subchapter III of chapter 53 of title 5, United
States Code, relating to classification of positions
and General Schedule pay rates, except that the rate
of pay for such personnel may not exceed the rate
payable for GS–15, step 7, of the General Schedule
under section 5332 of such title.
(3) DETAILEES.—Upon a request of the Chair-
person of the Commission made after consulting
with the head of any Federal agencies responsible
for managing ocean and coastal resources, the head
of any such Federal agency may detail appropriate
personnel of the agency to the Commission to assist
the Commission in carrying out its functions under
this Act. Federal Government employees detailed to
the Commission shall serve without reimbursement
from the Commission, and shall retain the rights,
status, and privileges of his or her regular employ-
ment without interruption.
(4) EXPERTS AND CONSULTANTS.—To the ex-
tent that funds are available, and subject to such
rules as may be prescribed by the Commission, the
executive director of the Commission may procure
the temporary and intermittent services of experts
and consultants in accordance with section 3109 of
title 5, United States Code, but at rates not to ex-
ceed the daily rate payable for GS–15, step 7, of the
General Schedule under section 5332 of title 5,
United States Code.
(f) ADMINISTRATION.—
(1) MEETINGS.—All meetings of the Commis-
sion shall be open to the public, except that a meet-
ing or any portion of it may be closed to the public
if it concerns matters or information described in
section 552b(c) of title 5, United States Code. Inter-
ested persons shall be permitted to appear at open
meetings and present written statements or oral
statements at the discretion of the Commission on
the subject matter of the meeting. The Commission
may administer oaths or affirmations to any person
appearing before it.
(2) NOTICE OF MEETINGS.—All open meetings
of the Commission shall be preceded by timely public
notice, including notice in the Federal Register, of
the time, place, and subject of the meeting.
(3) MINUTES AND OTHER RECORDS.—Minutes
of each meeting of the Commission shall be kept and
shall contain a record of the people present, a de-
scription of the discussion that occurred, and copies
of all statements filed. Subject to restrictions set
forth in section 552 of title 5, United States Code,
the minutes and records of all meetings and other
documents that were made available to or prepared
for the Commission shall be available for public in-
spection and copying at a single location in the of-
fices of the Commission.
(4) MEETING
LOCATIONS.—The Commission
shall have at least one meeting in each of the fol-
lowing 6 geographic regions of the United States:
(A) The Northeast.
(B) The Southeast.
(C) The Southwest.
(D) The Northwest.
(E) The Great Lakes States.
(F) The Gulf of Mexico States.
(5) FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT.—The
Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.)
does not apply to the Commission.
(g) COOPERATION WITH OTHER FEDERAL ENTI-
TIES.—
(1) OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES AND DEPART-
MENTS.—The Commission may secure directly from
any Federal agency or department any information
it considers necessary to carry out its functions
under this Act. Each such agency or department
may cooperate with the Commission and, to the ex-
tent permitted by law, furnish such information to
the Commission, upon the request of the Chair-
person of the Commission.
(2) MAILS.—The Commission may use the
United States mails in the same manner and under
the same conditions as departments and agencies of
the United States.
(3) 
ACQUISITIONS.—The 
Commission 
may
enter into contracts with Federal and State agen-
cies, private firms, institutions, and individuals to
assist the Commission in carrying out its duties. The
Commission may purchase and contract without re-
gard to section 18 of the Office of Federal Procure-
ment Policy Act (41 U.S.C. 416) and section 8 of
the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 637), pertaining
to competition and publication requirements, and
may arrange for printing without regard to the pro-
visions of title 44, United States Code. The con-
tracting authority of the Commission under this Act
is effective only to the extent that appropriations are
available for contracting purposes.
(h) TERMINATION.—The Commission shall cease to
exist 30 days after the date on which it submits its final
report.
(i) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
are authorized to be appropriated to support the activities
of the Commission a total of up to $6,000,000 for fiscal
years 2001 and 2002. Any sums appropriated may remain
available without fiscal year limitation until the Commis-
sion ceases to exist.
Æ