§2803 National Geospatial Advisory Committee

Summary

The Secretary of the Interior must create a National Geospatial Advisory Committee inside the Department. The committee gives advice to the Chairperson of the Committee. It can have up to 30 members, including at least one person from the National Geospatial‑Intelligence Agency. Members are picked by the Chairperson of the Committee to represent different viewpoints and parts of the country and are drawn from state, local, regional, and tribal governments, the private sector, user industries, professional and scholarly groups, nonprofits, colleges, licensed geospatial professionals, and the Federal Government. Members serve three‑year terms, with about one‑third ending each year. Vacancies are filled the same way and do not stop the committee from working. Except for the NGA member, people may serve no more than two back‑to‑back terms and must wait two years before they can be reappointed. Members may not take part in Department of the Interior matters where they have a direct financial interest. People who were on the old committee the day before October 5, 2018 may finish their current term, and that prior service counts toward the term limit. The committee can form subcommittees of its members to gather information or do research; those subgroups report back and work under the committee chair and the agency official in charge of federal advisory committees. The chair calls meetings, which must be held at least once and no more than four times a year. A majority of members is a quorum, though smaller groups may meet or hold hearings. The committee’s job is to advise on federal and national geospatial programs, on building the National Spatial Data Infrastructure, and on carrying out this law; it also reviews geospatial policies and makes sure non‑Federal views get heard. Meetings are open to the public. With the Chairperson’s agreement, the committee can request information from covered agencies and must note any agency that refuses to provide requested information. Members are not paid for service but may get travel expenses. Federal employees can be assigned to help without pay and without losing their job rights, and the committee’s office provides administrative support. The Federal Advisory Committee Act applies, except for its automatic‑termination rule. The committee ends 10 years after October 5, 2018 unless the Secretary renews it for another 10‑year period before that date.