[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 37 (Monday, September 20, 1999)]
[Pages 1754-1755]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Executive Order 13137--Further Amendment to Executive Order 12975, as 
Amended, National Bioethics Advisory Commission

September 15, 1999

    By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and 
the laws of the United States of America, and in order to more 
accurately describe the expertise requirements for members selected for 
the National Bioethics Advisory Commission, it is hereby ordered that 
Executive Order 12975, as amended (``Order''), is further amended as 
follows:
    Section 1. Section 3 of the order shall read as follows: ``Sec. 3. 
Establishment of National Bioethics Advisory Commission. There is 
established in the Department of Health and Human Services a National 
Bioethics Advisory Commission (NBAC). The NBAC shall be subject to the 
Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. App.).''
    Sec. 2. A new section 4 shall be added to the order to read: ``Sec. 
4. Structure. (a) The National Bioethics Advisory Commission shall be 
composed of not more than 18 non-government members appointed by the 
President. At least one member shall be selected from each of the 
following categories of primary expertise: (1) philosophy/theology; (2) 
social/behavioral science; (3) law; (4) medicine/allied health 
professions; and (5) biological research. At least three members shall 
be selected from the general public, bringing to the Commission 
expertise other than that listed. The membership shall be approximately 
evenly balanced between scientists and non-scientists. Close attention 
will be given to equitable geographic distribution and to ethnic and 
gender representation.
    (b) Members of the Commission will serve for terms of 2 years and 
may continue to serve after the expiration of their term until a 
successor is appointed. A member appointed to fill an unexpired term 
will be appointed to the remainder of such term.
    (c) The President shall designate a Chairperson from among the 
members of the NBAC.''
    Sec. 3. (a) ``[S]ection 5'' in the third sentence of section 1(b) of 
the order shall be deleted and ``section 6'' shall be inserted in lieu 
thereof.
    (b) Current sections 4 through 7 of Executive Order 12975 shall be 
renumbered sections 5 through 8.
    (c) New section 8(b) is amended by deleting ``October 3, 1999'' and 
inserting ``October 3, 2001'' in lieu thereof.
                                            William J. Clinton
The White House,
September 15, 1999.

[[Page 1755]]

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., September 17, 
1999]

Note: This Executive order was released by the Office of the Press 
Secretary on September 16, and it was published in the Federal Register 
on September 20.