Reorganization Act of 1939

Reorganization Act of 1939
Great Seal of the United States
Long titleTo provide for reorganizing agencies of the Government, and for other purposes.
Enacted bythe 76th United States Congress
EffectiveApril 3, 1939
Citations
Public law76-19
Statutes at Large53 Stat. 561
Codification
Acts amendedBudget and Accounting Act of 1921
U.S.C. sections created5 U.S.C. § 133
Legislative history
  • Introduced in the House as H.R. 4425 by John J. Cochran (DMO) on February 24, 1939
  • Passed the House on March 8, 1939 (246–153)
  • Passed the Senate on March 21, 1939 (63–23)
  • Reported by the joint conference committee on March 27, 1939; agreed to by the Senate on March 28, 1939 (voice vote) and by the House on March 29, 1939 (voice vote)
  • Signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on April 3, 1939

The Reorganization Act of 1939, Pub. L. 76–19, 53 Stat. 561, enacted April 3, 1939, is an American Act of Congress which gave the President of the United States the authority to hire additional confidential staff and reorganize the executive branch (within certain limits) for two years subject to legislative veto.[1] It was the first major, planned reorganization of the executive branch of the government of the United States since 1787.[2] The Act led to Reorganization Plan No. 1,[3] which created the Executive Office of the President.[2]

  1. ^ Dickinson, Matthew J. Bitter Harvest: FDR, Presidential Power and the Growth of the Presidential Branch. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1999. ISBN 0-521-65395-9
  2. ^ a b Mosher, Frederick C. American Public Administration: Past, Present, Future. 2d ed. Birmingham, Ala.: University of Alabama Press, 1975. ISBN 0-8173-4829-8
  3. ^ "Message to Congress on the Reorganization Act." April 25, 1939. John T. Woolley and Gerhard Peters. The American Presidency Project. Santa Barbara, Calif.: University of California (hosted), Gerhard Peters (database).

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