§773a International Pacific Halibut Commission

Summary

The United States must have three Commissioners on the Commission. The President picks them and can remove them at any time. They get no pay. Each Commissioner serves a term of up to 2 years and can be reappointed. Terms can be shorter to make sure no more than two terms end in any one year. If a Commissioner leaves early, the President appoints a replacement who serves only the rest of that term. One Commissioner must be a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) official. Two must know about the Northern Pacific halibut fishery, one living in Alaska and one not. One of the three must be a voting member of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. Commissioners are not treated as Federal employees except for injury compensation and tort claims under section 8101 et seq. of title 5 and section 2671 et seq. of title 28. That rule took effect on the 90th day after May 17, 1982. The Secretary of State, working with the Secretary, may name alternate United States Commissioners from time to time. An alternate can do all the duties of a Commissioner at any meeting when a regular Commissioner is absent. The number of alternates at a meeting cannot exceed the number of authorized Commissioners who will not be present.