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United States Department of Commerce
Seal of the United States Department of Commerce
Agency overview
Formed	February 14, 1903
Headquarters	Herbert C. Hoover Building 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 38°53′39.48″N 77°1′58.08″W / 38.8943°N 77.0328°W / 38.8943; -77.0328
Annual budget	US$8 billion (2009)
Agency executives	Gary Locke, Secretary of Commerce Dennis Hightower, Deputy Secretary of Commerce
Website
www.commerce.gov

The United States Department of Commerce is the Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with promoting economic growth. It was originally created as the United States Department of Commerce and Labor on February 14, 1903. It was subsequently renamed to the Department of Commerce on March 4, 1913, and its bureaus and agencies specializing in labor were transferred to the new Department of Labor.

The organization's mission

The mission of the department is to "promote job creation and improved living standards for all Americans by creating an infrastructure that promotes economic growth, technological competitiveness, and sustainable development." Among its tasks are gathering economic and demographic data for business and government decision-making, issuing patents and trademarks, and helping to set industrial standards.

Administration

The Department of Commerce is administerred by the United States Secretary of Commerce, the office of which is currently held by Gary Locke. Locke is the first Chinese American Secretary of Commerce, and the third Asian American in President Barack Obama's cabinet, joining Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Veteran Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki, the most of any administration in United States history. From 1903 to 1913, it was administered by the United States Secretary of Commerce and Labor.

Employees of the Department serve under the Competitive Service and Excepted Service. Most domestic positions are Competitive Service and most foreign positions are Excepted Service. In accordance with the Foreign Service Act of 1980, the Secretary is entitled to use the Foreign Service personnel system for positions that require service abroad.

Operating units

• Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS)
• Economics and Statistics Administration (ESA)
  • Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)
  • Bureau of the Census
• Economic Development Administration (EDA)
• International Trade Administration (ITA)
• Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA)
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
  • National Weather Service (NWS)
  • Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR)
  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps (NOAA Corps)
• National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)
• Patent and Trademark Office (PTO)
• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
• National Technical Information Service (NTIS)

See also

• Federal Trade Commission
• United States Commercial Service
• United States Chamber of Commerce
• Small Business Administration

References

External links

• United States Department of Commerce Official Website
• Department Of Commerce Meeting Notices and Rule Changes from The Federal Register RSS Feed
• US Commercial Service
• Department of Commerce Representation in the UK
• Proposed and finalized federal regulations from the United States Department of Commerce

Agencies under the United States Department of Commerce Headquarters: Herbert C. Hoover Building · Secretary of Commerce · Deputy Secretary of Commerce Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Bureau of Industry and Security Under Secretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs Economics and Statistics Administration · Bureau of Economic Analysis · Census Bureau · Economic Development Administration Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade International Trade Administration · Minority Business Development Agency Under Secretary of Commerce and Administrator for NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration · National Telecommunications and Information Administration · National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property Patent and Trademark Office Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology National Institute of Standards and Technology · National Technical Information Service