By-Laws of the Social Security Advisory Board
ARTICLE 1
CREATION
The Social Security Advisory Board (referred to collectively
herein as the "Board") is established by section 703
of the Social Security Act.
ARTICLE 2
COMPOSITION
The Board is composed of 7 members appointed to 6-year terms,
as follows: 3 appointed by the President (no more than 2 from the
same political party), by and with the advice and consent of
the Senate; 2 each (no more than 1 from the same political
party)
by the Speaker of the House (in consultation with the Chairman
and Ranking Minority Member of the Committee on Ways and Means)
and by the President pro tempore of the Senate (in consultation
with the Chairman and Ranking Minority Member of the Committee
on Finance).
Each member of the Board serves for a term of 6 years, except
that (1) a member appointed to a term of office after the commencement
of such term may serve under such appointment only for the remainder
of such term; and (2) the terms of service of the members initially
appointed began on October 1, 1994, and expire as follows: those
appointed by the President expire as designated by the President
at the time of nomination, 1 each at the end of 2 years, 4 years,
and 6 years. The terms of service of members initially appointed
by the President pro tempore of the Senate expire as designated
by the President pro tempore of the Senate at the time of nomination,
1 each at the end of 3 years and 6 years. The terms of service
of members initially appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives
expire as designated by the Speaker of the House of Representatives
at the time of nomination, 1 each at the end of 4 years and 5 years.
When carrying out the duties of the office, a member of the Board
is performing work on behalf of the U. S. government and does not
represent any private organization or institution with which the
member may otherwise be affiliated.
ARTICLE 3
CHAIR
The President designates a member of the Board to serve as Chair
for a term of 4 years, coincident with the term of the President,
or until the designation of a successor. The Chair may designate
another member of the Board to act as chair of a meeting of
the Board in the absence of the Chair.
ARTICLE 4
WORKING GROUPS
The Chair of the Board may establish Working Groups to conduct
studies on subjects that are of particular interest to the
Board. Working Groups will be bipartisan and will be comprised
of those
members who choose to participate. They will not be voting
bodies, but will serve in an advisory capacity to the full
Board. Board
members who are not in a Working Group may participate in such
activities of that Working Group as they choose. The Chair
of the Board will appoint the Chair of a Working Group. A Working
Group will meet at the call of the Chair of the Working Group.
ARTICLE 5
MEETINGS
SECTION 1-PLACE AND FREQUENCY
The Board shall meet at the call of the Chair (in consultation
with the other members of the Board) not less than 4 times each
year to consider a specific agenda of issues, as determined by
the Chair in consultation with the other members of the Board.
Meetings shall be held in the Board's conference room, unless otherwise
determined by the Chair.
SECTION 2-NOTICE OF MEETINGS
Members of the Board shall receive a written notice not less than
7 days before the date of a meeting. The notice shall contain a
summary of the agenda and the place, date, and time of the meeting.
Notice of public meetings shall also be posted on the Board's home
page in order to inform the public of Board proceedings. In exceptional
circumstances, the Board may give less than 7 days notice, provided
that the reasons for doing so are included in the meeting notice.
Board meetings shall be open to the public. Meetings not subject
to this requirement include meetings of the Board and the Commissioner
of Social Security or one or more other Federal official(s) for
the purpose of exchanging facts or information and hearing the
views of individual attendees; meetings of the Advisory Board or
of two or more members that are convened solely to gather information
or conduct research on behalf of the Board, to analyze relevant
issues and facts, or to draft proposed position papers or reports
for consideration by the Board; and meetings of the Board for the
purpose of attending to Board administrative arrangements.
Interested persons shall be permitted to appear before the Board.
Individuals who wish to appear before the Board shall notify the
Board in advance so that their appearance may be scheduled. The
Board will also receive and give consideration to written communications
from the Executive Branch, the Congress, and the public and respond
appropriately.
SECTION 3-QUORUM AND TRANSACTION OF BUSINESS
Four members of the Board (not more than 3 of whom may be of the
same political party) shall constitute a quorum for transaction
of business at any meeting. Each member shall have one vote. The
votes of a majority of the Board present and voting shall be necessary
for adoption by the Board of any action. Voting shall be by oral
vote unless on any matter a member requests voting by written ballot.
The Board may, in accordance with this section, vote to take up
items not on the proposed agenda.
SECTION 4-ABSENCE FROM MEETINGS
A member of the Board who is absent from a meeting of the Board
may vote at the meeting if the member provides a proxy to the Chair
of the Board prior to or at the time of the meeting. A member who
is absent from a meeting may give consent to, or register dissent
from, any action adopted by the Board at the meeting if the member
provides notice of consent or dissent with the Chair of the Board
within five days of the meeting.
SECTION 5-MINUTES OF MEETINGS
The Chair of the Board shall ensure that minutes of each Board
meeting are kept. Minutes of open meetings shall include: time,
date, and place; a list of the persons who were present, including
Board members and staff, Executive Branch employees, and members
of the public who presented oral or written statements; an estimated
number of other members of the public present; a description of
each matter discussed and the resolution, if any, made by the Board;
and copies of each report or other document received or approved
by the Board. The Chair shall certify to the accuracy of all minutes
of meetings. The Board shall make available to any person, at actual
cost of duplication, copies of Board minutes.
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