The number of federal advisory committees has been largely stable over time at around 1,000, with HHS having the most with 264 in 2014, followed by Agriculture, with 166, according to a Congressional Research Service report.
Federal advisory committees are established to allow experts from outside the federal government to provide advice and recommendations to executive branch agencies or the President. They can be created by Congress, the President, or an executive branch agency. About half of those in existence were required by statute, CRS found, a quarter by agencies and most of the rest are authorized, although not necessarily required, by statute.
More than 68,000 people serve on such committees and 825 of them held a total of 7,173 meetings in 2014 at a cost to agencies of more than $334 million.
About 26 percent act as non-scientific program advisory boards, 20 percent as scientific technical program advisory boards, 13 percent as national policy issue advisory boards9 percent as grant review committees, with the rest serving various functions.
