[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1887 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1887

    To establish a Presidential Commission on Women, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 2, 2009

 Ms. Speier (for herself, Mrs. Capps, Ms. Clarke, Mrs. Dahlkemper, Ms. 
 DeGette, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Ms. Shea-Porter, Ms. Tsongas, Ms. Edwards 
    of Maryland, Mrs. Halvorson, Ms. Kaptur, Ms. Kilroy, Ms. Lee of 
 California, Ms. Zoe Lofgren of California, Mrs. Lowey, Ms. Markey of 
   Colorado, Ms. Waters, Mrs. Napolitano, Ms. Pingree of Maine, Ms. 
 Richardson, Ms. Loretta Sanchez of California, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, 
  Ms. Schwartz, Ms. Titus, Ms. Velazquez, Ms. Woolsey, and Ms. Eshoo) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                    Oversight and Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To establish a Presidential Commission on Women, 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 ``Presidential Commission on Women Act 
of 2009''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT.

    There is established a commission to be known as the ``Presidential 
Commission on Women'' (hereinafter in this Act referred to as the 
``Commission'').

SEC. 3. FINDINGS AND POLICY.

    Congress makes the following findings and statement of policy:
            (1) It is the role of Government to examine the 
        circumstances that contribute to discrimination, inequality, 
        and economic hardship faced by women throughout the country.
            (2) It is the role of Government to establish initiatives 
        and programs that promote equality for women, and protect 
        against discrimination of women, in all areas of public and 
        private life.
            (3) Women in our country continue to face inequalities and 
        discrimination in many areas of public and private life, 
        including but not limited to these examples:
                    (A) The United States ranks 71st in the world in 
                the number of women in elected office. In 2009, women 
                make up 17 percent of Congress and 24 percent of State 
                legislative office-holders. Women of color make up 4 
                percent of Congress and 2 percent of State legislative 
                office-holders.
                    (B) Women earn 77 cents on the dollar compared to 
                men. African-American women earn 69 cents on the dollar 
                compared to men. Latinas earn 59 cents compared to men.
                    (C) Of workers earning minimum wage, 68 percent are 
                women. Of workers earning less than the minimum wage, 
                69 percent are women. Nineteen percent of women, as 
                compared to 10 percent of men, have annual family 
                incomes of less than $19,000. Of Fortune 500 CEOs, 2 
                percent are women.
                    (D) With only 76 percent of women in the labor 
                force, the United States ranks sixth from the bottom 
                among industrialized nations. Among college-educated 
                women, the United States ranks last among 
                industrialized nations.
                    (E) While 57 percent of men are employed full-time, 
                only 38 percent of women are employed full-time. Eight 
                out of ten single-parent families are headed by women; 
                28 percent of people living in female-headed households 
                are living below the poverty line.
                    (F) There is a continuing decline in mothers' 
                employment largely due to a lack of support for working 
                parents, such as sufficient paid time off, subsidized 
                child care, or flexible working arrangements. There is 
                also discrimination in the labor market specifically 
                against mothers as well as weakness on the demand side 
                of the labor market in areas that have traditionally 
                employed large numbers of women.
                    (G) One in every four women will experience 
                domestic violence in her lifetime. Eighty-five percent 
                of domestic violence victims are women. The cost of 
                intimate partner violence exceeds $5.8 billion each 
                year, $4.1 billion of which is for direct medical and 
                mental health services.
                    (H) Eighteen percent of women in the United States 
                do not have health insurance; 36 percent of American 
                Indian/Native Alaskan women are uninsured; 38 percent 
                of Hispanic women do not have health insurance.
                    (I) Women of color are disproportionately affected 
                by the inequalities women face.
                    (J) Gender bias and discrimination remain pervasive 
                in almost all aspects of our culture, including but not 
                limited to the media, family life, the workplace, 
                sports, education, health care, the military, 
                entertainment, and financial matters.

SEC. 4. DUTIES OF THE COMMISSION.

