,i  #aacth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #efih  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,november #ac1 #bjad 
,mr4 ,mc,caul introduced the following  
bill2 which was referred to the         
,committee on the ,judiciary  ,a ,,bill 
,to create an independent advisory panel
 to comprehensively assess the          
leadership structure1 protocols1        
training1 tools1 and capabilities of the
 ,united ,states ,secret ,service and   
make recommendations to improve the     
efficiency and effectiveness of the     
,service1 and for other purposes4  #a4  
,short title ,this ,act may be cited as 
the ,united ,states ,secret ,service    
,accountability and ,improvement ,act of
 #bjad4  #b4 ,findings  7a7 ,in general 
,congress finds the following3  7#a7    
,several recent failures have drawn     
negative attention to the protective    
mission of the ,united ,states ,secret  
,service4 ,such key failures include    
lapses in responding appropriately to   
potential threats to the ,white ,house  

complex1 ,united ,states ,secret        
,service personnel exhibiting conduct   
that is unbecoming to the ,service in   
several instances1 and reports of       
,united ,states ,secret ,service        
personnel misusing the authorities and  
resources of the ,service4  7#b7 ,for   
example1 on ,september #ai1 #bjad1 an   
individual obtained unauthorized access 
to the ,white ,house4 ,such access was  
obtained after failures in five security
 layers by the ,united ,states ,secret  
,service4 ,in another example1 on       
,november #aa1 #bjaa1 an individual     
fired multiple shots from a             
semiautomatic rifle at the ,white ,house
 complex4 ,it was revealed that a total 
of seven bullets struck the exterior of 
the building4 ,the ,service failed to   
fully investigate the incident in a     
timely manner or to disclose it4  7#c7  
,on ,march #bc1 #bjad1 a ,special ,agent
 assigned to the ,counter ,assault ,team
 was found intoxicated to the point of  
unconsciousness in a hotel in ,amsterdam

 in advance of a ,presidential visit4   
,in another example1 on ,april #aa1     
#bjab1 conduct unbecoming to ,united    
,states ,secret ,service personnel was  
exhibited before a ,presidential visit  
to ,cartagena1 ,columbia4 ,nine         
personnel were involved in serious      
misconduct4  7#d7 ,surveillance         
personnel from the ,washington field    
office were diverted in #bjaa from      
supporting the protective mission at the
 request of senior leadership in order  
to provide protection to a ,united      
,states ,secret ,service employee at her
 home following a neighborhood dispute4 
,such a diversion was outside the scope 
of the ,service's duties and violated   
the ,standards of ,ethical ,conduct for 
,employees of the ,executive ,branch4   
7b7 ,further findings ,congress further 
finds that the protection of the        
,president1 ,vice ,president1 ,first and
 ,second ,families1 and former          
,presidents is a matter of national     
security4 ,any issues that distract from

 the protective mission of the ,united  
,states ,secret ,service are a threat to
 the national security of the ,united   
,states4  #c4 ,establishment ,there is  
established in the legislative branch an
 independent advisory panel to--  7#a7  
examine the efficiency and effectiveness
 of the leadership structure1 protocols1
 training1 tools1 and capabilities of   
the ,department of ,homeland ,security's
 mission to protect national leaders1   
visiting heads of state and government1 
designated sites1 and special events of 
national significance 7in accordance    
with paragraph 7#a7 of section #cjef7;e7
 of title #ah ,united ,states ,code72   
and  7#b7 make recommendations to       
improve the overall efficiency and      
effectiveness of the ,united ,states    
,secret ,service4  #d4 ,membership  7a7 
,in general ,the independent advisory   
panel 7in this ,act referred to as the  
,panel7 established pursuant to section 
#c shall be composed of eight members1  
as follows3  7#a7 ,two members shall be 

