[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 44 (Tuesday, March 12, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H2667-H2671]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT AMENDMENTS OF 2019
Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 1608) to amend the Federal Advisory Committee Act to
increase the transparency of Federal advisory committees, and for other
purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1608
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
[[Page H2668]]
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Federal
Advisory Committee Act Amendments of 2019''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act
is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Ensuring independent advice and expertise.
Sec. 3. Preventing efforts to circumvent the Federal Advisory Committee
Act and public disclosure.
Sec. 4. Increasing transparency of advisory committees.
Sec. 5. Managing Federal advisory committees.
Sec. 6. Comptroller General review and reports.
Sec. 7. Application of Federal Advisory Committee Act to trade advisory
committees.
Sec. 8. Definitions.
Sec. 9. Technical and conforming amendments.
Sec. 10. Effective date.
Sec. 11. No additional funds authorized.
SEC. 2. ENSURING INDEPENDENT ADVICE AND EXPERTISE.
(a) Bar on Political Litmus Tests.--Section 9 of the
Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) is amended--
(1) in the section heading, by inserting ``membership;''
after ``advisory committees;'';
(2) by redesignating subsections (b) and (c) as subsections
(e) and (f), respectively; and
(3) by inserting after subsection (a) the following:
``(b) Appointments Made Without Regard to Political
Affiliation or Activity.--All appointments to advisory
committees shall be made without regard to political
affiliation or political campaign activity, unless required
by Federal statute.''.
(b) Minimizing Conflicts of Interest.--Section 9 of the
Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.), as amended by
subsection (a) of this section, is further amended by
inserting after subsection (b) (as added by such subsection
(a)) the following:
``(c) Public Nominations of Committee Members.--
``(1) Before making an appointment to an advisory
committee, the head of an agency shall--
``(A) solicit nominations for potential committee members;
``(B) if the head of the agency is required to publish a
notice under subsection (a)(2), include in the notice a
solicitation for nominations of potential committee members;
and
``(C) provide in the notice under subparagraph (B) a
mechanism for interested persons to comment through a
publicly available website of the agency.
``(2) The head of an agency shall consider any comments
submitted in accordance with paragraph (1)(C) in appointing
the members of an advisory committee.
``(3) The head of an agency shall solicit nominations under
paragraph (1) not less frequently than once every 2 years.
``(4) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), if a vacancy in an
advisory committee occurs before the next scheduled
solicitation for nominations under this subsection, an agency
may appoint a member from among individuals that were
previously nominated to be a member of the advisory
committee.
``(d) Designation of Committee Members.--
``(1) An individual appointed to an advisory committee who
is not a full-time or permanent part-time officer or employee
of the Federal Government shall be designated as--
``(A) a special Government employee, if the individual is
providing advice based on the individual's expertise or
experience; or
``(B) a representative, if the individual is representing
the views of an entity or entities outside of the Federal
Government.
``(2) An agency may not designate committee members as
representatives to avoid subjecting them to Federal ethics
rules and requirements.
``(3) The designated agency ethics official for each agency
shall review the members of each advisory committee that
reports to the agency to determine whether each member's
designation is appropriate, and to redesignate members if
appropriate. The designated agency ethics official shall
certify to the head of the agency that such review has been
made--
``(A) following the initial appointment of members; and
``(B) at the time a committee's charter is renewed, or, in
the case of a committee with an indefinite charter, every 2
years.
``(4) The head of each agency shall inform each individual
who is not a full-time or permanent part-time officer or
employee of the Federal Government appointed to an advisory
committee that reports to the agency whether the individual
is appointed as a special Government employee or as a
representative. The agency head shall provide each committee
member with an explanation of the differences between special
Government employees and representatives and a summary of
applicable ethics requirements. The agency head, acting
through the designated agency ethics official, shall obtain
signed and dated written confirmation from each committee
member that the member received and reviewed the information
required by this paragraph.
