
Full Answer
What are federal regulatory agencies?
Federal regulatory agencies are the agency or government department that has responsibility over the legislation (acts and regulations) for a given sector of the United States government. The United States Congress forms regulatory agencies and they exist at both the federal and state level.
How many federal agencies are in the regulatory pipeline?
For example, there's a twice-yearly publication called the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions. The Agenda compiles agency regulatory plans and actions in the federal pipeline, and it listed 61 agencies in the Fall 2016 edition. That count can vary slightly from report to report.
How many federal agencies are there?
Both would clearly affect agency priorities and reporting, regardless of their resistance. Notably with respect to the number of agencies, the Administrative Conference of the United States -- which lists 115 agencies in the appendix of its most recent Sourcebook of United States Executive Agencies -- had the following to say:
How many federal regulations have there been?
Table compiled by author. Looking back, there have been 88,899 federal rules and regulations since 1995 through December 2016, as the chart shows; but "only" 4,312 laws. Another 2,419 proposed rules were in play at year-end 2016. Given the Trump administration moratorium, many of those were under review during 2017.

What are some examples of regulatory agencies?
Examples of regulatory agencies that enforce standards include the Food and Drug Administration in the United States and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in the United Kingdom; and, in the case of economic regulation, the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets and the Telecom Regulatory Authority in India .
What is independent regulatory agency?
Some independent regulatory agencies perform investigations or audits, and other may fine the relevant parties and order certain measures. In a number of cases, in order for a company or organization to enter an industry, it must obtain a license to operate from the sector regulator.
What branch of government is regulatory?
Regulatory agencies are generally a part of the executive branch of the government and have statutory authority to perform their functions with oversight from the legislative branch. Their actions are often open to legal review .
What is an autarchic supervisory agency?
An autarchic supervisory agency' is a monitoring agency that is self employed from other branches or arms of the government.
Partner Agencies
One of the most visible successes of the eRulemaking Program is the collaboration of partner agencies. These agencies actively participate in the governance of the eRulemaking program and financially support the program.
Other Participating & Non-participating Agencies
There are over 220 other participating agencies whose rules and regulations are posted to Regulations.gov for commenting.
What is regulatory agency?
Regulatory agency, independent governmental body established by legislative act in order to set standards in a specific field of activity, or operations, in the private sector of the economy and then to enforce those standards.
Why are regulatory agencies so popular?
Regulatory agencies became popular means of promoting fair trade and consumer protection as problems of commerce and trade became more complex, particularly in the 20th century. Read More on This Topic. political system: Regulation of the economy. Government regulation of economic life is not a new development.
What is the political system of regulation?
political system: Regulation of the economy. Government regulation of economic life is not a new development. The national mercantilist systems of the 18th century provided for regulation... The idea of the regulatory agency was first advanced in the United States, and it has been largely an American institution.
How long do regulatory agencies serve?
Federal Reserve Board members, for instance, serve for 14 years. Regulatory agency commissioners are appointed by the president, but their terms are staggered, so that no single president is able to drastically change the nature of the agency by appointing multiple commissioners.
How long do Federal Reserve Board members serve?
Federal Reserve Board members, for instance, serve for 14 years. Regulatory agency commissioners are appointed by the president, but their terms are staggered, so that no single president is able to drastically change the nature of the agency by appointing multiple commissioners.
Is government regulation a new development?
Government regulation of economic life is not a new development. The national mercantilist systems of the 18th century provided for regulation...
How many agencies are there in the United States?
Notably with respect to the number of agencies, the Administrative Conference of the United States -- which lists 115 agencies in the appendix of its most recent Sourcebook of United States Executive Agencies -- had the following to say:
How many agencies were there in 2016?
The Senator apparently was citing the Federal Register’s agency list, which now depicts 440 agencies as December 2016. The online 2016 Federal Register’s index depicted 272. (It had been 257 in December 2015.) The table nearby summarizes these and other tallies.
How many agencies are listed in the Unified Agenda?
The Agenda compiles agency regulatory plans and actions in the federal pipeline, and it listed 61 agencies in the Fall 2016 edition. That count can vary slightly from report to report. But as we'll see, its tally is on the low side.