appointed by the ,speaker of the ,house 
of ,representatives1 in coordination    
with the chairs of the ,committee on the
 ,judiciary and the ,committee on       
,homeland ,security of the ,house of    
,representatives4 ,only one of such     
members may be from the same political  
party as the ,speaker of the ,house of  
,representatives4  7#b7 ,two members    
shall be appointed by the majority      
leader of the ,senate1 in coordination  
with the chairs of the ,committee on the
 ,judiciary and the ,committee on       
,homeland ,security and ,governmental   
,affairs of the ,senate4 ,only one of   
such members may be from the same       
political party as the majority leader  
of the ,senate4  7#c7 ,one member shall 
be appointed by the minority leader of  
the ,house of ,representatives1 in      
coordination with the ranking members of
 the ,committee on the ,judiciary and   
the ,committee on ,homeland ,security of
 the ,house of ,representatives4  7#d7  
,one member shall be appointed by the   

minority leader of the ,senate1 in      
coordination with the ranking members of
 the ,committee on the ,judiciary and   
the ,committee on ,homeland ,security   
and ,governmental ,affairs of the       
,senate4  7#e7 ,two members shall be    
appointed by the ,president1 in         
consultation with the ,secretary of     
,homeland ,security4 ,only one of such  
members may be from the same political  
party as the ,president4  7b7           
,prohibition ,except as provided in     
subsection 7a71 members of the ,panel   
may not be current appointees of the    
,president's ,administration or ,members
 of ,congress1 in order to ensure       
objectivity of the ,panel's assessments4
 ,no member may be or have been an      
employee of the ,united ,states ,secret 
,service at any point in their career4  
7c7 ,deadline for appointments ,all     
appointments to the ,panel shall be made
 not later than #ij days after the date 
of the enactment of this ,act4  7d7     
,co-,chairs ,the ,panel shall have two  

co-chairs1 as follows3  7#a7 ,a co-chair
 who shall be a member of the ,panel    
designated by the ,speaker of the ,house
 of ,representatives4  7#b7 ,a co-chair 
who shall be a member of the ,panel     
designated by the majority leader of the
 ,senate4  7e7 ,vacancy ,in the event of
 a vacancy on the ,panel1 the individual
 appointed to fill the vacant seat shall
 be--  7#a7 subject to paragraph 7#b71  
appointed by the same officer 7or the   
officer's successor7 who made the       
appointment to the seat when the ,panel 
was first established2 or  7#b7 if the  
officer's successor is of a party other 
than the party of the officer who made  
the initial appointment when the ,panel 
was first established1 chosen in        
consultation with the senior officers of
 the ,house of ,representatives and the 
,senate of the party which is the party 
of the officer who made such initial    
appointment4  7f7 ,government employees 
,members of the ,panel who are officers 
or employees of the ,federal ,government

 shall serve without additional pay 7or 
benefits in the nature of compensation7 
for service as a member of the ,panel4  
7g7 ,initial meeting ,the ,panel shall  
meet and begin the operations of the    
,panel not later than #fj days after the
 appointment of all ,panel members under
 subsection 7a74  #e4 ,duties ,the      
,panel shall assess the current         
leadership structure1 protocols1        
training1 tools1 and capabilities of the
 ,united ,states ,secret ,service1      
including assessing--  7#a7 the unity of
 effort between the divisions of the    
,united ,states ,secret ,service1 law   
enforcement agencies1 and other         
components of the ,department of        
,homeland ,security related to the      
protective and investigative missions1  
including whether mission duplication   
with other ,federal entities exists2    
7#b7 the impact of ,united ,states      
,secret ,service personnel culture on   
the effectiveness and efficiency of the 
,service1 including ,special ,agent and 

,uniformed ,division retention2  7#c7   
the impact any leadership or security   
deficiencies have on the threat from    
acts of terrorism or other security     
incidents2  7#d7 identification of all  
security breaches at locations under    
,united ,states ,secret ,service        
protection in the past five years2  7#e7
 the extent to which current resources  
provide for accomplishing the mission of
 the ,united ,states ,secret ,service2  
7#f7 the effectiveness of communications
 and dissemination of homeland security 
information within the ,united ,states  
,secret ,service and with other law     
enforcement entities in routine as well 
as emergency situations2 and  7#g7 any  
necessary recommendations for           
congressional consideration4  #f4       
,powers and authorities  7a7 ,in general
 ,the ,panel or1 on the authority of the
 ,panel1 any portion thereof1 may1 for  
the purpose of carrying out this        
section--  7#a7 hold such hearings and  
sit and act at such times and places1   

