,i #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #afcf ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,march #g1 #bjai,ms4 ,wilson of ,florida introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on the ,judiciary ,a ,,bill ,to establish the ,commission on the ,social ,status of ,black ,men and ,boys1 to study and make recommendations to address social problems affecting ,black men and boys1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,commission on the ,social ,status of ,black ,men and ,boys ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress makes the following findings3 7#a7 ,black men and boys face disproportionate hardships that result in disparities in areas including3 education1 criminal justice1 health1 employment1 fatherhood1 mentorship1 and violence4 ,these hardships have negative consequences for national productivity1 especially for ,black families and communities4 7#b7 ,a ,commission to study and examine issues which disproportionately have a negative impact on ,black men and boys in ,america will signal that the issues facing the ,black male population are a national priority1 will develop solutions to these hardships1 and will help eliminate the obstacles facing ,black men and boys4 7#c7 ,a ,commission will also be able to investigate potential civil rights violations affecting this population that attract national attention4 7#d7 ,black babies are three times more likely to be born in poverty and rapidly fall behind their ,white counterparts in cognitive development4 7#e7 ,by fourth grade1 ,black students are expected to be three years behind ,white male students4 ,according to the ,educational ,testing ,service ,policy ,informational ,center1 only #ab percent of ,black eighth-grade male students are proficient in math1 compared to #dd percent of ,white eighth-grade male students4 7#f7 ,the ,educational ,testing ,service ,policy ,informational ,center also found that nationally1 more than #ej percent of ,black male students attending urban schools will drop out4 7#g7 ,the low rate of high school retention among ,black male students directly relates to high rates of joblessness and incarceration among this population4 ,this barrier to employment exacerbates cycles of poverty1 which in turn results in health inequalities1 including higher levels of diabetes1 obesity1 and ,,hiv_/,,aids4 ,according to a study by the ,american ,academy of ,arts and ,sciences1 more than #ff percent of ,black male dropouts are expected to serve time in ,state or ,federal prison4 7#h7 ,black men are subjected to unequal profiling by the police and disproportionately harsh sentences in the judicial system4 ,the ,black male population is six times more likely to become incarcerated than their ,white counterparts4 ,although the ,black male population comprises approximately six percent of the ,united ,states population1 of the #b1cjj1jjj people incarcerated nationwide1 #a million are ,black males4 ,black males receive ten percent longer ,federal sentences than ,white males who commit the same crime4 7#i7 ,according to the ,bureau of ,statistics and the ,pew ,research ,center1 ,black male unemployment is consistently almost double that of ,white male unemployment4 7#aj7 ,black fathers are more than twice as likely to live apart from their children as ,white fathers4 7#aa7 ,young boys with male mentors are more likely to progress further in school and have greater financial success in life4 #c4 ,commission establishment and membership 7a7 ,establishment ,the ,commission on the ,social ,status of ,black ,men and ,boys 7hereinafter in this ,act referred to as the ,commission7 is hereby established within the ,united ,states ,commission on ,civil ,rights ,office of the ,staff ,director4 7b7 ,membership ,the ,commission shall consist of #ai members appointed as follows3 7#a7 ,the ,senate majority leader shall appoint one member who is not employed by the ,federal ,government and is an expert on issues affecting ,black men and boys in ,america4 7#b7 ,the ,senate minority leader shall appoint one member who is not employed by the ,federal ,government and is an expert on issues affecting ,black men and boys in ,america4 7#c7 ,the ,house of ,representatives majority leader shall appoint one member who is not employed by the ,federal ,government and is an expert on issues affecting ,black men and boys in ,america4 7#d7 ,the ,house of ,representatives minority leader shall appoint one member who is not employed by the ,federal ,government and is an expert on issues affecting ,black men and boys in ,america4 7#e7 ,the ,chair of the ,congressional ,black ,caucus 7,,cbc7 shall be a member of the ,commission1 as well as five additional ,members of the ,,cbc who either sit on the following committees of relevant jurisdiction or who is an expert on issues affecting ,black men and boys in ,america1 including-- 7,a7 education2 7,b7 justice and ,civil ,rights2 7,c7 healthcare2 7,d7 labor and employment2 and 7,e7 housing4 7#f7 ,the ,staff ,director from the ,united ,states ,commission on ,civil ,rights shall appoint one member from within the staff of the ,united ,states ,commission on ,civil ,rights who is an expert in issues relating to ,black men and boys4 7#g7 ,the ,chair of the ,united ,states ,equal ,employment ,opportunity ,commission shall appoint one member from within the staff of the ,united ,states ,equal ,employment ,opportunity ,commission who is an expert in equal employment issues impacting ,black men4 7#h7 ,the ,secretary of ,education shall appoint one member from within the ,department of ,education who is an expert in urban education4 7#i7 ,the ,attorney ,general of the ,department of ,justice shall appoint one member from within the ,department of ,justice who is an expert in racial disparities with the criminal justice system4 7#aj7 ,the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services shall appoint one member from within the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services who is an expert in health issues facing ,black men4 7#aa7 ,the ,secretary of the ,department of ,housing and ,urban ,development shall appoint one member from within