Franklin D. Roosevelt

Executive Order 6166—Organization of Executive Agencies

June 10, 1933

Whereas section 16 of the act of March 3, 1933 (Public, No. 428, 47 Stat. 1517), provides for reorganizations within the executive branch of the Government; requires the President to investigate and determine what reorganizations are necessary to effectuate the purposes of the statute; and authorizes the President to make such reorganizations by Executive order; and

Whereas I have investigated the organization of all executive and administrative agencies of the Government and- have determined that certain regroupings, consolidations, transfers, and abolitions of executive agencies and functions thereof are necessary to accomplish the purposes of section 16;

Now, Therefore, by virtue of the aforesaid authority, I do hereby order that:

Section 1. — Procurement

The function of determination of policies and methods of procurement, warehousing, and distribution of property, facilities, structures, improvements, machinery, equipment, stores, and supplies exercised by any agency is transferred to a Procurement Division in the Treasury Department, at the head of which shall be a Director of Procurement.

The Office of Supervising Architect of the Treasury Department is transferred to the Procurement Division, except that the buildings of the Treasury Department shall be administered by the Treasury Department end the administration of post office buildings is transferred to the Post Office Department. The General Supply Committee of the Treasury Department is abolished.

In respect of any kind of procurement, warehousing, or distribution for any agency the Procurement Division may, with the approval of the President, (a)undertake the performance of such procurement, warehousing, or distribution itself, or (b)permit such agency to perform such procurement, warehousing, or distribution, or (c) entrust such performance to some other agency, or (d) avail itself in part of any of these recourses, according as it may deem desirable in the interest of economy and efficiency. When the Procurement Division has prescribed the manner of procurement, warehousing, or distribution of any thing, no agency shall thereafter procure, warehouse, or distribute such thing in any manner other than so prescribed.

The execution of work now performed by the Corps of Engineers of the Army shall remain with said corps, subject to the responsibilities herein vested in the Procurement Division.

The Procurement Division shall also have control of all property, facilities, structures, machinery, equipment, stores, and supplies not necessary to the work of any agency; may have custody thereof or entrust custody to any other agency; and shall furnish the same to agencies as need therefor may arise.

The Fuel Yards of the Bureau of Mines of the Department of Commerce are transferred to the Procurement Office.

The Federal Employment Stabilization Board is abolished, and its records are transferred to the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works if and when said administration is authorized and established.

Section 2. — National Parks, Buildings, and Reservations.

All functions of administration of public buildings, reservations, national parks, national monuments, and national cemeteries are consolidated in an Office of National Parks, Buildings, and Reservations in the Department of the Interior, at the head of which shall be a Director of National Parks, Buildings, and Reservations; except that where deemed desirable there may be excluded from this provision any public building or reservation which is chiefly employed as a facility in the work of a particular agency. This transfer and consolidation of functions shall include, among others, those of the National Park Service of the Department of the Interior and the National Cemeteries and Parks of the War Department which are located within the continental limits of the United States. National cemeteries located in foreign countries shall be transferred to the Department of State, and those located in insular possessions under the jurisdiction of the War Department shall be administered by the Bureau of Insular Affairs of the War Department.

The functions of the following agencies are transferred to the Office of National Parks, Buildings and Reservations of the Department of the Interior, and the agencies are abolished:

     Arlington Memorial Bridge Commission
     Public Buildings Commission
     Public Buildings and Public Parks of the
     National Capital
     National Memorial Commission
     Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway Commission

Expenditures by the Federal Government for the purposes of the Commission of Fine Arts, the George Rogers Clark Sesquicentennial Commission, and the Rush-more National Commission shall be administered by the Department of the Interior.

Section 3. — Investigations

All functions now exercised by the Bureau of Prohibition of the Department of Justice with respect to the granting of permits under the national prohibition laws are transferred to the Division of Internal Revenue in the Treasury Department.

All functions now exercised by the Bureau of Prohibition with respect to investigations and all the functions now performed by the Bureau of Investigation of the Department of Justice are transferred to and consolidated in a Division of Investigation in the Department of Justice, at the head of which shall be a Direct-or of Investigation.

All other functions now performed by the Bureau of Prohibition are transferred to such divisions in the Department of Justice as in the judgment of the Attorney General may be desirable.

Section 4. — Disbursement

The function of disbursement of moneys of the United States exercised by any agency is transferred to the Treasury Department and, together with the Office of Disbursing Clerk of that Department, is consolidated in a Division of Disbursement, at the head of which shall be a Chief Disbursing Officer.

The Division of Disbursement of the Treasury Department is authorized to establish local offices, or to delegate the exercise of its functions locally to officers or employees of other agencies, according as the interests of efficiency and economy may require.

The Division of Disbursement shall disburse moneys only upon the certification of persons by law duly authorized to incur obligations upon behalf of the United States. The function of accountability for improper certification shall be transferred to such persons, and no disbursing officer shall be held accountable therefor.

Section 5. — Claims by or against the United States

The functions of prosecuting in the courts of the United States claims and demands by, and offenses against, the Government of the United States, and of defending claims and demands against the Government, । and of supervising the work of United States attorneys, marshals, and clerks in connection therewith, now exercised by any agency or officer, are transferred to the Department of Justice.