take such testimony1 receive such       
evidence1 administer such oaths         
7provided that the quorum for a hearing 
shall be two members of the ,panel72 and
  7#b7 subject to subsection 7b71       
require by subpoena or otherwise provide
 for the attendance and testimony of    
such witnesses and the production of    
such books1 records1 correspondence1    
memoranda1 papers1 and documents1 as the
 ,panel1 or such portion thereof1 may   
determine advisable4  7b7 ,open to the  
public ,hearings and other activities   
conducted under subsection 7a7 shall be 
open to the public unless the ,panel1   
or1 on the authority of the ,panel1 any 
portion thereof1 determines that such is
 not appropriate1 including for reasons 
relating to the disclosure of           
information or material regarding the   
national security interests of the      
,united ,states or the disclosure of    
sensitive law enforcement data4  7c7    
,subpoenas  7#a7 ,issuance  7,a7 ,in    
general ,a subpoena may be issued under 

this subsection only--  7i7 by the two  
co-chairs2 or  7ii7 by the affirmative  
recorded vote of six members of the     
,panel4  7,b7 ,signature ,subpoenas     
issued under this subsection may be--   
7i7 issued under the signature of the   
two co-chairs or any member designated  
by a majority of the ,panel2 and  7ii7  
served by any person designated by the  
two co-chairs or by any member          
designated by a majority of the ,panel4 
7#b7 ,enforcement  7,a7 ,in general ,in 
the case of contumacy or failure to obey
 a subpoena issued under this           
subsection1 the ,united ,states district
 court for the judicial district in     
which the subpoenaed person resides1 is 
served1 or may be found1 or where the   
subpoena is returnable1 may issue an    
order requiring such person to produce  
documentary or other evidence4 ,any     
failure to obey the order of the court  
may be punished by the court as contempt
 of that court4  7,b7 ,additional       
enforcement ,in the case of any failure 

of any witness to comply with any       
subpoena1 the ,panel may1 by majority   
vote1 certify a statement of fact       
constituting such failure to the        
appropriate ,united ,states attorney1   
who may bring the matter before a grand 
jury for its action1 under the same     
statutory authority and procedures as if
 the ,united ,states attorney had       
received a certification under sections 
#ajb through #ajd of the ,revised       
,statutes of the ,united ,states 7#b    
,u4,s4,c4 #aib through #aid74  7d7      
,personnel  7#a7 ,in general ,the ,panel
 shall have the authorities provided in 
section #cafa of title #e1 ,united      
,states ,code1 and shall be subject to  
the conditions specified in such        
section1 except to the extent that such 
conditions would be inconsistent with   
the requirements of this section4  7#b7 
,compensation ,the co-chairs1 in        
accordance with rules agreed upon by the
 ,panel1 may appoint and fix the        
compensation of a staff director and    

such other personnel as may be necessary
 to enable the ,panel to carry out its  
functions1 without regard to the        
provisions of title #e1 ,united ,states 
,code1 governing appointments in the    
competitive service1 and without regard 
to the provisions of chapter #ea and    
subchapter ,,iii of chapter #ec of such 
title relating to classification and    
,general ,schedule pay rates1 except    
that no rate of pay fixed under this    
paragraph may exceed the equivalent of  
that payable for a position at level ,v 
of the ,executive ,schedule under       
section #ecaf of title #e1 ,united      
,states ,code4  7#c7 ,detailees ,any    
employee of the ,federal ,government may
 be detailed to the ,panel without      
reimbursement from the ,panel1 and such 
employee shall retain the rights1       
status1 and privileges of such          
employee's regular employment without   
interruption4  7#d7 ,expert and         
consultant services ,the ,panel is      
authorized to procure the services of   

