Regulatory Agencies Guided Research
Objectives: Students will investigate regulatory agencies in order to develop an understanding of what
each agency does and how the agency impacts the public.
Directions:
1. Use the links provided (highlighted text) to access the regulatory agencies.
2. Answer in complete sentences the questions relating to the regulatory agency on your
own paper.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA):
1. Visit About FDA and determine what the purpose of the FDA is.
2. Using What FDA Regulates, what are two examples of items the FDA does regulate?
3. Using What FDA Doesn’t Regulate, what are two examples of items the FDA does not regulate?
4. Based on what you have learned about the FDA, do you think that individuals who are former
employees of the tobacco industry should be allowed to work for the FDA? Why or why not?
Federal Trade Commission (FTC):
1. Visit About FTC and determine what the purpose of the FTC is.
2. According to FTC’s Competition Mission, what is antitrust?
3. The FTC’s Competition Mission discusses monopolies; what is a monopoly?
4. Based on your understanding of the FTC, other than Microsoft, what is an example of a company
that the FTC would want to carefully monitor? Why?
Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA):
1. Visit OSHA We Can Help and determine the role that OSHA plays in America.
2. What are two examples of workers’ rights?
3. Using At a Glance OSHA, what is an example of personal protective equipment?
4. Based on your knowledge of the role of OSHA, how does OSHA protect you in the school
building and what else could they do to protect you?
Regulatory Agencies Guided Research
Federal Communication Commission (FCC):
1. Using FCC What We Do, what is the FCC responsible for regulating?
2. According to the FCC Indecency and Obscenity, what can the FCC do if a station airs indecent or
obscene material?
3. Read FCC Emergency Communications and determine what the purpose of the Emergency Alert
System is.
4. The FCC What We Do says, “Only three commissioners can be of the same political party at any
given time and none can have a financial interest in any commission-related business.” Why
would this be one of the rules of the FCC?
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):
1. Using Seven Priorities for the EPA’s Future, what are the seven main priorities of the EPA?
2. Of the seven priorities, which one affects Maryland the most? Why?
3. According to the EPA Summary of the Clean Water Act, what does this act establish?
4. Based on your understanding of the EPA, what is one area that impacts the lives of Marylanders
that you believe the EPA needs to either protect or enhance protection? Why?
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA):
1. According to the FAA Mission, what is the purpose of the FAA?
2. What are the 5 Values of the FAA?
3. Using the FAA What We Do, what is one activity the FAA performs and why is it important?
4. Based on the information you have learned about the FAA, in your opinion, what could be two
negative effects if the FAA did not exist and why?
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC):
1. According to About CPSC, what is the goal of the agency?
2. The CPSC offers Whistleblower Protection, what is it and why is it important?
3. According to the CPSC FAQ, why does the CPSC issue recalls, and what is a recall?
4. Based on your understanding of the CPSC, in your opinion, what is an example of a product that
the CPSC would want to regulate and why?
Regulatory Agencies Guided Research
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC):
1. According to SEC What We Do, what is the mission of the SEC?
2. What is the responsibility of the SEC?
3. What is one event that involved the SEC and what did the SEC regulate during that event?
4. Based on your knowledge of the SEC, do you believe they should have done more to prevent the
2007 housing collapse? Why?
Center for Disease Control and Protection (CDC):
1. Based on About CDC Vision, Mission, Core Values, and Pledge, what is the Purpose of the
CDC?
2. The CDC Fact Sheet states the five focus areas of the CDC. What are the five focus areas?
3. According to the CDC Emergency Preparedness and Response: What CDC is Doing, what is the
CDC doing to prepare the Nation?
4. In your opinion, what is one thing on which you think the CDC should focus and why?
Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA):
1. Based on the DEA Mission Statement, what is the purpose of the DEA?
2. The DEA Mission Statement lists the responsibilities of the DEA, what are two of the
responsibilities of the DEA?
3. Based on the News Report, what did the DEA accomplish and what did the DEA seize?
4. Based on your understanding of the DEA, in your opinion, what kinds of people should be
allowed to work for the DEA? Why?
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI):
1. Based on FBI Quick Facts, what is the purpose of the FBI?
2. According to the FBI What We Investigate, what are the 8 priorities of the FBI?
3. FBI Seal and Motto explains the significance of the FBI Motto. What does the Motto mean and
how does it relate to government?
4. The FBI website states that one of their priorities is to, “Protect civil rights.” Based on your
knowledge of the FBI, in your opinion, is it possible that the FBI could also be violating people’s
civil rights? Why or why not?