Federal Advisory Committee Act Amendments of 2008
Latest action · Jun 25, 2008 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedApr 3, 2008
- Passed HouseJun 24, 2008
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Federal Advisory Committee Act Amendments of 2008 - (Sec. 2) Amends the Federal Advisory Committee Act to require appointments to advisory committees to be made without regard to political affiliation or activity, unless otherwise required by federal statute. Directs each agency head to: (1) ensure that no individual who has a conflict of interest is appointed unless the need for the individual's services outweighs the potential impacts of the conflict; (2) require that each individual to be appointed inform the agency of any actual or potential conflict that exists before the appointment or that arises while the individual is serving; and (3) ensure that advisory committee reports are the result of the committee's judgment, independent from the agency.
Declares that: (1) this Act is not intended to preclude agency heads from requiring the recusal of individuals with conflicts from particular aspects of the committee's work; and (2) an individual representative's association with the entity whose views are being represented shall not itself be considered to be a conflict of interest.
Requires: (1) the public disclosure of any conflict of interest; (2) the Director of the Office of Government Ethics to promulgate regulations defining "conflict of interest" and identifying the method for disclosure and the period back in time an interest is considered a conflict; and (3) the Administrator of General Services to promulgate regulations to implement the Federal Advisory Committee Act.
(Sec. 3) Regards an individual who is not a full-time or permanent part-time officer or employee of the federal government as a member of a committee if the individual regularly attends and participates in committee meetings as if the individual were a member, even if the individual does not have the right to vote or veto the committee's advice or recommendations.
(Sec. 4) Requires public disclosure of: (1) any communication between an interagency advisory committee established by the President or the Vice President and a person who is not a federal officer or employee; (2) charters of advisory committees; (3) the process used to establish and appoint committee members; (4) specified information about current members; (5) each committee's decision-making process; (6) transcripts or recordings of committee meetings; (7) determinations to close meetings; and (8) notices of future committee meetings. Requires agency heads to make such information available electronically 15 days before each meeting (or 30 days after for meeting transcripts or recordings). Authorizes an agency to withhold from disclosure any information that would be exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. Requires the Administrator of General Services to provide electronic access to such information on the General Services Administration's (GSA's) Internet site.
Requires committee charters to include: (1) the authority under which the committee is established; (2) the estimated number of members and a description of the expertise needed to carry out the committee's objectives; (3) a description of whether the committee will be composed of special government employees, representatives, or members from both categories; and (4) whether the committee has the authority to create subcommittees and, if so, the agency official authorized to exercise such authority.
(Sec. 5) Requires the Comptroller General to review and report on agency compliance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, including whether agencies are appropriately appointing advisory committee members as either special government employees or representatives.
Cosponsors 1
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Apr 3, 2008.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-CA | Henry A. Waxman | Original | Apr 3, 2008 |
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Oversight and Government Reform Committee | Referred Apr 3, 2008Markup Apr 9, 2008Reported May 15, 2008 |
| Senate | Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee | Referred Jun 25, 2008 |
Actions 12
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jun 25, 2008Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- Jun 24, 2008Mr. Clay moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Jun 24, 2008Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H5994-5997)
- Jun 24, 2008DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 5687.
- Jun 24, 2008Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H5994-5995)
- Jun 24, 2008Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- May 15, 2008Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Oversight and Government. H. Rept. 110-650.
- May 15, 2008Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 411.
- Apr 9, 2008Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Apr 9, 2008Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- Apr 3, 2008Introduced in House
- Apr 3, 2008Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
In the Congressional Record 1
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House | Debate and remarks H5994–H5997Text printed H5994 | Henry A. Waxman D-CA, Virginia Foxx R-NC, Wm. Lacy Clay D-MO | Jun 24, 2008 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Committee report
Congressional Budget Office cost estimates 2
- May 7, 2008H.R. 5687, Federal Advisory Committee Act Amendments of 2008<p>Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on April 9, 2008</p>
- May 7, 2008H.R. 5687, Federal Advisory Committee Act Amendments of 2008Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on April 9, 2008
CRS reports 2
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 2
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R44253 | Federal Advisory Committees: An Introduction and Overview Archived | Report | Oct 27, 2016 |
| R44248 | The Federal Advisory Committee Act: Analysis of Operations and Costs Archived | Report | Sep 2, 2016 |
Titles 4
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend the Federal Advisory Committee Act to increase the transparency and accountability of Federal advisory committees, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Federal Advisory Committee Act Amendments of 2008
- Short Titles as Reported to House
- Federal Advisory Committee Act Amendments of 2008
- Short Titles as Passed House
- Federal Advisory Committee Act Amendments of 2008
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Government Operations and Politics.
- Administrative procedure
- Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
- Commerce
- Conflict of interests
- Congress
- Congressional investigations
- Congressional reporting requirements
- Decision making
- Electronic government information
- Federal advisory bodies
- Freedom of information
- General Services Administration
- Government and business
- Government ethics
- Government Operations and Politics
- Government publicity
- Law
- Political parties
- Presidential commissions
- Science, Technology, Communications
- Vice Presidents
Text 4
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jun 25, 2008Referred in Senate
- Jun 24, 2008Engrossed in House
- May 15, 2008Reported in House
- Apr 3, 2008Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