``(5) The Director of the Office of Government Ethics shall
provide guidance to agencies on what to include in the
summary of ethics requirements required by paragraph (4).
``(6) The head of each agency shall, to the extent
practicable, develop and implement strategies to minimize the
need for written determinations under section 208(b)(3) of
title 18, United States Code. Strategies may include such
efforts as improving outreach efforts to potential committee
members and seeking public input on potential committee
members.
``(7) Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to
supersede the inapplicability of this Act with respect to
peer review groups appointed under paragraph (16) of section
402(b) of the Public Health Service Act, as described in the
flush text following paragraph (25)(B) of such section.''.
(c) Regulations Implementing FACA.--Section 7(c) of the
Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) is amended by
inserting ``promulgate regulations and'' after ``The
Administrator shall''.
(d) Ensuring Independent Advice and Recommendations.--The
Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) is amended--
(1) in section 8--
(A) in the section heading, by inserting ``independent
advice and recommendations;'' after ``responsibilities of
agency heads;'';
(B) by redesignating subsection (b) as subsection (c); and
(C) by inserting after subsection (a) the following:
``(b) The head of each agency shall ensure that the agency
does not interfere with the free and independent
participation, expression of views, and deliberation by
committee members. Each advisory committee shall include a
statement describing the process used by the advisory
committee in formulating the advice and recommendations when
they are transmitted to the agency.''; and
(2) in section 10--
(A) in the section heading, by inserting ``; chair'' after
``attendance''; and
(B) by inserting after subsection (f) the following new
subsection:
``(g) The chair shall not be an employee of the agency to
which the advisory committee reports, unless--
``(1) a statute specifically authorizes selection of such
an employee as the chair; or
``(2) the head of the agency directs an employee to serve
as the chair.''.
SEC. 3. PREVENTING EFFORTS TO CIRCUMVENT THE FEDERAL ADVISORY
COMMITTEE ACT AND PUBLIC DISCLOSURE.
(a) Subcommittees.--Section 4 of the Federal Advisory
Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) is amended by striking
subsection (a) and inserting the following:
``(a) Application.--The provisions of this Act or of any
rule, order, or regulation promulgated under this Act shall
apply to each advisory committee, including any subcommittee
or subgroup thereof, except to the extent that any Act of
Congress establishing any such advisory committee
specifically provides otherwise. Any subcommittee or subgroup
that reports to a parent committee established under section
9(a) is not required to comply with section 9(f).''.
(b) Committees Created Under Contract.--Section 3(2) of the
Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) is amended in
the matter following subparagraph (C) by adding at the end
the following: ``An advisory committee is considered to be
established by an agency, agencies, or the President if it is
formed, created, or organized under contract, other
transactional authority, cooperative agreement, grant, or
otherwise at the request or direction of an agency, agencies,
or the President.''.
(c) Advisory Committees Containing Special Government
Employees.--Section 4 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act
(5 U.S.C. App.), as amended by subsections (a) and (b) of
this section, is further amended by adding at the end the
following new subsection:
``(d) Special Government Employees.--Committee members
appointed as special Government employees shall not be
considered full-time or permanent part-time officers or
employees of the Federal Government for purposes of
determining the applicability of this Act under section
3(2).''.
SEC. 4. INCREASING TRANSPARENCY OF ADVISORY COMMITTEES.
(a) Information Requirement.--Section 11 of the Federal
Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) is amended to read as
follows:
``SEC. 11. DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION.
``(a) In General.--With respect to each advisory committee,
the head of the agency to which the advisory committee
reports shall make publicly available in accordance with
subsection (b) the following information:
``(1) The charter of the advisory committee.
``(2) A description of the process used to establish and
appoint the members of the advisory committee, including the
following:
``(A) The process for identifying prospective members.
``(B) The process of selecting members for balance of
viewpoints or expertise.
``(C) The reason each member was appointed to the
committee.
``(D) A justification of the need for representative
members, if any.
``(3) A list of all current members, including, for each
member, the following:
``(A) The name of any person or entity that nominated the
member.
