OFFICE'S

OFFICE n. 1. place of business, place of work, workplace, workroom, studio; headquarters, base, center. 2 branch, division, section, bureau, department; agency. 3. post, position, appointment, job, day job, occupation, role, place, situation, station, function, capacity. 4. chore, duty, job, task, obligation, assignment, service, responsibility, charge, commission; work, employment. 5. (offices) assistance, help, aid, services, intervention, intercession, mediation, intermediation, agency, support, backing, patronage, aegis, auspices, advocacy.

OFFICE OF CIVILIAN HEALTH AND MEDICAL PROGRAMS OF THE UNIFORMED SERVICES. A unit in the US Department of Defense responsible for administering a civilian health and medical care program for the spouses and dependent children of active members of the Armed Forces and for retired military personnel, their spouses and children. 

OFFICE OF COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT. A unit in the US Department of Housing and Urban development responsible for administering grant programs to help communities plan and finance their growth and development, increase their capacity to govern, and provide shelter and services for homeless people. 

OFFICE OF COUNTERINTELLIGENCE. An office in the US Department of Energy responsible for conducting counterintelligence programs involving industrial intelligence activities of foreigners and foreign governments. 

OFFICE OF DOMESTIC PREPAREDNESS. A unit in the US Department of Homeland Security responsible for helping state and local governments train and equip emergency responders, plan and conduct disaster, drills, and offer other technical assistance to prevent, plan for, and respond to acts of terrorism. The office was transferred from the US Department of Justice in 2003. ODP.

OFFICE OF ENROLLMENT AND DISCIPLINE. Patents. The division of the US Patent and Trademark Office, charged with licensing patent attorneys and patent agents, and with hearing complaints involving their misconduct. The office is authorized to sanction practitioners, and to suspend or disbar them from practice before the PTO. It's authority is concurrent with state disciplinary procedures.

OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY. An office in the Executive Office of the President responsible for supporting the Council on Environmental Quality. See COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY. 

OFFICE OF FAIR HOUSING AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY. A unit in the US Department of housing and urban development, responsible for administering the fair housing laws and regulations that prohibit discrimination in public and private housing.

OFFICE OF FEDERAL CONTRACT COMPLIANCE PROGRAMS. The division of the employment standards administration in the US Department of Labor responsible for enforcing contractors compliance with Executive Order 11246, which prohibits job discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, or national origin.

OFFICE OF FEDERAL HOUSING ENTERPRISE OVERSIGHT. A unit in the US Department of Housing and Urban Development responsible for overseeing the financial safety and soundness of the Federal National Mortgage Association [Fannie Mae] and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation [Freddie Mac]. 

OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT ETHICS. An independent federal agency in the Executive Branch responsible for issuing rules and regulations about ethical conduct and financial disclosure, providing training and ethics, monitoring the ethics of practices in departments and agencies, and giving guidance on matters of ethics. The agency was established under the Ethics In Government Act of 1978 and became a separate agency in 1988.

OFFICE OF HEALTHY HOMES AND LEAD HAZARD CONTROL. A unit office in the US Department of Housing and Urban Development responsible for informing the public about the dangers of lead poisoning, esp., by lead based paint; developing methods of detection and abatement; encouraging states and local governments to develop prevention programs; and implementing the departments healthy home initiative to warn the public of other potential household hazards. 

OFFICE OF HOUSING. A unit in the US Department of Housing and Urban Development responsible for administering aid for building and financing new and rehabilitated housing and for preserving existing housing.

OFFICE OF INTIAL PATENT EXAMINATION. The section of the US Patent and Trademark office that determines whether a new patent application is in the correct form, whether the claims are dependent or independent, how much the application fee should be, and to which examining group the application should be assigned. 

OFFICE OF LABOR-MANAGEMENT STANDARDS. The division of the Employment Standards Administration in the US Department of Labor responsible for enforcing the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959, which establishes standards for labor union management and financial operations. The Act set out a list of union-members' rights, including the right to fair elections of union leaders, the right to know about the unions administrative policies and financial transactions, and the right to have union funds safeguarded.

OFFICE OF BUDGET AND MANAGEMENT. An office in the Executive Office of the President responsible for helping the President prepare the annual federal budget and supervising its administration. It was a originally established by Reorganization Plan No.1 of 1939 as the Bureau of the Budget.

OFFICE OF MEDICAL SERVICES. A unit in the US Department of State responsible for providing primary healthcare services for the Department's overseas employees and their eligible family members. MED.

