[116th Congress Public Law 156]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[[Page 699]]
COMMISSION ON THE SOCIAL STATUS
OF BLACK MEN AND BOYS ACT
[[Page 134 STAT. 700]]
Public Law 116-156
116th Congress
An Act
To establish the Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys,
to study and make recommendations to address social problems affecting
Black men and boys, and for other purposes. <<NOTE: Aug. 14, 2020 - [S.
2163]>>
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled, <<NOTE: Commission on
the Social Status of Black Men and Boys Act. 42 USC 1975 note.>>
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Commission on the Social Status of
Black Men and Boys Act''.
SEC. 2. COMMISSION ESTABLISHMENT AND MEMBERSHIP.
(a) Establishment.--The Commission on the Social Status of Black Men
and Boys (hereinafter in this Act referred to as ``the Commission'') is
established within the United States Commission on Civil Rights Office
of the Staff Director.
(b) <<NOTE: Appointments.>> Membership.--The Commission shall
consist of 19 members appointed as follows:
(1) 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 America.
(2) 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 America.
(3) 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
America.
(4) 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
America.
(5) The Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus shall be a
member of the Commission, as well as 5 additional Members of the
Congressional Black Caucus who shall be individuals that either
sit on the following committees of relevant jurisdiction or are
experts on issues affecting Black men and boys in the United
States, including--
(A) education;
(B) justice and Civil Rights;
(C) healthcare;
(D) labor and employment; and
(E) housing.
(6) The Staff Director of the United States Commission on
Civil Rights shall appoint one member from within the
[[Page 134 STAT. 701]]
staff of the United States Commission on Civil Rights who is an
expert in issues relating to Black men and boys.
(7) 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 men.
(8) The Secretary of Education shall appoint one member from
within the Department of Education who is an expert in urban
education.
(9) The Attorney General shall appoint one member from
within the Department of Justice who is an expert in racial
disparities within the criminal justice system.
(10) 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
men.
(11) The Secretary 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 communities.
(12) The Secretary of Labor shall appoint one member from
within the Department of Labor who is an expert in labor issues
impacting Black men.
(13) <<NOTE: President.>> The President of the United
States shall appoint 2 members who are not employed by the
Federal Government and are experts on issues affecting Black men
and boys in America.
(c) Membership by Political Party.--If after the Commission is
appointed there is a partisan imbalance of Commission members, the
congressional leaders of the political party with fewer members on the
Commission shall jointly name additional members to create partisan
parity on the Commission.
SEC. 3. OTHER MATTERS RELATING TO APPOINTMENT; REMOVAL.
(a) <<NOTE: Deadline.>> Timing of Initial Appointments.--Each
initial appointment to the Commission shall be made no later than 90
days after the Commission is established. If any appointing authorities
fail to appoint a member to the Commission, their appointment shall be
made by the Staff Director of the Commission on Civil Rights.
(b) Terms.--Except as otherwise provided in this section, the term
of a member of the Commission shall be 4 years. For the purpose of
providing staggered terms, the first term of those members initially
appointed under paragraphs (1) through (5) of section 2 shall be
appointed to 2-year terms with all other terms lasting 4 years. Members
are eligible for consecutive reappointment.
(c) 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 responsibilities. Once the seat becomes vacant,
the appointing authority is responsible for filling the vacancy in the
Commission before the next meeting.
(d) 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 appointment. In the event of a vacancy arising during
[[Page 134 STAT. 702]]
a term, the appointing authority shall, before the next meeting of the
Commission, appoint a replacement to finish that term.
SEC. 4. LEADERSHIP ELECTION.
At the first meeting of the Commission each year, the members shall
elect a Chair and a Secretary. A vacancy in the Chair or Secretary shall
be filled by vote of the remaining members. The Chair and Secretary are
eligible for consecutive reappointment.
SEC. 5. COMMISSION DUTIES AND POWERS.
(a) Study.--
(1) In general.--The Commission shall conduct a systematic
study of the conditions affecting Black men and boys, including
homicide rates, arrest and incarceration rates, poverty,
violence, fatherhood, mentorship, drug abuse, death rates,
disparate income and wealth levels, school performance in all
grade levels including postsecondary education and college, and
health issues.
(2) <<NOTE: Reports.>> Trends.--The Commission shall
document trends regarding the topics described in paragraph (1)
and report on the community impacts of relevant government
programs within the scope of such topics.
(b) Proposal of Measures.--The Commission shall propose measures to
alleviate and remedy the underlying causes of the conditions described
in subsection (a), which may include recommendations of changes to the
law, recommendations for how to implement related policies, and
recommendations for how to create, develop, or improve upon government
programs.
(c) Suggestions and Comments.--The Commission shall accept
suggestions or comments pertinent to the applicable issues from members
of Congress, governmental agencies, public and private organizations,
and private citizens.
(d) 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 Commission. All entities of the
United States Government shall provide information that is otherwise a
public record at the request of the Commission.
SEC. 6. COMMISSION MEETING REQUIREMENTS.
(a) <<NOTE: Deadline.>> First Meeting.--The first meeting of the
Commission shall take place no later than 30 days after the initial
members are all appointed. Meetings shall be focused on significant
issues impacting Black men and boys, for the purpose of initiating
research ideas and delegating research tasks to Commission members to
initiate the first annual report described in section 7.
(b) Quarterly Meetings.--The Commission shall meet quarterly. In
addition to all quarterly meetings, the Commission shall meet at other
times at the call of the Chair or as determined by a majority of
Commission members.
(c) Quorum; Rule for Voting on Final Actions.--A majority of the
members of the Commission constitute a quorum, and an affirmative vote
of a majority of the members present is required for final action.
(d) Expectations for Attendance by Members.--Members are expected to
attend all Commission meetings. In the case of an absence, members are
expected to report to the Chair prior to the meeting and allowance may
be made for an absent member
[[Page 134 STAT. 703]]
to participate remotely. Members will still be responsible for
fulfilling prior commitments, regardless of attendance status. If a
member is absent twice in a given year, he or she will be reviewed by
the Chair and appointing authority and further action will be
considered, including removal and replacement on the Commission.
(e) Minutes.--Minutes shall be taken at each meeting by the
Secretary, or in that individual's absence, the Chair shall select
another Commission member to take minutes during that absence. The
Commission <<NOTE: Public information. Deadline.>> shall make its
minutes publicly available and accessible not later than one week after
each meeting.
SEC. 7. ANNUAL REPORT GUIDELINES.
The Commission shall make an annual report, beginning the year of
the first Commission meeting. The report shall address the current
conditions affecting Black men and boys and make recommendations to
address these issues. The report shall be submitted to the President,
the Congress, members of the President's Cabinet, and the chairs of the
appropriate committees of jurisdiction. The Commission <<NOTE: Public
information. Web posting.>> shall make the report publicly available
online on a centralized Federal website.
SEC. 8. COMMISSION COMPENSATION.
Members of the Commission shall serve on the Commission without
compensation.
Approved August 14, 2020.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--S. 2163:
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 166 (2020):
June 25, considered and passed Senate.
July 27, considered and passed House.
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