-  Until the 1880's, most of the work of the Executive Branch was done through the Executive Departments.
    - Since then, Congress has created many independent Agencies to help handle the workload
            - These agencies are considered indepenndent because they are not part of any department

I.    Why Independent Agencies?
    A. Some agencies don't really fit within any 1 department
    B. Protect their work from partisan influence
    C. Sensitive nature of work

II.    Three main groups
    A. Executive Agencies
    B. Regulatory Commissions
    C. Government Corporations

III.    Executive Agencies
    A. very similar to departments, but without cabinet status
    B. heads are chosen by President and approved by Senate
    C. Examples:
            1. EPA - Environmental Protection Agency
            2. NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration
            3. CIA - Central Intelligence Agency

IV.    Regulatory Commissions
     A. Outside of Presidential Control
     B.  main job is to regulate, or police, aspects of the government and economy
     C. Examples:
            1. FCC (Federal Communications Commission): regulate communications (TV, Internet, Phone, Cable)
            2. FTC (Federal Trade Commission): fair trade practices, prevent unfair competition & false advertising
            3. CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission): safety standards for products
     D. how regulatory commissions remain independent:
            1. each commission is led by a board of 5-7 members
                    a. members are chosen by the President and approved by the Senate, but serve for a fixed length of time (terms
                        range from 4-14 years)
                    b. this prevents the President from exerting much influence over the actions of each board
                    c. the board must be almost evenly split b/t Democrats and Republicans = neutrality and fairness
                    d. terms of members are staggered
     E. regulatory commissions have executive, legislative, and Judicial powers
            1. Example: SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission): regulates stock trading; investigates dishonest investment
                practices
                    a. legislative power: make rules and regulations
                    b. executive power: enforce policies
                    c. judicial power: settle disputes b/t people or groups

V.    Government Corporations
    A. created to carry out business-like activity
    B. Examples: US Post Office, Amtrak
    C. Reasons for gov't corporations
            1. stability
            2. flexibility
            3. relatively cost efficient
                    a. goal isn't to make money
                    b. most activities are financed by fees charge by corporations

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