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Interstate Commerce Commission
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The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was the first independent federal agency established in the United States. The agency was created in 1887 and was tasked with regulating interstate railroad transportation. By 1940, the ICC's regulatory scope had broadened to include all interstate surface transportation carriers. The agency's regulatory purview diminished during the second half of the 20th century as its responsibilities were curtailed or transferred to other agencies. Congress abolished the ICC in 1995.[1][2]
Background
The ICC was established through the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887, which was signed into law by President Grover Cleveland (D) on February 4, 1887. The agency was created in response to public dissatisfaction with perceived economic abuses by railroad operators in the 1880s. Originally tasked with regulating railroad transportation across state lines, the agency's regulatory authority broadened to include all common surface carriers by 1940. These carriers included railroads, trucking companies, bus lines, oil pipelines, water carriers, and express agencies.[3][4][5]
The newly created U.S. Department of Transportation assumed the ICC's authority over safety regulations in 1966. The Staggers Rail Act and Motor Carriers Act of 1980 deregulated the railroad industry and reduced the ICC's authority to determine rates and routes. As the ICC's regulatory scope shrank, the agency's staff fell from 2,000 employees in 1970 to fewer than 400 by 1995.[3][6]
Congress abolished the ICC through the ICC Termination Act of 1995. Its remaining functions were assumed by the Federal Highway Administration and the Surface Transportation Board within the U.S. Department of Transportation.[3][7]
Structure
- See also: Independent federal agency
The ICC was the nation's first independent federal agency—a type of federal agency that operates with some degree of autonomy from the executive branch. These agencies are generally headed by a commission or board made up of five to seven members. The ICC was headed by a seven-member commission, each of whom was appointed by the president with the advice and consent of the U.S. Senate.[3][8][5]
See also
- Agencies and offices of the administrative state
- Independent federal agency
- Ballotpedia's administrative state coverage
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Federal Register, "Interstate Commerce Commission," accessed April 9, 2018
- ↑ Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, "Interstate Commerce Commission," accessed April 9, 2018
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Encyclopedia of Business and Finance, "Interstate Commerce Commission," accessed October 5, 2018
- ↑ World Encyclopedia, "Granger Movement," accessed October 5, 2018
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 National Archives, "Interstate Commerce Commission," accessed October 5, 2018
- ↑ The New York Times, "Senate Votes For Demise Of the I.C.C.," November 29, 1995
- ↑ Encyclopedia of Business and Finance, "Staggers Rail And Motor Carrier Acts Of 1980," accessed October 5, 2018
- ↑ JUSTIA, "Independent Agencies," accessed July 5, 2018