the ,department of ,housing and ,urban ,development who is an expert in housing and development in urban communities4 7#ab7 ,the ,secretary of the ,department of ,labor shall appoint one member from within the ,department of ,labor who is an expert in labor issues impacting ,black men4 7#ac7 ,the ,president of the ,united ,states shall appoint two members who are not employed by the ,federal ,government and are experts on issues affecting ,black men and boys in ,america4 #d4 ,other matters relating to appointment2 removal 7a7 ,timing of initial ,appointments ,each initial appointment to the ,commission shall be made no later than #ij days after the ,commission is established4 ,if any appointing authorities fail to appoint a member to the ,commission1 their appointment shall be filled by the ,united ,states ,commission on ,civil ,rights4 7b7 ,terms ,except as otherwise provided in this section1 the term of a member of the ,commission shall be four years4 ,for the purpose of providing staggered terms1 the first term of those members initially appointed under paragraphs 7#a7 through 7#e7 of section #c shall be appointed to two-year terms with all other terms lasting four years4 ,members are eligible for consecutive reappointment4 7c7 ,removal ,a member of the ,commission may be removed from the ,commission at any time by the appointing authority should the member fail to meet ,commission responsibilities4 ,once the seat becomes vacant1 the appointing authority is responsible for filling the vacancy in the ,commission before the next meeting4 7d7 ,vacancies ,the appointing authority of a member of the ,commission shall either reappoint that member at the end of that member's term or appoint another person meeting the qualifications for that appointment4 ,in the event of a vacancy arising during a term1 the appointing authority shall1 before the next meeting of the ,commission1 appoint a replacement to finish that term4 #e4 ,leadership election ,at the first meeting of the ,commission each year1 the members shall elect a ,chair and a ,secretary4 ,a vacancy in the ,chair or ,secretary shall be filled by vote of the remaining members4 ,the ,chair and ,secretary are eligible for consecutive reappointment4 #f4 ,commission duties and powers 7a7 ,study ,the ,commission shall make a systematic study of the conditions affecting ,black men and boys1 including1 but not limited to1 homicide rates1 arrest and incarceration rates1 poverty1 violence1 fatherhood1 mentorship1 drug abuse1 death rates1 disparate income and wealth levels1 school performance in all grade levels including postsecondary levels and college1 and health issues4 ,the ,commission shall also document trends under the above topics and report on the community impacts of relevant government programs within the scope of the above topics4 ,all reports shall be made public via a ,federal agency website4 7b7 ,proposal of measures ,the ,commission shall propose measures to alleviate and remedy the underlying causes of the conditions described in the subsection 7a71 which may include recommendations of changes to the law1 recommendations for how to implement related policies1 and recommendations for how to create1 develop1 or improve upon government programs4 7c7 ,suggestions and comments ,the ,commission shall accept suggestions or comments pertinent to the applicable issues from members of ,congress1 governmental agencies1 public and private organizations1 and private citizens4 7d7 ,staff and administrative support ,the ,office of the ,staff ,director of the ,united ,states ,commission on ,civil ,rights shall provide staff and administrative support to the ,commission4 ,all entities of the ,united ,states ,government shall provide information that is otherwise a public record at the request of the ,commission on ,black ,men and ,boys4 #g4 ,commission meeting requirements 7a7 ,first meeting ,the first meeting of the ,commission shall take place no later than #cj days after the initial members are all appointed4 ,meetings shall be focused on significant issues impacting ,black men and boys1 for the purpose of initiating research ideas and delegating research tasks to ,commission members to initiate the first semiannual report4 7b7 ,quarterly meetings ,the ,commission shall meet quarterly4 ,in addition to all quarterly meetings1 the ,commission shall meet at other times at the call of the ,chair or as determined by a majority of ,commission members4 7c7 ,quorum2 rule for voting on final actions ,a majority of the members of the ,commission constitute a quorum1 and an affirmative vote of a majority of the members present is required for final action4 7d7 ,expectations for attendance by members ,members are expected to attend all ,commission meetings4 ,in the case of an absence1 members are expected to report to the ,chair prior to the meeting and allowance may be made for an absent member to participate remotely4 ,members will still be responsible for fulfilling prior commitments1 regardless of attendance status4 ,if a member is absent twice in a given year1 he or she will be reviewed by the ,chair and appointing authority and further action will be considered1 including removal and replacement on the ,commission4 7e7 ,minutes ,minutes shall be taken at each meeting by the ,secretary1 or in that individual's absence1 the ,chair shall select another ,commission member to take minutes during that absence4 ,the ,commission shall make its minutes publicly available and accessible not later than one week after each meeting4 #h4 ,annual report guidelines ,the ,commission shall make an annual report1 beginning the year of the first ,commission meeting4 ,the report shall address the current conditions affecting ,black men and boys and make recommendations to address these issues4 ,the report shall be submitted to the ,president1 the ,congress1 members of the ,president's ,cabinet1 and the chairs of the appropriate committees of jurisdiction4 ,the ,commission shall make the report publicly available online on a centralized ,federal website4 #i4 ,commission compensation ,members of the ,commission shall serve on the ,commission without compensation4