[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 117 (Thursday, June 25, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3281-S3282]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
COMMISSION ON THE SOCIAL STATUS OF BLACK MEN AND BOYS ACT
Mr. HAWLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee
on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be discharged from further
consideration of S. 2163 and the Senate proceed to its immediate
consideration.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The clerk will report the bill by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A bill (S. 2163) to establish the Commission on the Social
Status of Black Men and Boys, to study and make
recommendations to address social problems affecting Black
men and boys, and for other purposes.
There being no objection, the committee was discharged and the Senate
proceeded to consider the bill.
Mr. HAWLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Lankford
amendment at the desk be agreed to and the bill, as amended, be
considered read a third time.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
Without objection, it is so ordered.
The amendment (No. 1809) was agreed to as follows
(Purpose: To require an equal number of Republicans and Democrats to
serve on the Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys)
At the end of section 2, add the following:
(c) Membership by Political Party.--If after the Commission
is appointed there is a partisan imbalance of Commission
members, the congressional leaders of the political party
with fewer members on the Commission shall jointly name
additional members to create partisan parity on the
Commission.
The bill was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading and was read
the third time.
Mr. HAWLEY. I know of no further debate on the bill, as amended.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. If there is no further debate, the question
is, Shall the bill pass?
The bill (S. 2163), as amended, was passed, as follows
S. 2163
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 ``Commission on the Social
Status of Black Men and Boys Act''.
SEC. 2. COMMISSION ESTABLISHMENT AND MEMBERSHIP.
(a) Establishment.--The Commission on the Social Status of
Black Men and Boys (hereinafter in this Act referred to as
``the Commission'') is established within the United States
Commission on Civil Rights Office of the Staff Director.
(b) Membership.--The Commission shall consist of 19 members
appointed as follows:
(1) The Senate majority leader shall appoint one member who
is not employed by the Federal Government and is an expert on
issues affecting Black men and boys in America.
(2) The Senate minority leader shall appoint one member who
is not employed by the Federal Government and is an expert on
issues affecting Black men and boys in America.
(3) The House of Representatives majority leader shall
appoint one member who is not employed by the Federal
Government and is an expert on issues affecting Black men and
boys in America.
(4) The House of Representatives minority leader shall
appoint one member who is not employed by the Federal
Government and is an expert on issues affecting Black men and
boys in America.
(5) The Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus shall be a
member of the Commission, as well as 5 additional Members of
the Congressional Black Caucus who shall be individuals that
either sit on the following committees of relevant
jurisdiction or are experts on issues affecting Black men and
boys in the United States, including--
(A) education;
(B) justice and Civil Rights;
(C) healthcare;
(D) labor and employment; and
(E) housing.
(6) The Staff Director of the United States Commission on
Civil Rights shall appoint one member from within the staff
of the United States Commission on Civil Rights who is an
expert in issues relating to Black men and boys.
(7) The Chair of the United States Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission shall appoint one member from within
the staff of the United States Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission who is an expert in equal employment issues
impacting Black men.
(8) The Secretary of Education shall appoint one member
from within the Department of Education who is an expert in
urban education.
(9) The Attorney General shall appoint one member from
within the Department of Justice who is an expert in racial
disparities within the criminal justice system.
(10) The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall
appoint one member from within the Department of Health and
Human Services who is an expert in health issues facing Black
men.
(11) The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall
appoint one member from within the Department of Housing and
Urban Development who is an expert in housing and development
in urban communities.
(12) The Secretary of Labor shall appoint one member from
within the Department of Labor who is an expert in labor
issues impacting Black men.
(13) The President of the United States shall appoint 2
members who are not employed by the Federal Government and
are experts on issues affecting Black men and boys in
America.
(c) Membership by Political Party.--If after the Commission
is appointed there is a partisan imbalance of Commission
members, the congressional leaders of the political party
with fewer members on the Commission shall jointly name
additional members to create partisan parity on the
Commission.
SEC. 3. OTHER MATTERS RELATING TO APPOINTMENT; REMOVAL.
(a) Timing of Initial Appointments.--Each initial
appointment to the Commission shall be made no later than 90
days after the Commission is established. If any appointing
authorities fail to appoint a member to the Commission, their
appointment shall be
[[Page S3282]]
made by the Staff Director of the Commission on Civil Rights.