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY. An office in the Executive Office of the President responsible for coordinating efforts at federal, state, and local levels to control, illegal, drug abuse, and for devising national anti-drug activities. The office was created by the National Narcotics Leadership Act of 1988. 21 USCA SS1701-1713.

OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT. The independent federal agency that administers the personnel system of the government by helping agencies, recruit and evaluate employees; manage retirement and health benefits systems; coordinate temporary assignments; conduct investigations; and develop leadership in the Federal executive service. The agency was established by Reorganization Plan No.2 of 1978 and given various functions of the former US Civil Service Commission by Executive Order 12107 of 1978. See CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION.

OFFICE OF POLICY DEVELOPMENT. An office in the Executive Office of the President comprising the Domestic Policy Council and the National Economic Council. It was established in 1993 by Executive Order 12859. 

OFFICE OF PRIVATE SECTOR LIAISON. A unit in the US Department of Homeland Security responsible for working with individual businesses through trade associations and other nongovernmental organizations on matters of security. 

OFFICE OF PROTOCOL. A unit in the US Department of State responsible for advising the President, Vice President, the Secretary of State, and other US officials on matters of custom and decorum, and for planning and hosting state dinners and other affairs, esp., involving foreign heads of state and other diplomats. The Office also manages the Blair House, where diplomatic visitors often stay. It is run by the Chief of Protocol. 

OFFICE OF PUBLIC AND INDIAN HOUSING. A unit in the US Department of Housing and Urban Development responsible for providing technical assistance and operating subsidies to public housing agencies and Indian housing authorities in developing low-income housing. 

OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY. An office in the Executive Office of the President responsible for advising the President on scientific, engineering, and technological developments and for coordinating research and development programs. The office was created by the National Science and Technology Policy, Organization, and Priorities Act of 1976. 

OFFICE OF SPECIAL COUNSEL. An independent federal agency that investigates activities prohibited by the civil-service laws, rules, and regulations and, if the investigation warrants it, litigates the matter before the Merit Systems Protection Board. The agency was established by Reorganization Plan No.2 of 1978.

OFFICE OF SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS. A component of the criminal division of the Department of Justice that identifies and investigates suspected perpetrators of human rights violations abroad, after the suspects have entered, or tried to enter, the United States. Originally created in 1948 to seek out Nazi and Axis persecutors, the Office's mission has since been expanded to include other transgressors of human rights. 

OFFICE OF STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT COORDINATION. A unit in the US Department of Homeland Security responsible for coordinating security matters with state and local governments. 

OFFICE OF SURFACE MINING RECLAMATION AND ENFORCEMENT. The unit inside the US Department of the Interior responsible for protecting against the adverse effects of surface coal mining by enforcing laws relating to surface mining and restoration, and by assisting state and local governments, which have primary responsibility in this area.

OFFICE OF TAX-SHELTER ANALYSIS. An office in the US Internal Revenue Service responsible for identifying and investigating questionable tax shelters. The office was created in 2000. 

OFFICE OF TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT. A former office in the legislative branch of the federal government responsible for analyzing public policy issues relating to science and technology. The Office was active from 1972 to 1995. 

OFFICE OF THE COMPTROLLER OF THE CURRENCY. An office in the US Department of the Treasury responsible for regulating approximately 2,600 national banks by examining them; approving or denying applications for bank charters, branches, or mergers; closing banks that fail to follow rules and regulations; and regulating banking practices. OCC.

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE. An office in the Executive Office of the President responsible for setting and administering overall trade policy. It was established under Reorganization Plan No.3 of 1979. 19 USCA S2171.

OFFICE OF THRIFT SUPERVISION. An office in the US Department of the Treasury responsible for regulating and examining thrift institutions to ensure that they are financially sound. 

OFFICE OF WORKERS COMPENSATION PROGRAMS. The division of the Employment Standards Administration in the US Department of Labor responsible for processing and adjudicating claims under the Federal Employees Compensation Act, the Longshore and Harbor Workers Compensation Act, the Black Lung Benefits Reform Act, and similar worker-benefits statutes and regulations. 

OFFICER. 1. Someone who holds an office of trust, authority, or command. In public affairs, the term refers especially to a person holding public office under a national, state, or local government, and authorized by the government to exercise some specific function. In corporate law, the term refers especially to a person, elected or appointed by the board of directors to manage the daily operations of a corporation, such as a CEO, president, secretary, or treasurer. 

UNITED STATES OFFICER. (1813). An officer appointed under the authority of the federal government; specifically, an officer appointed in the manner described in Article 2, section 2, of the US Constitution.