    (a) Review Required.--The Commission shall hold meetings and 
hearings to--
            (1) review the status of women nationwide, and the progress 
        made since the establishment of the President's Commission on 
        the Status of Women in 1961;
            (2) review the role of the Federal Government in aid to, 
        and the promotion of women; and
            (3) review data collection procedures with regard to women 
        Federal initiatives and procurement, with a view toward 
        recommending improvements.
    (b) Conference.--The Commission shall, in coordination with the 
White House Council on Women and Girls, hold a conference (hereinafter 
in this Act referred to as the Conference) to assist in the review 
required by subsection (a).
    (c) Recommendations Required.--Based on the review required by 
subsection (a), the Commission shall make recommendations to the 
President and Congress and conduct oversight of implementation.

SEC. 5. MEMBERSHIP.

    (a) In General.--The Commission shall be composed of 15 members 
appointed as follows:
            (1) Four members appointed by the President.
            (2) Three members appointed by the Speaker of the House of 
        Representatives and two members appointed by the minority 
        leader.
            (3) Three members appointed by the majority leader of the 
        Senate and two members appointed by the minority leader.
            (4) The director of the White House Council on Women and 
        Girls, who shall serve ex officio.
    (b) Qualifications.--Appointments under subsection paragraphs (1) 
through (3) of subsection (a) shall be made from individuals who are 
specially qualified to serve on the Commission by virtue of their 
education, training, or experience, and who are not officers or 
employees of the Government or Members of Congress.
    (c) Requirement for Appointment of Young Women.--Of the individuals 
appointed by President under paragraph (1), the Speaker of the House of 
Representatives under paragraph (2), and the majority leader of the 
Senate under paragraph (3) of subsection (a), at least one member 
appointed under each paragraph shall be a young woman between the ages 
of 18-24.
    (d) Geographical Balance.--In making the appointments under 
subsection (a), the appointing authorities should give consideration to 
achieving a geographical balance.
    (e) Term.--Members shall be appointed for 5 years of the 
Commission, except that, if any member of the Commission becomes an 
officer or employee of the Federal Government or a Member of Congress, 
such individual may continue as a member of the Commission for not 
longer than the 30-day period beginning on the date such individual 
becomes such an officer or employee or Member of Congress.
    (f) Vacancies.--A vacancy in the Commission shall be filled in the 
manner in which the original appointment was made.
    (g) Pay.--Members of the Commission shall serve without pay, except 
members of the Commission shall be entitled to reimbursement for 
travel, subsistence, and other necessary expenses incurred by them in 
carrying out the functions of the Commission, in the same manner as 
persons employed intermittently in the Federal Government are allowed 
expenses under section 5703 of title 5, United States Code.
    (h) Quorum.--Eight members of the Commission shall constitute a 
quorum but a lesser number may hold hearings.
    (i) Chairperson and Vice Chairperson.--The Chairperson and Vice 
Chairperson of the Commission shall be designated by the President. The 
term of office of the Chairperson and Vice Chairperson shall be 5 years 
of the Commission.
    (j) Meetings.--The Commission shall meet not less than 4 times nor 
more than 6 times each year. Meetings shall be at the call of a 
majority of its members.

SEC. 6. DIRECTOR AND STAFF OF THE COMMISSION.

    (a) Director and Staff.--(1) The Commission shall have a Director 
who shall be appointed by the Commission. The Commission, with the 
recommendation of the Director, may appoint and fix the pay of 4 
additional personnel.
    (2) The Director and staff of the Commission may be appointed 
without regard to section 5311(b) of title 5, United States Code, and 
without regard to the provisions of such title governing appointments 
in the competitive service, and may be paid without regard to the 
provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of such title 
relating to classification and General Schedule pay rates, except that 
no individual so appointed may receive pay in excess of the annual rate 
of basic pay payable for GS-18 of the General Schedule.
    (b) Services.--The Commission may procure temporary and 
intermittent services under section 3109(b) of title 5 of the Unites 
States Code, but at rates for individuals not to exceed the daily 
equivalent of the maximum annual rate of basic pay payable for GS-18 of 
the General Schedule.
    (c) Details.--Upon request of the Commission, the head of any 
department or agency may detail, on a reimbursable basis, any of the 
personnel of such agency to the Commission to assist the Commission in 
carrying out its duties under this Act.

SEC. 7. POWERS OF THE COMMISSION.