What does it mean when no one knows how many agencies, components and commissions exist?
If no one knows definitively how many agencies, components and commissions exist by whose decrees we must abide, that means we similarly do not know how many employees (let alone contractors) work for the government . The job of reforming the executive branch is an extremely complex one, and the agencies are fighting it and will fight it, with support from dominant media. This entrenchment and collaboration appears to account for some of what is meant by the "swamp."
How many departments are there in the federal government?
In a 2015 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) noted: “ [T]he Federal Register indicates there are over 430 departments, agencies, and sub-agencies in the federal government.”
How many independent organizations are there in the United States?
Alongside the 220 executive department components the Administrative Conference referred to as appearing in the United States Government Manual, the latest 2015 Manual (which is not exhaustive) lists 61 “Independent Establishments and Government Corporations,” eight “Quasi-Official Agencies” and 16 “International Organizations.” Furthermore, an online supplement to the Manual notes another 48 “Boards, Commissions, and Committees” in existence.
How many laws have been passed since 1995?
Looking back, there have been 88,899 federal rules and regulations since 1995 through December 2016, as the chart shows; but "only" 4,312 laws.
How many rules has Trump issued?
In the Trump era, things have slowed down considerably. While Trump's agencies have issued 1,748 rules since January 21 as of today, many were date-deferrals and such. Per Trump's 2-for-1 executive order, "economically significant" regulatory actions and guidances need to be offset.
How many agencies are there in the United States?
The Administrative Conference of the United States lists 115 agencies in the appendix of its “Sourcebook of United States Executive Agencies, but notes :
What does it mean when nobody knows how many agencies exist?
If nobody knows how many agencies exist whose decrees we must abide, that means we don’t know how many people work for the government (let alone contractors making a living from taxpayers) nor know how many rules there are. But even when we isolate a given, knowable agency, the rise of “ regulatory dark matter ” may make it hard to tell exactly what is and is not a rule.
How many departments are there in the federal government?
In a 2015 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, one senator noted that “The Federal Register indicates there are over 430 departments, agencies, and sub-agencies in the federal government.” The online Federal Register Index depicts 257. The list below summarizes various tallies.

Overview
A regulatory agency (regulatory body, regulator) or independent agency (independent regulatory agency) is a government authority that is responsible for exercising autonomous dominion over some area of human activity in a licensing and regulating capacity.
These are customarily set up to strengthen safety and standards, and/or to protect consumers in markets where there is a lack of effective competition. Examples of regulatory agencies that enf…
Legislative basis
Regulatory agencies are generally a part of the executive branch of the government and have statutory authority to perform their functions with oversight from the legislative branch. Their actions are often open to legal review.
Regulatory agencies deal in the areas of administrative law, regulatory law, secondary legislation, and rulemaking (codifying and enforcing rules and regulations, and imposing supervision or over…
Functioning
Regulatory regimes vary by country and industry. In the most light-touch forms of regulation, regulatory agencies are typically charged with overseeing an industry, intervening only when there is a reasonable suspicion that a regulated company may not be complying with its obligations. Under such a regime, regulatory agencies typically have powers to:
• oblige individuals or firms entering the industry to obtain a license;
Areas
• Advertising regulation
• Alcoholic beverages
• Bank regulation
• Consumer protection
• Cyber-security regulation
By country or international organization
• Agencies of the European Union
• Independent agencies of the United States government
• Independent regulatory agencies in Turkey
• List of regulators in the United Kingdom
See also
• Civil service commission
• Code of Federal Regulations
• Constitutional economics
• Constitutional institution
Notes
• Jordana J, Fernández-i-Marín X, Bianculli A (2018). "Agency proliferation and the globalization of the regulatory state: Introducing a data set on the institutional features of regulatory agencies". Regulation & Governance. 12 (4): 524–540. doi:10.1111/rego.12189. hdl:10230/46637.
• Kohlmeier, Louis M. Jr. (1969). The Regulators: Watchdog Agencies and the Public Interest. New York: Harper & Row. ISBN 978-0-06-043747-3.