§6432b Commission Personnel Matters

Summary

The Commission may hire and fire an Executive Director and other staff without following regular civil service rules. Firing or hiring the Executive Director must get at least six of the nine Commissioners to vote yes. The Commission can set pay outside the usual federal pay schedules, but the Executive Director’s pay cannot be higher than Executive Schedule level II (section 5313 of title 5) and other staff cannot be paid above level IV (section 5315 of title 5). All Commission employees are paid through the Secretary of the Senate, and the Commission is treated as a Senate employing office for Senate rules. The Commission and Executive Director must hire staff for professional, nonpartisan reasons. Individual Commissioners cannot hire staff on their own, and staff work for the whole Commission, though they may help a member with job tasks. The Secretary of State must provide staff or services if needed, and other federal agencies may lend employees on request, with or without reimbursement, without those employees losing their civil or Foreign Service status or benefits. The Executive Director must get a security clearance. Other staff can be cleared only if needed and at the lowest level needed. The Commission must pay agencies for clearance costs.