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Title 42 — The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-73

§6651 Establishment, membership, and functions of Council

Title 42 › Chapter CHAPTER 79— - SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY, ORGANIZATION AND PRIORITIES › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER IV— - FEDERAL COORDINATING COUNCIL FOR SCIENCE, ENGINEERING, AND TECHNOLOGY › § 6651

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Creates the Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering, and Technology. The council must include the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy as chair, the Director of the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, and one policy-level representative from each of these agencies: Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, State, Transportation, Veterans Affairs, NASA, National Science Foundation, Environmental Protection Agency, and Energy. The chair can name a member to act as chair when absent. The chair can also ask other federal agencies to send reps for meetings that affect them and can invite other people to attend. The council must study science, engineering, and technology issues that affect more than one agency and recommend policies to improve planning and management of federal science programs, identify research needs, use agency resources and facilities better and avoid duplication, and promote international cooperation. The council must also do other advisory tasks the President or chair assigns. Agencies on the council must help by sending staff when needed and doing special studies on request. The chair may create standing subcommittees and panels to carry out studies and reports.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §6651

The Public Health and Welfare — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)There is established the Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering, and Technology (hereinafter referred to as the “Council”).
(b)The Council shall be composed of the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Director of the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, and one representative of each of the following Federal agencies: Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of the Interior, Department of State, Department of Transportation, Department of Veterans Affairs, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Science Foundation, Environmental Protection Agency, and Department of Energy. Each such representative shall be an official of policy rank designated by the head of the Federal agency concerned.
(c)The Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy shall serve as Chairman of the Council. The Chairman may designate another member of the Council to act temporarily in the Chairman’s absence as Chairman.
(d)The Chairman may (1) request the head of any Federal agency not named in subsection (b) of this section to designate a representative to participate in meetings or parts of meetings of the Council concerned with matters of substantial interest to such agency, and (2) invite other persons to attend meetings of the Council.
(e)The Council shall consider problems and developments in the fields of science, engineering, and technology and related activities affecting more than one Federal agency, and shall recommend policies and other measures designed to—
(1)provide more effective planning and administration of Federal scientific, engineering, and technological programs,
(2)identify research needs including areas requiring additional emphasis,
(3)achieve more effective utilization of the scientific, engineering, and technological resources and facilities of Federal agencies, including the elimination of unwarranted duplication, and
(4)further international cooperation in science, engineering, and technology.
(f)The Council shall perform such other related advisory duties as shall be assigned by the President or by the Chairman.
(g)For the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this section, each Federal agency represented on the Council shall furnish necessary assistance to the Council. Such assistance may include—
(1)detailing employees to the Council to perform such functions, consistent with the purposes of this section, as the Chairman may assign to them, and
(2)undertaking, upon request of the Chairman, such special studies for the Council as come within the functions herein assigned.
(h)For the purpose of conducting studies and making reports as directed by the Chairman, standing subcommittees and panels of the Council may be established.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2022—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 117–328 inserted “, the Director of the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy,” after “Technology Policy”. 1996—Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 104–127 struck out after first sentence “Among such standing subcommittees and panels of the Council shall be the Subcommittee on Food, Agricultural, and Forestry Research. This subcommittee shall review Federal research and development programs relevant to domestic and world food and fiber production and distribution, promote planning and coordination of this research in the Federal Government, and recommend policies and other measures concerning the food and agricultural sciences for the consideration of the Council. The subcommittee shall include, but not be limited to, representatives of each of the following departments or agencies; the Department of Agriculture, the Department of State, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Interior, the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Tennessee Valley Authority. The principal representatives of the Department of Agriculture shall serve as the chairman of the subcommittee.” 1991—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 102–54 substituted “Department of Veterans Affairs” for “Veterans’ Administration”. 1981—Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 97–98 substituted “Subcommittee on Food, Agricultural, and Forestry Research” for “Subcommittee on Food and Renewable Resources”, “Department of Health and Human Services” for “Department of Health, Education, and Welfare”, and “Department of Energy” for “Energy Research and Development Administration”. 1977—Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 95–113 inserted provisions relating to Subcommittee on Food and Renewable Resources.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1981 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 97–98 effective Dec. 22, 1981, see section 1801 of Pub. L. 97–98, set out as an

Effective Date

note under section 4301 of Title 7, Agriculture.

Effective Date

of 1977 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 95–113 effective Oct. 1, 1977, see section 1901 of Pub. L. 95–113, set out as a note under section 1307 of Title 7, Agriculture.

Transfer of Functions

“Department of Energy” substituted for “Energy Research and Development Administration” in subsec. (b) pursuant to section 301(a), 703, and 707 of Pub. L. 95–91, which are classified to section 7151(a), 7293, and 7297 of this title and which terminated Energy Research and Development Administration and transferred its functions (with certain exceptions) to Secretary of Energy.

Executive Documents

Abolition of Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering, and Technology;

Transfer of Functions

The Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering, and Technology, established pursuant to this section, was abolished and its functions transferred to the President by Reorg. Plan No. 1 of 1977, § 5A, 42 F.R. 56101, 91 Stat. 1634, set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees, effective Feb. 26, 1978, as provided by section 1(b) of Ex. Ord. No. 12039, Feb. 24, 1978, 43 F.R. 8095, set out under section 6601 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 6651

Title 42 — The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73