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SEC. 311. HOMELAND SECURITY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
(a) Establishment.--There is established within the Department a
Homeland Security Science and Technology Advisory Committee (in this
section referred to as the ``Advisory Committee''). The Advisory
Committee shall make recommendations with respect to the activities of
the Under Secretary for Science and Technology, including identifying
research areas of potential importance to the security of the Nation.
(b) Membership.--
(1) Appointment.--The Advisory
Committee shall consist of 20
members appointed by the Under Secretary for Science and
Technology, which shall include emergency first-responders or
representatives of organizations or associations of emergency
first-responders. The Advisory Committee shall also include
representatives of citizen groups, including economically
disadvantaged communities. The individuals appointed as members
of the Advisory Committee--
(A) shall be eminent in fields such as emergency
response, research, engineering, new product
development, business, and management consulting;
(B) shall be selected solely on the basis of
established records of distinguished service;
(C) shall not be employees of the Federal
Government; and
(D) shall be so selected as to provide
representation of a cross-section of the research,
development, demonstration, and deployment activities
supported by the Under Secretary for Science and
Technology.
(2) National research council.--The
Under Secretary for
Science and Technology may enter into an arrangement for the
National Research Council to select members of the Advisory
Committee, but only if the panel used by the National Research
Council reflects the representation described in paragraph (1).
(c) Terms of Office.--
(1) In general.--Except as otherwise provided in this
subsection, the term of office of each member of the Advisory
Committee shall be 3 years.
(2) Original appointments.--The original members of the
Advisory Committee shall be appointed to three classes of three
members each. One class shall have a term of 1 year, 1 a term of
2 years, and the other a term of 3 years.
(3) Vacancies.--A member appointed to fill a vacancy
occurring before the expiration of the term for which the
member's predecessor was appointed shall be appointed for the
remainder of such term.
(d) Eligibility.--A person who has completed two consecutive full
terms of service on the Advisory Committee shall thereafter be
ineligible for appointment during the 1-year period following the
expiration of the second such term.
(e) Meetings.--The Advisory Committee shall meet at least quarterly
at the call of the Chair or whenever one-third of the members so request
in writing. Each member shall be given appropriate notice of the call of
each meeting, whenever possible not less than 15 days before the
meeting.
(f) Quorum.--A majority of the members of the Advisory Committee not
having a conflict of interest in the matter being considered by the
Advisory Committee shall constitute a quorum.
(g) Conflict of Interest Rules.--The Advisory Committee shall
establish rules for determining when 1 of its members has a conflict of
interest in a matter being considered by the Advisory Committee.
(h) Reports.--
(1) Annual report.--The Advisory Committee shall render an
annual report to the Under Secretary for Science and Technology
for transmittal to Congress on or before January 31 of each
year. Such report shall describe the activities and
recommendations of the Advisory Committee during the previous
year.
(2) Additional reports.--The Advisory Committee may render
to the Under Secretary for transmittal to Congress such
additional reports on specific policy matters as it considers
appropriate.
(i) Federal Advisory Committee Act Exemption.--Section 14 of the
Federal Advisory Committee Act shall not apply to the Advisory
Committee.
(j) Termination.--The Department of Homeland Security Science and
Technology Advisory Committee shall terminate 3 years after the
effective date of this Act.
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