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Regulatory Commissions

Multi-member boards that write and enforce rules for markets, communications, energy, safety, and elections.

Commodity Futures Trading Commission
The independent commission that regulates futures, options, and swaps markets and polices them for fraud and manipulation
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Reorganizing
The agency created after the 2008 financial crisis to regulate mortgages, credit cards, loans, and other consumer financial products
Consumer Product Safety Commission
The independent commission that sets safety standards and orders recalls for thousands of household consumer products
Election Assistance Commission
The bipartisan independent commission that certifies voting systems, distributes election grants, and maintains the national voter registration form
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
The independent commission that enforces federal laws against job discrimination based on race, sex, religion, national origin, age, and disability
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
The independent agency that insures bank deposits up to 250,000 dollars, supervises thousands of banks, and takes over banks that fail
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
The independent commission that regulates interstate electricity transmission, wholesale power markets, natural gas pipelines, and hydropower dams
Federal Maritime Commission
The independent commission that regulates ocean shipping in U.S. foreign trade, including carriers, ports, and freight forwarders
Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission
The independent tribunal that decides disputes over mine safety citations, penalties, and miners' discrimination complaints
National Credit Union Administration
The independent agency that charters and supervises federal credit unions and insures credit union deposits
National Labor Relations Board Reorganizing
The independent agency that runs union elections and enforces private-sector workers' rights to organize and bargain collectively
Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission
The independent tribunal that decides employer challenges to workplace safety citations and penalties issued by OSHA
Postal Regulatory Commission
The independent commission that oversees U.S. Postal Service prices, service standards, and compliance with federal postal law
Surface Transportation Board
The independent board that regulates freight railroad rates, service, and mergers, successor to the Interstate Commerce Commission
The Federal Communications Commission
The regulator of radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable communications and the airwaves they use
The Federal Election Commission
The agency that enforces federal campaign finance law, built so that neither party can control it
The Federal Reserve System
The central bank: it sets interest rates, supervises banks, and acts as lender of last resort
The Federal Trade Commission
The agency that enforces antitrust law and protects consumers from fraud, deception, and unfair business practices
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission
The safety regulator for civilian nuclear power plants, reactors, and radioactive materials
The Securities and Exchange Commission
The regulator of stock markets, public companies, investment funds, and the disclosures investors rely on
U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board
The small independent agency that investigates industrial chemical accidents and recommends ways to prevent them
U.S. International Trade Commission
The independent, nonpartisan commission that decides whether imports injure U.S. industries, blocks infringing imports, and maintains the tariff schedule