    (a) In General.--The Commission may, for the purpose of carrying 
out this Act, hold such hearings, sit and act at such times and places, 
take such testimony, and receive such evidence, as the Commission 
considers appropriate.
    (b) Delegation.--Any member or agent of the Commission may, if so 
authorized by the Commission, take any action which the Commission is 
authorized to take by this section.
    (c) Access to Information.--The Commission may secure directly from 
any department or agency of the United States information necessary to 
enable it to carry out this Act. Upon request of the Chairperson of the 
Commission, the head of such department or agency shall furnish such 
information to the Commission.
    (d) Use of Mails.--The Commission may use the United States mails 
in the same manner and under the same conditions as other departments 
and agencies of the United States.
    (e) Administrative Support.--The Administrator of General Services 
shall provide to the Commission on a reimbursable basis such 
administrative support services as the Commission may request.

SEC. 8. CONFERENCE AND CONFERENCE DELEGATES.

    The Commission in coordination with the White House Council on 
Women and Girls shall convene a conference of delegates invited by the 
Commission, who shall be fairly balanced and diverse in terms of 
geography and ethnicity without regard to political affiliation or past 
partisan activity, who shall include--
            (1) the directors of commissions for women of the States 
        and local levels of government;
            (2) elected officials of State and local governments;
            (3) advocates for women at colleges and universities; and
            (4) representatives of nonprofit organizations and 
        community-based organizations.

SEC. 9. CONFERENCE ADMINISTRATION.

    (a) Administration.--In conducting and planning the Conference, the 
Commission and the White House Council on Women and Girls shall--
            (1) request the cooperation and assistance of the heads of 
        such other Federal entities as may be appropriate, including 
        the detailing of personnel;
            (2) prepare and make available appropriate background 
        materials for the use of delegates to the Conference;
            (3) employ such personnel, in addition to those appointed 
        under section 6 and without regard to provisions of title 5, 
        United States Code, governing appointments in the competitive 
        service, and without regard to chapter 51 and subchapter III of 
        chapter 53 of such title, relating to classification and 
        General Schedule pay rates;
            (4) ensure that the proposed agenda for the Conference is--
                    (A) published in the Federal Register not less than 
                180 days before the Conference is convened; and
                    (B) made available for public comment for a period 
                of not less than 60 days;
            (5) ensure that the final agenda for the Conference, 
        prepared after the Commission and the White House Council on 
        Women and Girls takes into consideration comments received 
        under paragraph (4), is published in the Federal Register, and 
        transmitted to the chief executive officers of the States, not 
        later than 30 days after the close of the public comment period 
        required by that paragraph;
            (6) ensure that the personnel employed are fairly balanced 
        in terms of their points of view with respect to women and are 
        appointed without regard to political affiliation or past 
        partisan activity;
            (7) the recommendations of the Conference are not 
        inappropriately influenced by any public official or special 
        interest, but instead are the result of the independent and 
        collective judgment of the delegates of the Conference; and
            (8) ensure that before the Conference is convened--
                    (A) current and adequate statistical data 
                (including decennial census data) and other information 
                on the well-being of Women in the United States; and
                    (B) such information as may be necessary to 
                evaluate Federal programs and policies relating to 
                Women; which the Commission may obtain by making grants 
                to or entering into agreements with, public agencies or 
                nonprofit organizations, are readily available in 
                advance of the Conference to the delegates.

SEC. 10. REPORTS.

    The Commission shall transmit to the President and to Congress a 
first report no later than 2 years after the date of the Commission's 
first meeting. That report shall include a statement of the 
Commission's objectives and goals for the remainder of the Commission's 
work. Thereafter the Commission shall report annually. Each of those 
annual reports shall contain a statement of any findings and 
conclusions of the Commission, together with its recommendations for 
such legislation and administrative actions as it considers 
appropriate.

SEC. 11. DEFINITION.

    In this Act, the term ``State'' means any of the several States, 
the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, 
American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth 
of the Northern Mariana Islands.

SEC. 12. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated 
$2,000,000.00 to carry out this Act in each of fiscal years 2011 
through 2015.
    (b) Limitation on Appropriations.--Authority provided in this Act 
to make expenditures or to enter into contracts under which the United 
States is obligated to make outlays shall be effective only to the 
extent that amounts are provided, and only to the extent of the amounts 
provided, in advance in appropriations Acts.
                                 <all>