to name two subagencies included in the Department of Commerce.

Revised Instructions - Part Two

• Click on the Congress.gov link.
• Click on the Help link near the top
• Under Get Started click on Videos Explaining the Legislative Process and review the videos. Note that if you prefer reading rather than watching, each video has a transcript.
• In 2004, Congress established a new agency called the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Obtain the enabling act which created this agency on Congress.gov:
  • Click on the Advanced Search link
  • Select the 108th Congress (and deselect the current Congress) by marking the checkboxes to the left of their names.
  • Under Legislation and Law Numbers, input S.2845 (the number of the Senate bill that became this law)
  • Click Search

2. What is the title of the bill?
3. Who was the main sponsor of this bill?
4. What was the last major action on the bill?

• Click on the U.S. Government Manual link.
• In the search box at the top of the page input Director of National Intelligence. (Do not put it in quotation marks.)
• In the search results, click on the link for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
• Note that in the description, you will see the name of the bill you noted above as the legislation that established the office. The legal citation that follows is to something other than the bill.

5. What is the citation? What does that mean (i.e., what does the first number reference, what is the abbreviation short for, and what does the last number reference)? (See Reading Legal Citations for help.)

The state of Iowa government website provides a listing of departments, with links to their websites. The individual websites will likely have the most up-to-date contact and other information available.

The Redbook (Iowa Official Register), published every other year, includes information about Iowa governmental structure, officials, history, and more.

Revised Instructions

Using either the Redbook or the State of Iowa website (once you click on Services, Directory, or Social, you will see a link on the top right to Departments), pick one agency of interest. Note its name and chief functions.

Learn About the Agencies

You can answer these questions by going directly to the websites or by using the US Government Manual. If any of the website links has changed, use USA.gov to find the current link.