Noting that there are more than 900 advisory committees providing private-sector advice to federal decision makers, this report investigates how well these committees have complied with the 1972 Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), which was intended to make them more accessible to the public and reporters. Following an overview of the subject, the first section of the report examines the problems that prompted passage of the FACA, including the practice of some committees to meet in rooms so small that only their members could attend. This section also discusses various provisions of the act and exemptions to it. The second section, reviewing how well the FACA has worked in its first ten years, concludes that it has had limited success in opening meetings to the public and the press. The third section discusses specific violations of the act, especially of its provisions requiring committees to give "timely notice" of meetings, to keep minutes, and to supply the Library of Congress with copies of their reports. The final section discusses the prospects for changes in the FACA and concludes that there is no real interest in reforming the act or in making changes that would strengthen it. (FL)