[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 949 Introduced in Senate (IS)]






108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 949

To establish a commission to assess the military facility structure of 
          the United States overseas, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 29, 2003

    Mrs. Hutchison (for herself and Mrs. Feinstein) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                             Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To establish a commission to assess the military facility structure of 
          the United States overseas, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Overseas Military Facility Structure 
Review Act of 2003''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMISSION.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established the Commission on the 
Review of the Overseas Military Facility Structure of the United States 
(in this Act referred to as the ``Commission'').
    (b) Membership.--(1) The Commission shall be composed of 8 members 
of whom--
            (A) 2 shall be appointed by the Majority Leader of the 
        Senate;
            (B) 2 shall be appointed by the Minority Leader of the 
        Senate;
            (C) 2 shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of 
        Representatives; and
            (D) 2 shall be appointed by the Minority Leader of the 
        House of Representatives.
    (2) Individuals appointed to the Commission shall have significant 
experience in the national security or foreign policy of the United 
States.
    (3) Appointments of the members of the Commission shall be made not 
later than 45 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
    (c) Period of Appointment; Vacancies.--Members shall be appointed 
for the life of the Commission. Any vacancy in the Commission shall not 
affect its powers, but shall be filled in the same manner as the 
original appointment.
    (d) Initial Meeting.--Not later than 30 days after the date on 
which all members of the Commission have been appointed, the Commission 
shall hold its first meeting.
    (e) Meetings.--The Commission shall meet at the call of the 
Chairman.
    (f) Quorum.--A majority of the members of the Commission shall 
constitute a quorum, but a lesser number of members may hold hearings.
    (g) Chairman; Vice Chairman.--The Commission shall select a 
Chairman and Vice Chairman from among its members.

SEC. 3. DUTIES OF COMMISSION.

    (a) Study.--The Commission shall conduct a thorough study of 
matters relating to the military facility structure of the United 
States overseas.
    (b) Matters To Be Studied.--In conducting the study, the Commission 
shall--
            (1) assess the number of forces required to be forward 
        based outside the United States;
            (2) examine the current state of the military facilities 
        and training ranges of the United States overseas for all 
        permanent stations and deployed locations, including the 
        condition of land and improvements at such facilities and 
        ranges and the availability of additional land, if required, 
        for such facilities and ranges;
            (3) identify the amounts received by the United States, 
        whether in direct payments, in-kind contributions, or 
        otherwise, from foreign countries by reason of military 
        facilities of the United States overseas;
            (4) assess whether or not the current military basing and 
        training range structure of the United States overseas is 
        adequate to meet the current and future mission of the 
        Department of Defense, including contingency, mobilization, and 
        future force requirements;
            (5) assess the feasibility and advisability of the closure 
        or realignment of military facilities of the United States 
        overseas, or of the establishment of new military facilities of 
        the United States overseas; and
            (6) consider or assess any other issue relating to military 
        facilities of the United States overseas that the Commission 
        considers appropriate.
    (c) Report.--(1) Not later than August 30, 2004, the Commission 
shall submit to the President and Congress a report which shall contain 
a detailed statement of the findings and conclusions of the Commission, 
together with its recommendations for such legislation and 
administrative actions as it considers appropriate.
    (2) In addition to the matters specified in paragraph (1), the 
report shall also include a proposal by the Commission for an overseas 
basing strategy for the Department of Defense in order to meet the 
current and future mission of the Department.

SEC. 4. POWERS OF COMMISSION.

    (a) Hearings.--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 this Act.
    (b) Information From Federal Agencies.--The Commission may secure 
directly from any Federal department or agency such information as the 
Commission considers necessary to carry out this Act. Upon request of 
the Chairman of the Commission, the head of such department or agency 
shall furnish such information to the Commission.
    (c) Administrative Support Services.--Upon request of the 
Commission, the Administrator of General Services shall provide to the 
Commission, on a reimbursable basis, the administrative support 
necessary for the Commission to carry out its duties under this Act.
    (d) Postal Services.--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.
    (e) Gifts.--The Commission may accept, use, and dispose of gifts or 
donations of services or property.

SEC. 5. COMMISSION PERSONNEL MATTERS.

    (a) Compensation of Members.--Each member of the Commission who is 
not an officer or employee of the Federal Government shall be 
compensated at a rate equal to 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 the performance of 
the duties of the Commission under this Act. All members of the 
Commission who are officers or employees of the United States shall 
serve without compensation in addition to that received for their 
services as officers or employees of the United States.
    (b) Travel.--(1) Members of the Commission shall 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 
under this Act.
    (2) Members and staff of the Commission may receive transportation 
on aircraft of the Military Airlift Command to and from the United 
States, and overseas, for purposes of the performance of the duties of 
the Commission to the extent that such transportation will not 
interfere with the requirements of military operations.
    (c) Staff.--(1) The Chairman of the Commission may, without regard 
to the civil service laws and regulations, appoint and terminate an 
executive director and such other additional personnel as may be 
necessary to enable the Commission to perform its duties under this 
Act. The employment of an executive director shall be subject to 
confirmation by the Commission.
    (2) The Commission may employ a staff to assist the Commission in 
carrying out its duties. The total number of the staff of the 
Commission, including an executive director under paragraph (1), may 
not exceed 12.
    (3) The Chairman of the Commission may fix the compensation of the 
executive director and other personnel without regard to 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 for the executive director and other personnel may 
not exceed the rate payable for level V of the Executive Schedule under 
section 5316 of such title.
    (d) Detail of Government Employees.--Any employee of the Department 
of Defense, the Department of State, or the General Accounting Office 
may be detailed to the Commission without reimbursement, and such 
detail shall be without interruption or loss of civil service status or 
privilege.
    (e) Procurement of Temporary and Intermittent Services.--The 
Chairman of the Commission may procure temporary and intermittent 
services under section 3109(b) of title 5, United States Code, at rates 
for individuals which do not exceed the daily equivalent of the annual 
rate of basic pay prescribed for level V of the Executive Schedule 
under section 5316 of such title.

SEC. 6. SECURITY.

    (a) Security Clearances.--Members and staff of the Commission, and 
any experts and consultants to the Commission, shall possess security 
clearances appropriate for their duties with the Commission under this 
Act.
    (b) In General.--The Secretary of Defense shall assume 
responsibility for the handling and disposition of any information 
relating to the national security of the United States that is 
received, considered, or used by the Commission under this title.

SEC. 7. TERMINATION OF COMMISSION.

    The Commission shall terminate 45 days after the date on which the 
Commission submits its report under section 3.

SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated $3,000,000 
to the Commission to carry out this Act.
    (b) Availability.--The amount authorized to be appropriated by 
subsection (a) shall remain available, without fiscal year limitation, 
until September 2005.
                                 <all>