I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1506 

To amend section 1003 of title 5, United States Code (commonly referred 

to as the Federal Advisory Committee Act), to prohibit the establishment 

of advisory committees related to environmental, social, and governance 

aspects. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 9, 2023 

Mr. JACKSON of Texas (for himself, Mr. NEHLS, Mrs. BOEBERT, Mr. FRY, 

Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana, Mr. CRAWFORD, Mr. ELLZEY, Mr. MOORE of 

Alabama, and Mr. DONALDS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability 

A BILL 

To amend section 1003 of title 5, United States Code (commonly referred to as the Federal Advisory Committee 

Act), to prohibit the establishment of advisory committees related to environmental, social, and governance aspects. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Advisory Committees 

5 Free of ESG Act of 2023’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. AMENDMENT TO FACA. 

2 (a) AMENDMENT.—Section 1003 of title 5, United 

3 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol4 lowing new subsection: 

5 ‘‘(d) An advisory committee may not be established 

6 on the basis of environmental, social, and governance as7 pects. 

8 ‘‘(e) In this section: 

9 ‘‘(1) The term ‘environmental’ includes any10 thing related to— 

11 ‘‘(A) emissions of greenhouse gases, in12 cluding— 

13 ‘‘(i) carbon dioxide; 

14 ‘‘(ii) methane; 

15 ‘‘(iii) nitrous oxide; 

16 ‘‘(iv) nitrogen trifluoride; 

17 ‘‘(v) hydrofluorocarbons; 

18 ‘‘(vi) perfluorocarbons; and 

19 ‘‘(vii) sulfur hexafluoride; 

20 ‘‘(B) climate change; and 

21 ‘‘(C) environmental justice. 

22 ‘‘(2) The term ‘governance’ means how a pri23 vate entity is run, including the structure and com24 position of the entity based on race, color, national 

25 origin, or sex and how compensation is made. 


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1 ‘‘(3) The term ‘social’ includes anything related 

2 to— 

3 ‘‘(A) race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual 

4 orientation, or socioeconomic standards; 

5 ‘‘(B) ideologies that oppose equal protec6 tion of the law or support discrimination on the 

7 basis of race, color, national origin, or sex; and 

8 ‘‘(C) critical race theory, social justice, or 

9 similar ideologies.’’. 

10 (b) TERMINATION OF EXISTING ADVISORY COMMIT11 TEES.— 

12 (1) TERMINATION BY ADMINISTRATOR.—If the 

13 Administrator finds that the head of an agency, 

14 chair of an advisory committee, or any advisory com15 mittee authorized, permitted, or implemented an ad16 visory committee described in section 1003(d) of 

17 title 5, United States Code, as added by subsection 

18 (a), as of the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

19 Administrator shall immediately terminate that advi20 sory committee. 

21 (2) DETERMINATION BY INSPECTOR GEN22 ERAL.—If the Inspector General for the agency that 

23 established the advisory committee finds that the 

24 head of an agency, chair of an advisory committee, 

25 or any advisory committee authorized, permitted, or 


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1 implemented an advisory committee described in 

2 such section 1003(d), as of the date of the enact3 ment of this Act, the Administrator shall imme4 diately terminate that advisory committee. 

5 (3) CIVIL ACTION.— 

6 (A) IN GENERAL.—Any person may bring 

7 an action in an appropriate district court of the 

8 United States seeking a determination that an 

9 advisory committee was authorized, permitted, 

10 or implemented in violation of section 1003(d) 

11 of title 5, United States Code, or that an Ad12 ministrator, the head of an agency, the chair of 

13 an advisory committee, or an advisory com14 mittee did not terminate an advisory committee 

15 that is in violation of such section. If the court, 

16 following an evidentiary hearing, determines 

17 that there was a violation of such section the 

18 court shall order the advisory committee to be 

19 terminated immediately. 

20 (B) APPLICABILITY.—An action under 

21 subparagraph (A) may be brought with respect 

22 to any advisory committee beginning on the 

23 date of the enactment of this Act. 


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1 (4) ADMINISTRATOR DEFINED.—In this section 

2 the term ‘‘Administrator’’ means the Administrator 

3 of General Services. 

Æ 


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