,i #aaith ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #gedi ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,february #ab1 #bjbf,mr4 ,mfume 7for himself1 ,ms4 ,tlaib1 ,ms4 ,lee of ,pennsylvania1 ,ms4 ,schakowsky1 ,mr4 ,ivey1 ,ms4 ,simon1 ,ms4 ,wilson of ,florida1 ,ms4 ,brown1 ,ms4 ,clarke of ,new ,york1 ,mr4 ,bell1 ,mr4 ,carson1 ,mr4 ,evans of ,pennsylvania1 ,ms4 ,moore of ,wisconsin1 ,ms4 ,norton1 ,mr4 ,raskin1 ,mr4 ,david ,scott of ,georgia1 ,ms4 ,titus1 ,mr4 ,olszewski1 ,ms4 ,williams of ,georgia1 ,mr4 ,thanedar1 ,mr4 ,veasey1 ,mr4 ,johnson of ,georgia1 ,mr4 ,cleaver1 ,ms4 ,kelly of ,illinois1 ,ms4 ,sewell1 ,ms4 ,strickland1 ,mr4 ,goldman of ,new ,york1 ,mr4 ,pallone1 ,mr4 ,cohen1 ,mr4 ,nadler1 ,mrs4 ,beatty1 ,mr4 ,pocan1 ,mrs4 ,watson ,coleman1 and ,mrs4 ,mc,bath7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,education and ,workforce ,a ,,bill ,to establish a ,national ,council on ,african ,american ,history and ,culture within the ,national ,endowment for the ,humanities1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,national ,council on ,african ,american ,history and ,culture ,act of #bjbf4 #b4 ,council on ,african ,american ,history and ,culture 7a7 ,establishment ,there is established in the ,national ,endowment for the ,humanities a ,national ,council on ,african ,american ,history and ,culture 7referred to in this section as the ,council74 7b7 ,membership 7#a7 ,number and appointment ,the ,council shall be composed of #ab members appointed by the ,president1 by and with the advice and consent of the ,senate4 7#b7 ,qualifications ,the members of the ,council shall be individuals who-- 7,a7 are selected from among private citizens of the ,united ,states who are recognized for their broad knowledge of1 expertise in1 or commitment to the preservation and celebration of ,african ,american history and culture2 7,b7 are not currently employees of the ,federal ,government2 and 7,c7 have established records of distinguished service1 scholarship1 or creativity4 7#c7 ,considerations ,in appointing members to the ,council under paragraph 7#a71 the ,president-- 7,a7 shall give due regard to equitable representation of women1 people of color1 and individuals with disabilities who are involved in the humanities2 7,b7 shall select such members in a manner that ensures a comprehensive representation of the views of scholars and professional practitioners in the humanities and of the public throughout the ,united ,states2 and 7,c7 shall ensure that six members are individuals affiliated with the ,democratic party and six members are individuals affiliated with the ,republican party4 7#d7 ,chairperson2 vice chairperson 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,chairperson and ,vice ,chairperson of the ,council shall be designated by the ,president from among the members of the ,council4 ,the ,vice ,chairperson shall act as ,chairperson in the absence of the ,chairperson4 7,b7 ,party affiliation ,the ,chairperson and ,vice ,chairperson may not be affiliated with the same political party4 7#e7 ,term of office2 vacancies2 reappointment 7,a7 ,in general ,each member shall be appointed for a term of five years1 except as provided in subparagraphs 7,b7 and 7,c74 7,b7 ,terms of initial appointees ,as designated by the ,president at the time of the appointment1 of the members first appointed to the ,council under paragraph 7#a7-- 7i7 six shall be appointed for terms of three years1 three of whom shall be individuals affiliated with the ,democratic party and three of whom shall be individuals affiliated with the ,republican party2 and 7ii7 six shall be appointed for terms of five years1 three of whom shall be individuals affiliated with the ,democratic party and three of whom shall be individuals affiliated with the ,republican party4 7,c7 ,vacancies ,any member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring before the expiration of the term for which the member's predecessor was appointed shall be appointed only for the remainder of that term4 ,a member may serve after the expiration of that member's term until a successor has taken office4 7,d7 ,reappointment ,no member shall be eligible for reappointment during the two-year period following the expiration of such member's term4 7#f7 ,basic pay 7,a7 ,rates of pay ,members shall receive compensation at a rate of #ej percent of the daily rate of the highest rate of basic pay payable for the senior-level positions classified above ,,gs-#ae pursuant to section #eajh of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code1 for each day 7including travel time7 during which they are engaged in the actual performance of duties vested in the ,council4 7,b7 ,travel expenses ,each member shall receive travel expenses1 including per diem in lieu of subsistence1 in accordance with applicable provisions under subchapter #a of chapter #eg of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code4 7#g7 ,quorum ,nine members of the ,council shall constitute a quorum4 ,the ,council cannot hold hearings without a full quorum4 7#h7 ,meetings ,the ,council shall meet at the call of the ,chairperson but not less frequently than twice during each calendar year4 7c7 ,duties ,the duties of the ,council shall be-- 7#a7 to prepare an annual report to be submitted to the ,chairperson of the ,national ,endowment for the ,humanities on the work of the ,national ,endowment to preserve and celebrate ,african ,american history and culture2 7#b7 to gather timely and authoritative information concerning historical developments and cultural trends in ,african ,american history and culture1 as well as to monitor the work of museums and organizations dedicated to the preservation of ,african ,american history and culture1 and to analyze and interpret such information for the purpose of determining whether national policy is necessary to further support those efforts2 7#c7 to evaluate the various programs and activities of the ,national ,endowment for the ,humanities for the purpose of determining the extent to which such programs and activities are contributing1 and the extent to which they are not contributing1 to the successful preservation and celebration of ,african ,american history and culture1 and to make recommendations to the ,president with respect to such programs and activities2 7#d7 to develop and recommend to the ,chairperson national policies to foster and promote the understanding of ,african ,american history1 the preservation of ,african ,american culture1 and the celebration of ,african ,americans as contributors to the country's economic1 cultural1 and political success2 and 7#e7 to make and furnish such studies1 reports thereon1 and recommendations with respect to matters of cultural preservation and ,african ,american history as the ,chairperson may request4 7d7 ,applicability of ,,faca ,section #ajac7;a77#b7 of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code 7relating to the termination of advisory committees71 shall not apply to the ,council4 7e7 ,termination ,the ,council shall terminate #aj years after the date of the enactment of this ,act4