(b) Terms.--Except as otherwise provided in this section,
the term of a member of the Commission shall be 4 years. For
the purpose of providing staggered terms, the first term of
those members initially appointed under paragraphs (1)
through (5) of section 2 shall be appointed to 2-year terms
with all other terms lasting 4 years. Members are eligible
for consecutive reappointment.
(c) Removal.--A member of the Commission may be removed
from the Commission at any time by the appointing authority
should the member fail to meet Commission responsibilities.
Once the seat becomes vacant, the appointing authority is
responsible for filling the vacancy in the Commission before
the next meeting.
(d) Vacancies.--The appointing authority of a member of the
Commission shall either reappoint that member at the end of
that member's term or appoint another person meeting the
qualifications for that appointment. In the event of a
vacancy arising during a term, the appointing authority
shall, before the next meeting of the Commission, appoint a
replacement to finish that term.
SEC. 4. LEADERSHIP ELECTION.
At the first meeting of the Commission each year, the
members shall elect a Chair and a Secretary. A vacancy in the
Chair or Secretary shall be filled by vote of the remaining
members. The Chair and Secretary are eligible for consecutive
reappointment.
SEC. 5. COMMISSION DUTIES AND POWERS.
(a) Study.--
(1) In general.--The Commission shall conduct a systematic
study of the conditions affecting Black men and boys,
including homicide rates, arrest and incarceration rates,
poverty, violence, fatherhood, mentorship, drug abuse, death
rates, disparate income and wealth levels, school performance
in all grade levels including postsecondary education and
college, and health issues.
(2) Trends.--The Commission shall document trends regarding
the topics described in paragraph (1) and report on the
community impacts of relevant government programs within the
scope of such topics.
(b) Proposal of Measures.--The Commission shall propose
measures to alleviate and remedy the underlying causes of the
conditions described in subsection (a), which may include
recommendations of changes to the law, recommendations for
how to implement related policies, and recommendations for
how to create, develop, or improve upon government programs.
(c) Suggestions and Comments.--The Commission shall accept
suggestions or comments pertinent to the applicable issues
from members of Congress, governmental agencies, public and
private organizations, and private citizens.
(d) Staff and Administrative Support.--The Office of the
Staff Director of the United States Commission on Civil
Rights shall provide staff and administrative support to the
Commission. All entities of the United States Government
shall provide information that is otherwise a public record
at the request of the Commission.
SEC. 6. COMMISSION MEETING REQUIREMENTS.
(a) First Meeting.--The first meeting of the Commission
shall take place no later than 30 days after the initial
members are all appointed. Meetings shall be focused on
significant issues impacting Black men and boys, for the
purpose of initiating research ideas and delegating research
tasks to Commission members to initiate the first annual
report described in section 7.
(b) Quarterly Meetings.--The Commission shall meet
quarterly. In addition to all quarterly meetings, the
Commission shall meet at other times at the call of the Chair
or as determined by a majority of Commission members.
(c) Quorum; Rule for Voting on Final Actions.--A majority
of the members of the Commission constitute a quorum, and an
affirmative vote of a majority of the members present is
required for final action.
(d) Expectations for Attendance by Members.--Members are
expected to attend all Commission meetings. In the case of an
absence, members are expected to report to the Chair prior to
the meeting and allowance may be made for an absent member to
participate remotely. Members will still be responsible for
fulfilling prior commitments, regardless of attendance
status. If a member is absent twice in a given year, he or
she will be reviewed by the Chair and appointing authority
and further action will be considered, including removal and
replacement on the Commission.
(e) Minutes.--Minutes shall be taken at each meeting by the
Secretary, or in that individual's absence, the Chair shall
select another Commission member to take minutes during that
absence. The Commission shall make its minutes publicly
available and accessible not later than one week after each
meeting.
SEC. 7. ANNUAL REPORT GUIDELINES.
The Commission shall make an annual report, beginning the
year of the first Commission meeting. The report shall
address the current conditions affecting Black men and boys
and make recommendations to address these issues. The report
shall be submitted to the President, the Congress, members of
the President's Cabinet, and the chairs of the appropriate
committees of jurisdiction. The Commission shall make the
report publicly available online on a centralized Federal
website.
SEC. 8. COMMISSION COMPENSATION.
Members of the Commission shall serve on the Commission
without compensation.
Mr. HAWLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the motion to
reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. HAWLEY. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. TOOMEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
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