[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2506 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







105th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2506

            To establish a National Commission on Terrorism.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 22, 1998

  Mr. Warner introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
            To establish a National Commission on Terrorism.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. NATIONAL COMMISSION ON TERRORISM.

    (a) Establishment and Membership.--
            (1) Establishment.--There is established a national 
        commission on terrorism to review counterterrorism policies 
        regarding the prevention and punishment of international acts 
        of terrorism directed at the United States. The commission 
        shall be known as ``The National Commission on Terrorism''.
            (2) Composition.--The commission shall be composed of 15 
        members appointed as follows:
                    (A) Five members shall be appointed by the 
                President from among officers or employees of the 
                executive branch, private citizens of the United 
                States, or both. Not more than three members selected 
                by the President shall be members of the same political 
                party.
                    (B) Five members shall be appointed by the Majority 
                Leader of the Senate, in consultation with the Minority 
                Leader of the Senate, from among members of the Senate, 
                private citizens of the United States, or both. Not 
                more than three of the members selected by the Majority 
                Leader shall be members of the same political party and 
                three members shall be members of the Senate.
                    (C) Five members shall be appointed by the Speaker 
                of the House of Representatives, in consultation with 
                the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, 
                from among members of the House of Representatives, 
                private citizens of the United States, or both. Not 
                more than three of the members selected by the Speaker 
                shall be members of the same political party and three 
                members shall be members of the House of 
                Representatives.
                    (D) The appointments of the members of the 
                commission should be made no later than 3 months after 
                the date of the enactment of this Act.
            (3) Qualifications.--The members should have a knowledge 
        and expertise in matters to be studied by the commission.
            (4) Chairman.--The chairman of the commission shall be 
        elected by the members of the commission.
    (b) Duties.--
            (1) In general.--The commission shall consider issues 
        relating to international terrorism directed at the United 
        States as follows:
                    (A) Review the laws, regulations, policies, 
                directives, and practices relating to counterterrorism 
                in the prevention and punishment of international 
                terrorism directed towards the United States.
                    (B) Assess the extent to which laws, regulations, 
                directives, and practices relating to counterterrorism 
                have been effective in preventing or punishing 
                international terrorism directed towards the United 
                States. At a minimum, the assessment should include a 
                review of the following:
                            (i) Evidence that terrorist organizations 
                        have established an infrastructure in the 
                        western hemisphere for the support and conduct 
                        of terrorist activities.
                            (ii) Executive branch efforts to coordinate 
                        counterterrorism activities among Federal, 
                        State, and local agencies and with other 
                        nations to determine the effectiveness of such 
                        coordination efforts.
                            (iii) Executive branch efforts to prevent 
                        the use of nuclear, biological, and chemical 
                        weapons by terrorists.
                    (C) Recommend changes to counterterrorism policy in 
                preventing and punishing international terrorism 
                directed toward the United States.
            (2) Report.--Not later than 6 months after the date on 
        which the Commission first meets, the Commission shall submit 
        to the President and the Congress a final report of the 
        findings and conclusions of the commission, together with any 
        recommendations.
    (c) Administrative Matters.--
            (1) Meetings.--
                    (A) The commission shall hold its first meeting on 
                a date designated by the Speaker of the House which is 
                not later than 30 days after the date on which all 
                members have been appointed.
                    (B) After the first meeting, the commission shall 
                meet upon the call of the chairman.
                    (C) A majority of the members of the commission 
                shall constitute a quorum, but a lesser number may hold 
                meetings.
            (2) Authority of individuals to act for commission.--Any 
        member or agent of the commission may, if authorized by the 
        commission, take any action which the commission is authorized 
        to take under this section.
            (3) Powers.--
                    (A) The commission may hold such hearings, sit and 
                act at such times and places, take such testimony, and 
                receive such evidence as the commission considers 
                advisable to carry out its duties.
                    (B) The commission may secure directly from any 
                agency of the Federal Government such information as 
                the commission considers necessary to carry out its 
                duties. Upon the request of the chairman of the 
                commission, the head of a department or agency shall 
                furnish the requested information expeditiously to the 
                commission.
                    (C) The commission may use the United States mails 
                in the same manner and under the same conditions as 
                other departments and agencies of the Federal 
                Government.
            (4) Pay and expenses of commission members.--
                    (A) Subject to appropriations, each member of the 
                commission who is not an employee of the government 
                shall be paid at a rate not to exceed the daily 
                equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay prescribed 
                for level IV of the Executive Schedule under section 
                5315 of title 5, United States Code, for each day 
                (including travel time) during which such member is 
                engaged in performing the duties of the commission.
                    (B) Members and personnel for the commission may 
                travel on aircraft, vehicles, or other conveyances of 
                the Armed Forces of the United States when travel is 
                necessary in the performance of a duty of the 
                commission except when the cost of commercial 
                transportation is less expensive.
                    (C) The members of the commission may be allowed 
                travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of 
                subsistence, at rates authorized for employees of 
                agencies under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, 
                United States Code, while away from their homes or 
                regular places of business in the performance of 
                services for the commission.
                    (D)(i) A member of the commission who is an 
                annuitant otherwise covered by section 8344 or 8468 of 
                title 5, United States Code, by reason of membership on 
                the commission shall not be subject to the provisions 
                of such section with respect to membership on the 
                commission.
                    (ii) A member of the commission who is a member or 
                former member of a uniformed service shall not be 
                subject to the provisions of subsections (b) and (c) of 
                section 5532 of such title with respect to membership 
                on the commission.
            (5) Staff and administrative support.--
                    (A) The chairman of the commission may, without 
                regard to civil service laws and regulations, appoint 
                and terminate an executive director and up to three 
                additional staff members as necessary to enable the 
                commission to perform its duties. The chairman of the 
                commission may fix the compensation of the executive 
                director and other personnel with regard to the 
                provisions of chapter 51, and subchapter III of chapter 
                53, of title 5, United States Code, relating to 
                classification of positions and General Schedule pay 
                rates, except that the rate of pay may not exceed the 
                maximum rate of pay for GS-15 under the General 
                Schedule.
                    (B) Upon the request of the chairman of the 
                commission, the head of any department or agency of the 
                Federal Government may detail, without reimbursement, 
                any personnel of the department or agency to the 
                commission to assist in carrying out its duties. The 
                detail of an employee shall be without interruption or 
                loss of civil service status or privilege.
    (d) Termination of Commission.--The commission shall terminate 30 
days after the date on which the commission submits a final report.
    (e) Funding.--There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as 
may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this section.
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