``(B) Whether the member is--
``(i) designated as a special Government employee;
[[Page H2669]]
``(ii) a representative; or
``(iii) a full-time or permanent part-time officer or
employee of the Federal Government.
``(C) In the case of a representative, the individuals or
entity whose viewpoint the member represents.
``(4) A list of all members designated as special
Government employees for whom written certifications were
made under section 208(b) of title 18, United States Code, a
copy of each such certification, a summary description of the
conflict necessitating the certification, and the reason for
granting the certification.
``(5) Any recusal agreement made by a member or any recusal
known to the agency that occurs during the course of a
meeting or other work of the committee.
``(6) A summary of the process used by the advisory
committee for making decisions.
``(7) Detailed minutes of all meetings of the committee and
a description of committee efforts to make meetings
accessible to the public using online technologies (such as
video recordings) or other techniques (such as audio
recordings).
``(8) Any written determination by the President or the
head of the agency to which the advisory committee reports,
pursuant to section 10(d), to close a meeting or any portion
of a meeting and the reasons for such determination.
``(9) Notices of future meetings of the committee.
``(10) Any additional information considered relevant by
the head of the agency to which the advisory committee
reports.
``(b) Manner of Disclosure.--
``(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), the
head of an agency shall make the information required to be
disclosed under subsection (a) available electronically on a
publicly available website of the agency and to the
Administrator at least 15 calendar days before each meeting
of an advisory committee. If the head of the agency
determines that such timing is not practicable for any
required information, such head shall make the information
available as soon as practicable but no later than 48 hours
before the next meeting of the committee. An agency may
withhold from disclosure any information that would be exempt
from disclosure under section 552 of title 5, United States
Code.
``(2) Website availability.--The head of an agency shall
make available electronically, on a publicly available
website of the agency, detailed minutes and, to the extent
available, a transcript or audio or video recording of each
advisory committee meeting not later than 45 calendar days
after such meeting.
``(3) Grant reviews.--In the case of grant reviews,
disclosure of information required by subsection (a)(3) may
be provided in the aggregate rather than by individual grant.
``(c) Provision of Information by Administrator of General
Services.--The Administrator of General Services shall
provide, on a publicly available website of the General
Services Administration, electronic access to the information
made available by each agency under this section.
``(d) Availability of Meeting Materials.--
``(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2) and
where prohibited by contractual agreements entered into prior
to the effective date of the Federal Advisory Committee Act
Amendments of 2019, agencies and advisory committees shall
make available to any person, at actual cost of duplication,
copies of advisory committee meeting materials.
``(2) Applicability.--Nothing in this subsection shall be
construed to require the disclosure of information that is
protected from mandatory disclosure by statute.''.
(b) Charter Filing.--Subsection (f) of section 9 of the
Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.), as
redesignated by section 2(a) of this Act, is amended to read
as follows:
``(f) No advisory committee shall meet or take any action
until an advisory committee charter has been filed with the
Administrator, the head of the agency to whom any advisory
committee reports, and the standing committees of the Senate
and of the House of Representatives having legislative
jurisdiction of such agency. Such charter shall contain the
following information in the following order:
``(1) The committee's official designation.
``(2) The authority under which the committee is
established.
``(3) The committee's objectives and the scope of its
activity.
``(4) A description of the duties for which the committee
is responsible, and, if such duties are not solely advisory,
a specification of the authority for such functions.
``(5) The agency or official to whom the committee reports.
``(6) The agency responsible for providing the necessary
support for the committee.
``(7) The responsibilities of the officer or employee of
the Federal Government designated under section 10(e).
``(8) The estimated number and frequency of committee
meetings.
``(9) The period of time necessary for the committee to
carry out its purposes.
``(10) The committee's termination date, if less than 2
years from the date of the committee's establishment.
``(11) The estimated number of members and a description of
the expertise needed to carry out the objectives of the
committee.
``(12) A description of whether the committee will be
composed of full- or part-time Government employees, special
Government employees, representatives, or a combination of
categories.
