§191 Homeland Security Science and Technology Advisory Committee

Summary

Creates a Homeland Security Science and Technology Advisory Committee inside the Department of Homeland Security. The committee must advise the Under Secretary for Science and Technology and recommend research areas important to national security. It must have 20 members chosen by the Under Secretary. The group must include emergency first-responders or their organizations and representatives of citizen groups, including economically disadvantaged communities. Members must be well-known experts in fields like emergency response, research, engineering, new product development, business, or management consulting; must be picked for distinguished service; must not be federal employees; and must represent the range of work the Under Secretary supports. The Under Secretary may have the National Research Council select members only if that panel matches these representation rules. Members normally serve 3-year terms, but the first group is split into three classes: six serve 1 year, seven serve 2 years, and seven serve 3 years. Someone filling a vacancy serves the rest of that term. After two full consecutive terms, a person must wait 1 year before being reappointed. The committee must meet at least quarterly when called by the Chair or if one-third of members request it in writing, with notice given when possible at least 15 days before the meeting. A majority of members without a conflict of interest is a quorum. The committee must set rules for conflicts of interest. It must send an annual report to the Under Secretary for transmission to Congress by January 31 each year and may send other reports. Section 1013 of title 5 does not apply. The committee ends on December 31, 2008.