§6918 Staff of the Commission

Summary

Creates a personnel and administration committee made up of the Chairman, the Cochairman, the senior Commission member from the House minority, and the senior Commission member from the Senate minority. That committee must decide hiring, firing, and pay by majority vote, except the Chairman may appoint and set pay for the staff director and the Cochairman may appoint and set pay for the Cochairman’s senior staff member. The Chairman and Cochairman may each appoint, with the committee’s approval, at least four professional staff who report to the person who appointed them. All staff hires are outside the regular federal competitive service and not subject to chapter 51 or subchapter III of chapter 53 of title 5. The committee must ensure professional staff include experts in human rights; internationally recognized worker rights; international economics; law (including international law); rule of law and foreign assistance programs; Chinese politics, economy, and culture; and the Chinese language. For pay and benefits, Commission employees are treated as congressional employees under section 2107 of title 5, and for section 3304(i)(1) of title 5 they are treated as if paid by the Secretary of the Senate or the Clerk of the House of Representatives.