As to any case referred to the Department of Justice for prosecution or defense in the courts, the function of decision whether and in what manner to prosecute, or to defend, or to compromise, or to appeal, or to abandon prosecution or defense, now exercised by any agency or officer, is transferred to the Department of Justice.

For the exercise of such of his functions as are not transferred to the Department of Justice by the foregoing two paragraphs, the Solicitor of the Treasury is transferred from the Department of Justice to the Treasury Department.

Nothing in this section shall be construed to affect the function of any agency or officer with respect to cases at any stage prior to reference to the Department of justice for prosecution or defense.

Section 6. — Insular Courts

The United States Court for China, the District Court of the United States for the Panama Canal Zone, and the District Court of the Virgin Islands of the United States are transferred to the Department of Justice.

Section 7. — Solicitors

The Solicitor for the Department of Commerce is transferred from the Department of Justice to the Department of Commerce.

The Solicitor for the Department of Labor is transferred from the Department of Justice to the Department of Labor.

Section 8. — Internal Revenue

The Bureaus of Internal Revenue and of Industrial Alcohol of the Treasury Department are consolidated in a Division of Internal Revenue, at the head of which shall be a Commissioner of Internal Revenue.

Section 9. — Assistant Secretary of Commerce.

The Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Aeronautics shall be an Assistant Secretary of Commerce and shall perform such functions as the Secretary of Commerce may designate.

Section 10. — Official Register

The function of preparation of the Official Register is transferred from the Bureau of the Census to the Civil Service Commission.

Section 11. — Statistics of Cities

The function of the Bureau of Census of the Department of Commerce of compiling statistics of cities under 100,000 population is abolished for the period ending June 30, 1935.

Section 12. — Shipping Board

The functions of the United States Shipping Board Including those over and in respect to the United States Shipping Board Merchant Fleet Corporation are transferred to the Department of Commerce, and the United States Shipping Board is abolished.

Section 13. — National Screw Thread Commission

The National Screw Thread Commission is abolished, and its records, property, facilities, equipment, and supplies are transferred to the Department of Commerce.

Section 14. — Immigration and Naturalization

The Bureaus of Immigration and of Naturalization of the Department of Labor are consolidated as an Immigration and Naturalization Service of the Department of Labor, at the head of which shall be a Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization.

Section 15. — Vocational Education

The functions of the Federal Board for Vocational Education are transferred to the Department of the Interior, and the Board shall act in an advisory capacity without compensation.

Section 16. — Apportionment of Appropriations.

The functions of making, waiving, and modifying apportionments of appropriations are transferred to the Director of the Bureau of the Budget.

Section 17. — Coordinating Service.

The federal Coordinating Service is abolished.

Section 18.

The following functions are abolished in part: Cooperative vocational education and rehabilitation, 25 percent thereof.

Payments for agricultural experiment stations, 25 percent thereof.

Cooperative agricultural extension work, 25 percent thereof.

Endowment and maintenance of colleges for the benefit of agriculture and the mechanic arts, 25 percent thereof.

Section 19. — General Provisions.

Each agency, all the functions of which are transferred to or consolidated with another agency, is abolished.

The records pertaining to an abolished agency or a function disposed of, disposition of which is not elsewhere herein provided for, shall be transferred to the successor. If there be no successor agency, and such abolished agency be within a department, said records shall be disposed of as the head of such department may direct.

The property, facilities, equipment, and supplies employed in the work of an abolished agency or the exercise of a function disposed of, disposition of which is not elsewhere herein provided for, shall, to the extent required, be transferred to the successor agency. Other such property, facilities, equipment, and supplies shall be transferred to the Procurement Division.

All personnel employed in connection with the work of an abolished agency or function disposed of shall be separated from the service of the United States, except that the head of any successor agency, subject to my approval, may, within a period of four months after transfer or consolidation, reappoint any of such personnel required for the work of the successor agency without reexamination or loss of civil-service status.

Section 20. — Appropriations

Such portions of the unexpended balances of appropriations for any abolished agency or function disposed of shall be transferred to the successor agency as the Director of the Budget shall deem necessary.

Unexpended balances of appropriations for an abolished agency or function disposed of. not so transferred by the Director of the Budget, shall, in accordance with law, be impounded and returned to the Treasury.

Section 21. — Definitions

As used in this order—

"Agency" means any commission, independent establishment, board, bureau, division, service, or office in the executive branch of the Government.

"Abolished agency" means any agency which is abolished, transferred, or consolidated.

"Successor agency" means any agency to which is transferred some other agency or function, or which results from the consolidation of other agencies or functions.

"Function disposed of" means any function eliminated or transferred.

Section 22. — Effective Date

In accordance with law, this order shall become effective 61 days from its date; Provided, That in case it shall appear to the President that the interests of economy require that any transfer, consolidation, or elimination be delayed beyond the date this order becomes effective, he may, in his discretion, fix a later date therefor, and he may far like cause further defer such date from time to time.

Signature of Franklin D. Roosevelt
FRANKLIN D ROOSEVELT

The White House,
June 10, 1933.

Franklin D. Roosevelt, Executive Order 6166—Organization of Executive Agencies Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/354041

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