§42503 Administration

Summary

The Committee must meet at least once a year when the Commission or a majority of the Committee calls a meeting. Members are not federal employees for most purposes, but they are covered by Chapter 81 of title 5 and Chapter 171 of title 28 and other federal tort laws. Members may serve as unpaid volunteers and cannot get paid for Committee work. If a member is appointed to represent a group, that person can speak for that group and is not subject to the rules that apply to a “special Government employee” (as defined in section 202(a) of title 18), unless the person already is a special Government employee outside the Committee. Before appointing members, the Commission must publish a notice in the Federal Register asking for nominations, then may choose from those nominees. The Commission cannot use a nominee’s political party when choosing. Federal employees cannot be appointed. The Commission can require security background checks. Members serve until December 31 of the third full year after their appointment’s effective date and may stay up to 1 year more until a successor is named. The Commission must provide staff the Committee needs. The Committee elects a Chair and Vice Chair. The Chair can create subcommittees and assign members. The Commission must consult the Committee on major actions that the Committee advises on. The Committee sends written advice and reports; the Commission must post those recommendations online and reply in writing within 60 days, and it must send them to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. The Committee ends on September 30, 2029.