§304101 Establishment; Vacancies

Summary

An independent Advisory Council on Historic Preservation is created. Its members include a President-appointed Chair from the general public; the Secretary; the Architect of the Capitol; the Secretary of Agriculture and the heads of seven other federal agencies picked by the President; one Governor and one mayor appointed by the President; leaders of three preservation organizations; four experts in preservation fields; three members of the public; and one representative of an Indian tribe or a Native Hawaiian organization. Some officials may send a deputy to sit in for them, but the Secretary and the agency heads can only send an Assistant Secretary or an officer with major department-wide duties. Experts, public members, and the tribal representative serve 4-year terms. Governors and mayors serve for their elected term but not more than 4 years. Appointed members (except the Chair) may serve no more than two terms and must stay on until a successor is named. Vacancies do not stop the Council and must be filled within 60 days the same way as the original appointment for the rest of the term. The President picks a Vice Chair from among the Governor, mayor, experts, or public members to act for the Chair when needed. After January 20, 2017, the Chair must be appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, work full time as long as the President wants, be paid at the Level V Executive Schedule rate (section 5316 of title 5), serve 4-year terms that begin January 20 after each general Presidential election, and may be reappointed once for no more than 8 years total; the first such term ran from January 20, 2017 to January 19, 2021. Chairs who served before this appointment rule receive $100 per day when working for the Council and are reimbursed for travel and subsistence. Thirteen members make a quorum.