    [United States Statutes at Large, Volume 134, 116th Congress, 2nd Session]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    Public Law 116-156
    116th Congress

    An Act

    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. <>

    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

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    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
    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

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    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

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    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.

    Approved August 14, 2020.

    LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--S. 2163:
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    CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 166 (2020):
    June 25, considered and passed Senate.
    July 27, considered and passed House.