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Bremer-Kovacs Collection: Historic Documents Related to the Administrative Procedure Act of 1946

Few statutes have a legislative history as rich, varied, and sprawling as the Administrative Procedure Act of 1946 (APA). This comprehensive collection is designed to make the APA’s history more accessible and understandable.

Overview

WINNER OF THE 2022 JOSEPH L. ANDREWS LEGAL LITERATURE AWARD

 

Passage of a Monumental Act

Few statutes have a legislative history as rich, varied, and sprawling as the Administrative Procedure Act of 1946 (APA). In recent years, courts and scholars have shown increased interest in understanding this history. This is no mean feat. The APA’s history spans nearly two decades, and it includes numerous failed bills, a presidential veto, and a full panoply of congressional documents. In addition, much of the most crucial documentation underlying the APA was produced outside of Congress—by the executive branch—and even outside of government—by the American Bar Association.

The Bremer-Kovacs Collection: Historic Documents Related to the Administrative Procedure Act of 1946 is a comprehensive collection designed to make the APA’s history accessible and understandable.

  • The Collection begins in 1929 with the APA’s first predecessors: bills to regulate administrative procedure that were introduced in Congress but never enacted.
  • Coverage expands in 1933, tracking heightened interest in administrative reform following President Roosevelt’s first inauguration and spurred on by the New Deal expansion of the federal administrative apparatus.
  • Includes a comprehensive legislative history of the Walter-Logan Bill of 1940, which Congress approved but President Roosevelt vetoed, as well as later bills that culminated in the Administrative Procedure Act of 1946 (APA).

The APA was not exclusively Congress’s product: private citizens and executive officials contributed significantly to the statute’s development and enactment. Included are reports, draft legislation, and other documents all produced by the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Special Committee on Administrative Law.

A first for HeinOnline, this collection includes an interactive timeline that allows users to page through the history of the Act's passage, see the people who played a role in crafting the law, and identify the historical events that shaped their thinking.

 

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