,i #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #adbb ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,april #i1 #bjac ,mr4 ,stewart 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,smith of ,texas1 ,mr4 ,hall1 ,mr4 ,rohrabacher1 ,mr4 ,harris1 and ,mr4 ,benishek7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,science1 ,space1 and ,technology ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,environmental ,research1 ,development1 and ,demonstration ,authorization ,act of #aigh to provide for ,scientific ,advisory ,board member qualifications1 public participation1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,,epa ,science ,advisory ,board ,reform ,act of #bjac4 #b4 ,science ,advisory ,board 7a7 ,membership ,section #h7;b7 of the ,environmental ,research1 ,development1 and ,demonstration ,authorization ,act of #aigh 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #dcfe7;b77 is amended to read as follows3 7b7 7#a7 ,the ,board shall be composed of at least nine members1 one of whom shall be designated ,chairman1 and shall meet at such times and places as may be designated by the ,chairman in consultation with the ,administrator4 7#b7 ,each member of the ,board shall be qualified by education1 training1 and experience to evaluate scientific and technical information on matters referred to the ,board under this section4 ,the ,administrator shall select ,board members from nominations received as described in paragraph 7#c7 and shall ensure that-- 7,a7 the scientific and technical points of view represented on and the functions to be performed by the ,board are fairly balanced among the members of the ,board2 7,b7 at least ten percent of the membership of the ,board are from ,state1 local1 or tribal governments2 7,c7 persons with substantial and relevant expertise are not excluded from the ,board due to affiliation with or representation of entities that may have a potential interest in the ,board's advisory activities1 so long as that interest is fully disclosed to the ,administrator and the public and appointment to the ,board complies with section #bjh of title #ah1 ,united ,states ,code2 7,d7 in the case of a ,board advisory activity on a particular matter involving a specific party1 no ,board member having an interest in the specific party shall participate in that activity2 7,e7 ,board members may not participate in advisory activities that directly or indirectly involve review and evaluation of their own work2 and 7,f7 ,board members shall be designated as special ,government employees4 7#c7 ,the ,administrator shall-- 7,a7 solicit public nominations for the ,board by publishing a notification in the ,federal ,register2 7,b7 solicit nominations from relevant ,federal agencies1 including the ,departments of ,agriculture1 ,defense1 ,energy1 and ,health and ,human ,services2 7,c7 make public the list of nominees1 including the identity of the entities that nominated them1 and shall accept public comment on the nominees2 7,d7 require that1 upon their provisional nomination1 nominees shall file a written report disclosing financial relationships and interests1 including ,environmental ,protection ,agency grants1 contracts1 cooperative agreements1 or other financial assistance1 that are relevant to the ,board's advisory activities for the three-year period prior to the date of their nomination1 and relevant professional activities and public statements for the five-year period prior to the date of their nomination2 and 7,e7 make such reports public1 with the exception of specific dollar amounts1 for each member of the ,board upon such member's selection4 7#d7 ,the terms of the members of the ,board shall be three years and shall be staggered so that the terms of no more than one-third of the total membership of the ,board shall expire within a single fiscal year4 ,no member shall serve more than two terms over a ten-year period4 4 7b7 ,record ,section #h7;c7 of such ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #dcfe7;c77 is amended-- 7#a7 in paragraph 7#a7-- 7,a7 by inserting risk or hazard assessment1 after at the time any proposed2 and 7,b7 by inserting risk or hazard assessment1 after to the ,board such proposed2 and 7#b7 in paragraph 7#b7-- 7,a7 by inserting risk or hazard assessment1 after the scientific and technical basis of the proposed2 and 7,b7 by adding at the end the following3 ,the ,board's advice and comments1 including dissenting views of ,board members1 and the response of the ,administrator shall be included in the record with respect to any proposed risk or hazard assessment1 criteria document1 standard1 limitation1 or regulation and published in the ,federal ,register44 7c7 ,member committees and investigative panels ,section #h7;e7 of such ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #dcfe7;e77 is amended by adding at the end the following3 ,these member committees and investigative panels-- 7#a7 shall be constituted and operate in accordance with the provisions set forth in paragraphs 7#b7 and 7#c7 of subsection 7b71 in subsection 7h71 and in subsection 7i72 7#b7 do not have authority to make decisions on behalf of the ,board2 and 7#c7 may not report directly to the ,environmental ,protection ,agency4 4 7d7 ,public participation ,section #h of such ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #dcfe7 is amended by adding after subsection 7g7 the following3 7h7 7#a7 ,to facilitate public participation in the advisory activities of the ,board1 the ,administrator and the ,board shall make public all reports and relevant scientific information and shall provide materials to the public at the same time as received by members of the ,board4 7#b7 ,prior to conducting major advisory activities1 the ,board shall hold a public information-gathering session to discuss the state of the science related to the advisory activity4 7#c7 ,prior to convening a member committee or investigative panel under subsection 7e7 or requesting scientific advice from the ,board1 the ,administrator shall accept1 consider1 and address public comments on questions to be asked of the ,board4 ,the ,board1 member committees1 and investigative panels shall accept1 consider1 and address public comments on such questions and shall not accept a question that unduly narrows the scope of an advisory activity4 7#d7 ,the ,administrator and the ,board shall encourage public comments1 including oral comments and discussion during the proceedings1 that shall not be limited by an insufficient or arbitrary time restriction4 ,public comments shall be provided to the ,board when received4 ,the ,board's reports shall include written responses to significant comments offered by members of the public to the ,board4 7#e7 ,following ,board meetings1 the public shall be given #ae calendar days to provide additional comments for consideration by the ,board4 4 7e7 ,operations ,section #h of such ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #dcfe7 is further amended by adding after subsection 7h71 as added by subsection 7d7 of this section1 the following3 7i7 7#a7 ,in carrying out its advisory activities1 the ,board shall strive to avoid making policy determinations or recommendations1 and1 in the event the ,board feels compelled to offer policy advice1 shall explicitly distinguish between scientific determinations and policy advice4 7#b7 ,the ,board shall clearly communicate uncertainties associated with the scientific advice provided to the ,administrator4 7#c7 ,the ,board shall ensure that advice and comments reflect the views of the members and shall encourage dissenting members to make their views known to the public and the ,administrator4 7#d7 ,the ,board shall conduct periodic reviews to ensure that its advisory activities are addressing the most important scientific issues affecting the ,environmental ,protection ,agency4 4