``(13) Whether the agency intends to create subcommittees
and if so, the agency official authorized to exercise such
authority.
``(14) The estimated annual operating costs in dollars and
full-time equivalent positions for such committee.
``(15) The recordkeeping requirements of the committee.
``(16) The date the charter is filed.
A copy of any such charter shall also be furnished to the
Library of Congress.''.
SEC. 5. MANAGING FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEES.
(a) Committee Management Officers.--Subsection (c) of
section 8 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C.
App.), as redesignated by section 2(d) of this Act, is
amended to read as follows:
``(c) The head of each agency that has an advisory
committee shall designate an Advisory Committee Management
Officer who shall--
``(1) be a senior official who is--
``(A) an expert in implementing the requirements of this
Act and regulations promulgated pursuant to this Act; and
``(B) the primary point of contact for the General Services
Administration;
``(2) ensure the establishment, management, and supervision
of the advisory committees of the agency, including
establishing procedures, performance measures, and outcomes
for such committees;
``(3) ensure the assembly and maintenance of the reports,
records, and other papers (including advisory committee
meeting materials) of any such committee during its
existence;
``(4) ensure any such committee and corresponding agency
staff adhere to the provisions of this Act and any
regulations promulgated pursuant to this Act;
``(5) ensure the maintenance of records on each employee of
any such committee and completion of training required for
any such employee;
``(6) be responsible for providing the information required
in section 7(b) of this Act to the Administrator; and
``(7) carry out, on behalf of that agency, the provisions
of section 552 of title 5, United States Code, with respect
to the reports, records, and other papers described in
paragraph (3).''.
SEC. 6. COMPTROLLER GENERAL REVIEW AND REPORTS.
(a) Review.--The Comptroller General of the United States
shall review compliance by agencies with the Federal Advisory
Committee Act, as amended by this Act, including whether
agencies are appropriately appointing advisory committee
members who are not full-time or permanent part-time officers
or employees of the Federal Government as either special
Government employees or representatives.
(b) Report.--The Comptroller General shall submit to the
committees described in subsection (c) two reports on the
results of the review, as follows:
(1) The first report shall be submitted not later than 1
year after the date of promulgation of regulations under
section 7(c) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C.
App.), as amended by section 2(c).
(2) The second report shall be submitted not later than 5
years after such date of promulgation of regulations.
(c) Committees.--The committees described in this
subsection are the Committee on Oversight and Reform of the
House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland
Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate.
SEC. 7. APPLICATION OF FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT TO
TRADE ADVISORY COMMITTEES.
Section 135(f)(2)(A) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C.
2155(f)(2)(A)) is amended by striking ``subsections (a) and
(b) of sections 10 and 11 of the Federal Advisory Committee
Act'' and inserting ``subsections (a) and (b) of section 10
and subsections (a)(7), (a)(8), (a)(9), (b)(2), and (d) of
section 11 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act''.
SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS.
Section 3 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C.
App.) is amended by adding at the end the following new
paragraph:
``(5) The term `special Government employee' has the
meaning given that term in section 202(a) of title 18, United
States Code.''.
SEC. 9. TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.
Section 7(d)(1) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5
U.S.C. App.) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``the rate specified
for GS-18 of the General Schedule under section 5332'' and
inserting ``the rate for level IV of the Executive Schedule
under section 5315''; and
(2) in subparagraph (C)(i), by striking ``handicapped
individuals (within the meaning of section 501 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794))'' and inserting
``individuals with disabilities (as defined in section 7(20)
of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973)''.
SEC. 10. EFFECTIVE DATE.
This Act and the amendments made by this Act shall take
effect 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
SEC. 11. NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS AUTHORIZED.
No additional funds are authorized to carry out the
requirements of this Act and the amendments made by this Act.
Such requirements shall be carried out using amounts
otherwise authorized.
[[Page H2670]]
SEC. 12. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS.
