§1004 Responsibilities of Congressional Committees

Summary

Each standing committee in the House and the Senate must keep checking the advisory committees it oversees. It must decide if each advisory committee should be ended, merged, have its duties changed, or is still needed. After its review, the committee must try to get any laws needed to follow through. When a committee looks at a bill to create an advisory committee, it must decide and tell its full chamber whether the job could already be done by an agency, by an existing advisory committee, or by expanding one. Laws that create advisory committees must meet five requirements: a clear purpose; fairly balanced membership and viewpoints; protections so advice stays independent and is not improperly influenced by those who appoint members or by special interests; needed details about money, report dates, how long the committee will exist, and publishing reports; and guarantees of enough staff, office space, and funds. The President, agency heads, and other federal officials must follow these rules when they create advisory committees, as applicable.