[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 111 (Thursday, June 10, 1999)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 31105-31107]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-14901]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 64, No. 111 / Thursday, June 10, 1999 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 31105]]

                Executive Order 13125 of June 7, 1999

                
Increasing Participation of Asian Americans and 
                Pacific Islanders in Federal Programs

                By the authority vested in me as President by the 
                Constitution and the laws of the United States of 
                America, including the Federal Advisory Committee Act, 
                as amended (5 U.S.C. App.), and in order to improve the 
                quality of life of Asian Americans and Pacific 
                Islanders through increased participation in Federal 
                programs where they may be underserved (e.g., health, 
                human services, education, housing, labor, 
                transportation, and economic and community 
                development), it is hereby ordered as follows:

                Section 1. (a) There is established in the Department 
                of Health and Human Services the President's Advisory 
                Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders 
                (Commission). The Commission shall consist of not more 
                than 15 members appointed by the President, one of 
                which shall be designated by the President as Chair. 
                The Commission shall include members who: (i) have a 
                history of involvement with the Asian American and 
                Pacific Islander communities; (ii) are from the fields 
                of health, human services, education, housing, labor, 
                transportation, economic and community development, 
                civil rights, and the business community; (iii) are 
                from civic associations representing one or more of the 
                diverse Asian American and Pacific Islander 
                communities; and (iv) have such other experience as the 
                President deems appropriate.

                    (b) The Secretary of the Department of Health and 
                Human Services (Secretary) shall appoint an Executive 
                Director for the Commission.

                Sec. 2. The Commission shall provide advice to the 
                President, through the Secretary, on: (a) the 
                development, monitoring, and coordination of Federal 
                efforts to improve the quality of life of Asian 
                Americans and Pacific Islanders through increased 
                participation in Federal programs where such persons 
                may be underserved and the collection of data related 
                to Asian American and Pacific Islander populations and 
                sub-populations; (b) ways to increase public-sector, 
                private-sector, and community involvement in improving 
                the health and well-being of Asian Americans and 
                Pacific Islanders; and (c) ways to foster research and 
                data on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, 
                including research and data on public health.

                Sec. 3. The Department of Health and Human Services 
                shall establish the White House Initiative on Asian 
                Americans and Pacific Islanders (Initiative), an 
                interagency working group (working group) whose members 
                shall be appointed by their respective agencies. The 
                Executive Director of the Commission shall also serve 
                as the Director of the Initiative, and shall report to 
                the Secretary or the Secretary's designee. The working 
                group shall include both career and noncareer civil 
                service staff and commissioned officers of the Public 
                Health Service with expertise in health, human 
                services, education, housing, labor, transportation, 
                economic and community development, and other relevant 
                issues. The working group shall advise the Secretary on 
                the implementation and coordination of Federal programs 
                as they relate to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders 
                across executive departments and agencies.

                Sec. 4. The head of each executive department and each 
                agency designated by the Secretary shall appoint a 
                senior Federal official responsible for management or 
                program administration to report directly to the agency 
                head on activity under this Executive order, and to 
                serve as a liaison to the

[[Page 31106]]

                Initiative. The Secretary also may designate additional 
                Federal Government officials, with the agreement of the 
                relevant agency head, to carry out the functions of the 
                Initiative. To the extent permitted by law and to the 
                extent practicable, each executive department and 
                designated agency shall provide any appropriate 
                information requested by the working group, including 
                data relating to the eligibility for and participation 
                of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Federal 
                programs. Where adequate data are not available, the 
                Initiative shall suggest the means of collecting such 
                data.

                Sec. 5. Each executive department and designated agency 
                (collectively, the ``agency'') shall prepare a plan 
                for, and shall document, its efforts to improve the 
                quality of life of Asian Americans and Pacific 
                Islanders through increased participation in Federal 
                programs where Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders 
                may be underserved. This plan shall address, among 
                other things, Federal efforts to: (a) improve the 
                quality of life for Asian Americans and Pacific 
                Islanders through increased participation in Federal 
                programs where they may be underserved and the 
                collection of data related to Asian American and 
                Pacific Islander populations and sub-populations; (b) 
                increase public-sector, private-sector, and community 
                involvement in improving the health and well-being of 
                Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders; and (c) foster 
                research and data on Asian Americans and Pacific 
                Islanders, including research and data on public 
                health. Each agency's plan shall provide appropriate 
                measurable objectives and, after the first year, shall 
                assess that agency's performance on the goals set in 
                the previous year's plan. Each plan shall be submitted 
                at a date to be established by the Secretary.

                Sec. 6. The Secretary shall review the agency plans and 
                develop for submission to the President an integrated 
                Federal plan (Federal Plan) to improve the quality of 
                life of Asian American and Pacific Islanders through 
                increased participation in Federal programs where such 
                persons may be underserved. Actions described in the 
                Federal Plan shall address improving access by Asian 
                Americans and Pacific Islanders to Federal programs and 
                fostering advances in relevant research and data. The 
                Secretary shall ensure that the working group is given 
                the opportunity to comment on the proposed Federal Plan 
                prior to its submission to the President. The Secretary 
                shall disseminate the Federal Plan to appropriate 
                members of the executive branch. The findings and 
                recommendations in the Federal Plan shall be considered 
                by the agencies in their policies and activities.

                Sec. 7. Notwithstanding any other Executive order, the 
                responsibilities of the President that are applicable 
                to the Commission under the Federal Advisory Committee 
                Act, as amended, except that of reporting to the 
                Congress, shall be performed by the Secretary in 
                accordance with the guidelines and procedures 
                established by the Administrator of General Services.

                Sec. 8. Members of the Commission shall serve without 
                compensation, but shall be allowed travel expenses, 
                including per diem in lieu of subsistence, as 
                authorized by law for persons serving intermittently in 
                the Government service (5 U.S.C. 5701-5707). To the 
                extent permitted by law and appropriations, and where 
                practicable, agencies shall, upon request by the 
                Secretary, provide assistance to the Commission and to 
                the Initiative. The Department of Health and Human 
                Services shall provide administrative support and 
                funding for the Commission.

                Sec. 9. The Commission shall terminate 2 years after 
                the date of this Executive order unless the Commission 
                is renewed by the President prior to the end of that 2-
                year period.

                Sec. 10. For the purposes of this order, the terms: (a) 
                ``Asian American'' includes persons having origins in 
                any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast 
                Asia, or the Indian subcontinent; and

[[Page 31107]]

                    (b) ``Pacific Islander'' includes the aboriginal, 
                indigenous, native peoples of Hawaii and other Pacific 
                Islands within the jurisdiction of the United States.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

                THE WHITE HOUSE,

                    June 7, 1999.

[FR Doc. 99-14901
Filed 6-9-99; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P