The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of
complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall
be determined by reference to the latest statement titled
``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation'' for this Act,
submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the
Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that such
statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) and the gentleman from North
Carolina (Mr. Meadows) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia.
General Leave
Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on this measure.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from the District of Columbia?
There was no objection.
Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Federal Advisory
Committee Act Amendments.
Representative Lacy Clay, my good friend from Missouri, has
introduced this bill each Congress for a decade now. The bill passed in
each of the previous two Congresses, and it passed the House last year
without opposition.
The Federal Advisory Committee Act was originally enacted in 1972. It
is intended to ensure that committees that provide advice to Federal
agencies and the President operate with transparency.
The bill we are considering today would strengthen FACA to make
Federal advisory committees more transparent and to make agencies more
accountable in how they select members for these committees.
Agencies often avoid the requirements of FACA by conducting advisory
committee business through subcommittees. This bill makes it clear that
FACA applies to subcommittees as well as parent committees. The bill
also clarifies that a committee set up by a contractor is subject to
FACA if it is formed under direction of the President or an agency.
Under the Federal Advisory Committee Act Amendments, agencies would
be required to disclose how advisory members are chosen and whether
they have financial conflicts of interest. They would also be required
to disclose if they are appointed to provide their own expertise and
who they work for if they are representing a specific interest.
Last Congress, this legislation was approved without opposition by
the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs in the
Senate. Chairman Ron Johnson and his staff were very helpful in pushing
this bill through the Senate.
The bill we are considering today includes changes made following
negotiations we engaged in during the process. These are changes to
address concerns raised last Congress by the Department of Health and
Human Services and technical corrections from the General Services
Administration.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Committee on Ways and Means,
House of Representatives,
Washington, DC, March 11, 2019.
Hon. Elijah Cummings,
Chairman, Committee on Oversight and Reform,
Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Cummings: In recognition of the desire to
expedite consideration of H.R. 1608, ``Federal Advisory
Committee Act Amendments of 2019,'' the Committee on Ways and
Means agrees to waive formal consideration of the bill as to
provisions that fall within the rule X jurisdiction of the
Committee on Ways and Means.
The Committee on Ways and Means takes this action with the
mutual understanding that we do not waive any jurisdiction
over the subject matter contained in this or similar
legislation, and the Committee will be appropriately
consulted and involved as the bill or similar legislation
moves forward so that we may address any remaining issues
within our jurisdiction. The Committee also reserves the
right to seek appointment of an appropriate number of
conferees to any House-Senate conference involving this or
similar legislation.
Finally, I would appreciate your response to this letter
confirming this understanding, and would ask that a copy of
our exchange of letter on this matter be included in the
Congressional Record during floor consideration of H.R. 1608.
Sincerely,
Richard E. Neal,
Chairman.
____
House of Representatives,
Committee on Oversight and Reform,
Washington, DC, March 12, 2019.
Hon. Richard E. Neal,
Chairman, Committee on Ways and Means,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: Thank you for your letter regarding H.R.
1608, the Federal Advisory Committee Act Amendments of 2019.
As you know, the bill was referred primarily to the Committee
on Oversight and Reform, with an additional referral to the
Committees on Ways and Means.
I thank you for allowing the Committee on Ways and Means to
be discharged from further consideration of the bill to
expedite floor consideration. This discharge in no way
affects your jurisdiction over the subject matter of the
bill, and it will not serve as precedent for future
referrals. In addition, should a conference on the bill be
necessary, I would support your request to have the Committee
on Ways and Means represented on the conference committee.
I would be pleased to include this letter in the
Congressional Record during floor consideration in order to
memorialize our understanding.
Sincerely,
Elijah E. Cummings,
Chairman.
{time} 1330
Mr. MEADOWS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1608, the Federal Advisory
Committee Act Amendments of 2019. I thank the sponsor of this
legislation, my colleague from Missouri (Mr. Clay). In spite of the
fact that he is not wearing his stylish red glasses today, I want to
acknowledge the great work that he has done. He has been a tireless
advocate on this important reform over many Congresses.