experts and consultants in accordance   
with section #caji of title #e1 ,united 
,states ,code1 but at rates not to      
exceed the daily rate paid a person     
occupying a position at level ,,iv of   
the ,executive ,schedule under section  
#ecae of title #e1 ,united ,states      
,code4  7#e7 ,volunteer services        
,notwithstanding section #acdb of title 
#ca1 ,united ,states ,code1 the ,panel  
may accept and use voluntary and        
uncompensated services as the ,panel    
determines necessary4  7e7 ,security    
clearances ,the appropriate departments 
or agencies of the ,federal ,government 
shall cooperate with the ,panel in      
expeditiously providing to the ,panel   
members and staff appropriate security  
clearances to the extent possible       
pursuant to existing procedures and     
requirements1 except that no person     
shall be provided with access to        
classified information under this       
section without the appropriate security
 clearances4  7f7 ,contracting ,the     

,panel may1 to such extent and in such  
amounts as are provided in appropriation
 ,acts1 enter into contracts to enable  
the ,panel to carry out its duties under
 this ,act4  7g7 ,postal services ,the  
,panel may use the ,united ,states mails
 in the same manner and under the same  
conditions as departments and agencies  
of the ,federal ,government4  7h7       
,support services ,upon request of the  
,panel1 the ,administrator of ,general  
,services shall provide the ,panel1 on a
 reimbursable basis1 with the           
administrative support services         
necessary for the ,panel to carry out   
its duties under this ,act4 ,such       
administrative services may include     
human resource management1 budget1      
leasing1 accounting1 and payroll        
services4  7i7 ,rules of procedure ,the 
,panel may establish rules for the      
conduct of the ,panel's business1 if    
such rules are not inconsistent with    
this ,act or other applicable law4  7j7 
,nonapplicability of the ,federal       

,advisory ,committee ,act ,the ,federal 
,advisory ,committee ,act 7#e ,u4,s4,c4 
,app47 shall not apply to the ,panel4   
7k7 ,termination ,the ,panel shall      
terminate on the date that is #fj days  
after the date of the submission of its 
final report4  #g4 ,reports to ,congress
  7a7 ,interim report ,not later than   
nine months after the date of the       
appointment of all the members of the   
,panel1 the ,panel shall submit to the  
,committee on the ,judiciary and the    
,committee on ,homeland ,security of the
 ,house of ,representatives and the     
,committee on the ,judiciary and the    
,committee on ,homeland ,security and   
,governmental ,affairs of the ,senate an
 interim report1 including the results  
and findings of the assessments carried 
out in accordance with section #e4  7b7 
,other reports and briefings ,the ,panel
 may from time to time submit to the    
committees specified in subsection 7a7  
such other reports and briefings        
relating to the assessments carried out 

in accordance with section #e as the    
,panel considers appropriate4 ,such     
committees may request information on   
the ,panel's progress as it conducts its
 work4  7c7 ,final report ,not later    
than eighteen months after the date of  
the appointment of all the members of   
the ,panel1 the ,panel shall submit to  
the committees specified in subsection  
7a7 a final report on the assessments   
carried out in accordance with section  
#e4 ,such final report shall--  7#a7    
include the findings of the ,panel2     
7#b7 identify lessons learned related to
 ,united ,states ,secret ,service       
leadership issues2 and  7#c7 include    
specific recommendations1 including     
those for congressional consideration1  
relating to--  7,a7 improving the       
efficiency and effectiveness of the     
leadership structure1 protocols1        
training1 tools1 and capabilities of the
 ,department of ,homeland ,security's   
mission to protect national leaders1    
visiting heads of state and government1 

designated sites1 and special events of 
national significance 7in accordance    
with paragraph 7#a7 of section #cjef7;e7
 of title #ah ,united ,states ,code72   
7,b7 improving unity of effort between  
the divisions of the ,united ,states    
,secret ,service and other law          
enforcement agencies and other          
components of the ,department of        
,homeland ,security relating to the     
protective and1 as applicable1          
investigative missions1 including       
whether duplication with other ,federal 
entities exists2  7,c7 eliminating      
barriers to effective communications in 
routine as well as emergency situations2
  7,d7 identifying and mitigating       
cultural issues within the ,united      
,states ,secret ,service that detract   
from the mission of the ,service2 and   
7,e7 improvements needed to mitigate    
risks based on past security breaches4