[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 806 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 806

   To provide for the establishment, administration, and funding of 
           Federal Executive Boards, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 2, 2009

  Mr. Voinovich (for himself and Mr. Akaka) introduced the following 
 bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland 
                   Security and Governmental Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To provide for the establishment, administration, and funding of 
           Federal Executive Boards, 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 ``Federal Executive Board 
Authorization Act of 2009''.

SEC. 2. FEDERAL EXECUTIVE BOARDS.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 11 of title 5, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 1106. Federal Executive Boards
    ``(a) Purposes.--The purposes of this section are to--
            ``(1) strengthen the coordination of Government activities;
            ``(2) facilitate interagency collaboration to improve the 
        efficiency and effectiveness of Federal programs;
            ``(3) facilitate communication and collaboration on Federal 
        emergency preparedness and continuity of operations to address 
        homeland security issues, including natural disasters, acts of 
        terrorism, and other man-made disasters, outside the 
        Washington, DC metropolitan area; and
            ``(4) provide stable funding for Federal Executive Boards.
    ``(b) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Agency.--The term `agency'--
                    ``(A) means an Executive agency as defined under 
                section 105; and
                    ``(B) shall not include the Government 
                Accountability Office.
            ``(2) Director.--The term `Director' means the Director of 
        the Office of Personnel Management.
            ``(3) Federal executive board.--The term `Federal Executive 
        Board' means an interagency entity established by the Director, 
        in consultation with the headquarters of appropriate agencies, 
        in a geographic area with a high concentration of Federal 
        employees outside the Washington, DC metropolitan area to 
        strengthen the management and administration of agency 
        activities and coordination among local Federal officers to 
        implement national initiatives in that geographic area.
    ``(c) Establishment.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Director shall establish Federal 
        Executive Boards in geographic areas outside the Washington, DC 
        metropolitan area. Before establishing Federal Executive Boards 
        that are not in existence on the date of enactment of this 
        section, the Director shall consult with the headquarters of 
        appropriate agencies to determine the number and location of 
        the Federal Executive Boards.
            ``(2) Membership.--Each Federal Executive Board for a 
        geographic area shall consist of an appropriate senior officer 
        for each agency in that geographic area. The appropriate senior 
        officer may designate, by title of office, an alternate 
        representative who shall attend meetings and otherwise 
        represent the agency on the Federal Executive Board in the 
        absence of the appropriate senior officer. An alternate 
        representative shall be a senior officer in the agency.
            ``(3) Location of federal executive boards.--In determining 
        the location for the establishment of Federal Executive Boards, 
        the Director shall consider--
                    ``(A) whether a Federal Executive Board exists in a 
                geographic area on the date of enactment of this 
                section;
                    ``(B) whether a geographic area has a strong, 
                viable, and active Federal Executive Association;
                    ``(C) whether the Federal Executive Association of 
                a geographic area petitions the Director to become a 
                Federal Executive Board; and
                    ``(D) such other factors as the Director and the 
                headquarters of appropriate agencies consider relevant.
    ``(d) Administration and Oversight.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Director shall provide for the 
        administration and oversight of Federal Executive Boards, 
        including--
                    ``(A) establishing staffing policies in 
                consultation with the headquarters of agencies 
                participating in Federal Executive Boards;
                    ``(B) designating an agency to staff each Federal 
                Executive Board based on recommendations from that 
                Federal Executive Board;
                    ``(C) establishing communications policies for the 
                dissemination of information to agencies;
                    ``(D) in consultation with the headquarters of 
                appropriate agencies, establishing performance 
                standards for the Federal Executive Board staff;
                    ``(E) developing accountability initiatives to 
                ensure Federal Executive Boards are meeting performance 
                standards; and
                    ``(F) administering Federal Executive Board funding 
                through the fund established in subsection (f).
            ``(2) Staffing.--In making designations under paragraph 
        (1)(B), the Director shall give preference to agencies staffing 
        Federal Executive Boards.
    ``(e) Governance and Activities.--Each Federal Executive Board 
shall--
            ``(1) subject to the approval of the Director, adopt by-
        laws or other rules for the internal governance of the Federal 
        Executive Board;
            ``(2) elect a Chairperson from among the members of the 
        Federal Executive Board, who shall serve for a set term;
            ``(3) serve as an instrument of outreach for the national 
        headquarters of agencies relating to agency activities in the 
        geographic area;
            ``(4) provide a forum for the exchange of information 
        relating to programs and management methods and problems--
                    ``(A) between Federal officers and employees in the 
                Washington, DC area and Federal officers and employees 
                in the geographic area; and
                    ``(B) among field elements in the geographic area;
            ``(5) develop local coordinated approaches to the 
        development and operation of programs that have common 
        characteristics;
            ``(6) communicate management initiatives and other concerns 
        from Federal officers and employees in the Washington, DC area 
        to Federal officers and employees in the geographic area to 
        achieve better mutual understanding and support;
            ``(7) develop relationships with State and local 
        governments and nongovernmental organizations to help in 
        coordinating emergency management and homeland security issues; 
        and
            ``(8) take other actions as agreed to by the Federal 
        Executive Board and the Director.
    ``(f) Funding.--
            ``(1) Establishment of fund.--The Director shall establish 
        a fund within the Office of Personnel Management for financing 
        essential Federal Executive Board functions, including basic 
        staffing and operating expenses.
            ``(2) Deposits.--There shall be deposited in the fund 
        established under paragraph (1)--
                    ``(A) contributions from the Office of Personnel 
                Management to fund administrative and oversight 
                activities conducted under subsection (d);
                    ``(B) contributions from the headquarters of each 
                agency participating in Federal Executive Boards, in an 
                amount determined by a formula established by the 
                Director, in consultation with the headquarters of such 
                agencies and the Office of Management and Budget.
            ``(3) Contributions.--
                    ``(A) Formula.--The formula for contributions 
                established by the Director shall consider the number 
                of employees in each agency in each geographic area 
                served by a Federal Executive Board. The contribution 
                of the headquarters of each agency to the fund shall be 
                recalculated at least every 2 years.
                    ``(B) In-kind contributions.--At the sole 
                discretion of the Director, the headquarters of an 
                agency may provide in-kind contributions instead of 
                providing monetary contributions to the fund.
            ``(4) Use of excess amounts.--Any unobligated and 
        unexpended balances in the fund which the Director determines 
        to be in excess of amounts needed for essential Federal 
        Executive Board functions shall be allocated by the Director, 
        in consultation with the headquarters of agencies participating 
        in Federal Executive Boards, among the Federal Executive Boards 
        for the activities under subsection (e) and other priorities, 
        such as conducting emergency preparedness training.
    ``(g) Reports.--The Director shall submit annual reports to 
Congress and agencies on Federal Executive Board program outcomes and 
budget matters.
    ``(h) Regulations.--The Director shall prescribe regulations 
necessary to carry out this section.''.
    (b) Technical and Conforming Amendments.--The table of sections for 
chapter 11 of title 5, United States Code, is amended by inserting 
after the item relating to section 1105 the following:

``1106. Federal Executive Boards.''.
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