H.R. 1608 will help improve the governance and transparency of
Federal advisory committees. The Federal advisory committees are groups
of experts and stakeholders who provide advice and recommendations to
Federal policymakers.
Currently, Madam Speaker, there are over 1,000 advisory committees
that are covered by the transparency and accountability requirements in
the Federal Advisory Committee Act. But many more advisory committees
are exempt from the law and may not receive the same level of scrutiny,
due to a lack of transparency of their own operations.
The gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay) has been right in working
tirelessly to make sure that advisory committees covered under the law
are required to report on their operational costs. Those reports show
advisory committees cost the Federal Government, many times, over $300
million annually, Madam Speaker.
We need to make sure that we are getting the most from the
hardworking American taxpayers' dollars. The 1972 act does not do
enough to ensure transparency and openness to the Federal
decisionmaking process.
This bill provides the needed transparency for how committee members
are selected and how committee activities function. I encourage all my
colleagues to support this particular legislation.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay).
Mr. CLAY. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend from the District of
Columbia for her generosity in time and consideration, as well as my
colleague and friend from North Carolina (Mr. Meadows), who supports
the legislation also.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the Federal Advisory
Committee Act Amendments of 2019.
As was mentioned, I introduced this bill in previous Congresses, and
it most recently passed the House by voice vote in 2017, without
opposition.
This legislation fits well with the theme of Sunshine Week, as the
House joins together to address the need for more transparency in our
government.
The Federal Advisory Committee Act, or FACA, as it is known, was
originally enacted in 1972, as was mentioned, to ensure that the
advisory groups that provide counsel to the executive branch operate
with transparency.
[[Page H2671]]
Advisory committees provide the government with recommendations on a
wide range of issues of importance to the American public. For example,
advisory committees to the Department of Health and Human Services
provide advice about critical issues such as human trafficking. The
National Advisory Committee on the Sex Trafficking of Children and
Youth in the U.S. makes recommendations on Federal programs, such as
best practices to provide housing for children and youth who are
victims of trafficking. The individuals on that committee are trusted
to have experience relevant to the issues facing these children and
share their reports with child welfare agencies that provide direct
services around the country.
The bill we are considering today would strengthen FACA to make
Federal advisory committees more transparent and make agencies more
accountable in how they select and use their committees.
Under current law, agencies are able to avoid the requirements of
FACA by conducting advisory committee business through subcommittees,
as Ms. Norton mentioned.
This bill makes it clear that FACA applies to subcommittees as well
as their parent committees. The bill also clarifies that a committee
set up by a contractor is subject to FACA if it is formed under the
direction of the President or its agency.
Under FACA, agencies will be required to disclose how advisory
committee members are selected; whether they have financial conflicts
of interest; if they are appointed to provide their own expertise; and
who they work for, if they are representing a specific interest.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I hope
that the Senate will take it up quickly and send it to the President.
Mr. MEADOWS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I thank the gentleman for his thoughtfulness. I have often said there
are two ways things get done here in Washington, D.C.: slow and never.
Let's hope that this is one of those times where it is just slow and
that we get the Senate to act on it.
I would inform the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia that I
have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close.
But before I do that, I want to thank the staff on both sides of the
committee. Oftentimes, we get up here and get to deliberate this, but
it is the staffs who do the hard work. I thank our staff in the
minority and, certainly, the majority staff for their hard work.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I must say that my friend from Missouri has been indefatigable in
trying to get this bill passed. It looks like it received some notice,
at least the last time, in the Senate.
I have joked with my friend that maybe if he got somebody else to
introduce it, we could get the bill passed. But he keeps trying. If at
first you don't succeed--
I believe that because he has understood that these advisory
committees are very important and sometimes amount to enacting
legislation, so important are some of them to our process, that he has
to keep plugging away until we get it done. I thank him for doing so.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Adams). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton)
that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1608.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________