The four papers in this series were commissioned for the first meeting of the National Commission on Adult Literacy, which met in Nashville on November 14, 2006. The first paper, "Adult Education and Literacy Legislation and Its Effects on the Field," provides the basic provisions of the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA, 1998): its purpose, eligible participants and providers, the indicators of performance, and other critical foundations in the legislation. It reviews critical elements of the transition from regulatory to continuous improvement modes and looks to what is on the horizon at the federal level. The second paper, "Adult Education & Literacy in the United States: Need for Services, What the Current Delivery System Looks Like," examines the adult education and family literacy system in the United States and suggests that the nation has a long-term adult education and literacy need. The third paper, "Introduction to Main Strands of Federal Adult Literacy Programming," provides basic summary information on recent initiatives and projects funded by the Division of Adult Education (DAEL) of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), the National Institute for Literacy (NIFL), and the U.S. Departments of Labor (DOL) and Health and Human Services (HHS). The fourth and final paper, "Federal Role in Adult Literacy, FY05-06," is divided into three sections: Section I deals with a single piece of legislation that contributes the major share of federal support for adult education in this country. Section II is comprised of federal programs of varying size--some operated out of the Department of Education and others operated out of other federal departments or agencies--in which basic skills or English as a second language for out-of-school youth and adults is an authorized activity, but funding is either limited to serving a particular subset of that population or available for any number of activities of which basic skills or English language instruction is just one option. Some of the latter programs may have very large appropriations, but funding for adult education activities may comprise a very small portion of those appropriations. Section III contains research and demonstration programs. Nine appendices are included: (1) Percentage of adults "Nonliterate in English," "Below Basic," and "Basic" in Prose literacy: 2003; (2) Sample document task: receipt for certified mail; (3) State-Administered Adult Education Program Fiscal Year 2003 Expenditures (July 1, 2003 - September 30, 2005); (4) State-Administered Adult Education Program, Program Year 2004-2005 Personnel; (5) State-Administered Adult Education Program, Program Year 2004-2005 Enrollment; (6) State-Administered Adult Education Program, Program Year 2004-2005 Enrollment of Participants by Age; (7) State-Administered Adult Education Program, Program Year 2004-2005 Enrollment of Participants by Race/Ethnicity; (8) State-Administered Adult Education Program, Program Year 2004-2005 Enrollment of Participants by Gender; and (9) Workforce Investment Act, Title I (Department of Labor) and Title II (Department of Education and the National Institute for Literacy). (Contains 16 footnotes.)