(iv) diplomacy and international co-
ordination; 
(v) immigration and border control; 
(vi) the role of congressional oversight 
and resource allocation; and 
(vii) other activities of the public and 
private sectors determined relevant by the 
Commission for its inquiry; 
(2) identify, review, and evaluate the lessons 
learned from the outbreak and spread of COVID–19 
in the United States, and the response to such out-
break and spread, regarding the structure, coordina-
tion, management, policies, procedures, and actions 
of Federal, State, and local governments and non-
governmental entities relative to preparing for, de-
tecting, preventing, and responding to epidemics and 
pandemics, whether naturally occurring or caused by 
a State or non-State actor; and 
(3) submit to the President and Congress, and 
make publicly available, such reports as are required 
by this section containing such findings, conclusions, 
and recommendations as the Commission shall de-
termine, including proposing organization, coordina-
tion, planning, management arrangements, proce-
dures, rules, and regulations. 
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(e) POWERS OF COMMISSION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.— 
(A) 
HEARINGS
AND
EVIDENCE.—The 
Commission or, as delegated by the chair and 
vice chair, any subcommittee or member there-
of, may, for the purpose of carrying out this 
section— 
(i) hold such hearings and sit and act 
at such times and places, take such testi-
mony, receive such evidence, administer 
such oaths, as the Commission or such 
designated subcommittee or designated 
member may determine advisable; and 
(ii) subject to subparagraph (B)(i), 
require, by subpoena or otherwise, the at-
tendance and testimony of such witnesses 
and the production of such books, records, 
correspondence, memoranda, papers, and 
documents, as the Commission or such 
designated subcommittee or designated 
member may determine advisable. 
(B) ISSUANCE OF SUBPOENAS.— 
(i) IN GENERAL.—A subpoena may be 
issued under this paragraph only— 
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(I) by the agreement of the chair 
and the vice chair; or 
(II) by the affirmative vote of 6 
members of the Commission. 
(ii) SIGNATURE.—Subject to clause 
(i), subpoenas issued under this paragraph 
may be issued under the signature of the 
chair or any member designated by a ma-
jority of the Commission, and may be 
served by any person designated by the 
chair or by a member designated by a ma-
jority of the Commission. 
(C) ENFORCEMENT OF SUBPOENAS.— 
(i) IN GENERAL.—In the case of con-
tumacy or failure to obey a subpoena 
issued under this paragraph, the United 
States district court for the judicial district 
in which the subpoenaed person resides, is 
served, or may be found, or where the sub-
poena is returnable, may issue an order re-
quiring such person to appear at any des-
ignated place to testify or to produce docu-
mentary or other evidence. Any failure to 
obey the order of the court may be pun-
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ished by the court as a contempt of that 
court. 
(ii) ADDITIONAL ENFORCEMENT.—In 
the case of any failure of any witness to 
comply with any subpoena or to testify 
when summoned under authority of this 
subsection, the Commission may, by major-
ity vote, certify a statement of fact consti-
tuting such failure to the appropriate 
United States attorney, who shall bring the 
matter before the grand jury for its action, 
under the same statutory authority and 
procedures as if the United States attorney 
had received a certification under sections 
102 through 104 of the Revised Statutes 
of the United States (2 U.S.C. 192 
through 194). 
(2) CONTRACTING.—The Commission may, to 
such extent and in such amounts as are provided in 
appropriation Acts, enter into contracts to enable 
the Commission to discharge its duties under this 
section. 
(3) INFORMATION FROM FEDERAL AGENCIES.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Commission is au-
thorized to secure directly from any executive 
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department, bureau, agency, board, commission, 
office, independent establishment, or instrumen-
tality of the Government, information, sugges-
tions, estimates, and statistics for the purposes 
of this section. Each department, bureau, agen-
cy, board, commission, office, independent es-
tablishment, or instrumentality shall, to the 
fullest extent permitted by law, furnish such in-
formation, suggestions, estimates, and statistics 
directly to the Commission, upon request made 
by the chair, the chair of any subcommittee cre-
ated by a majority of the Commission, or any 
member designated by a majority of the Com-
mission. 
(B) RECEIPT, HANDLING, STORAGE, AND 
DISSEMINATION.—Information shall only be re-
ceived, handled, stored, and disseminated by 
members of the Commission and its staff con-
sistent with all applicable statutes, regulations, 
and Executive orders. 
(4) ASSISTANCE FROM FEDERAL AGENCIES.— 
(A) 
GENERAL
SERVICES
ADMINISTRA-
TION.—The Administrator of General Services 
shall provide to the Commission on a reimburs-
able basis administrative support and other 
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services for the performance of the Commis-
sion’s functions. 
(B) OTHER
DEPARTMENTS
AND
AGEN-
CIES.—In addition to the assistance prescribed 
in subparagraph (A), departments and agencies 
of the United States may provide to the Com-
mission such services, funds, facilities, staff, 
and other support services as they may deter-
mine advisable and as may be authorized by 
law. 
(5) GIFTS.—The Commission may accept, use, 
and dispose of gifts or donations of services or prop-
erty. 
(6) POSTAL SERVICES.—The Commission may 
use the United States mails in the same manner and 
under the same conditions as departments and agen-
cies of the United States. 
(f) NONAPPLICABILITY OF FEDERAL ADVISORY COM-
MITTEE ACT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Federal Advisory Com-
mittee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the 
Commission. 
(2) PRESUMPTION FOR PUBLIC MEETINGS.— 
(A) OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.—The Commis-
sion shall make its hearings and meetings open 
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to the public unless the chair and vice chair de-
termine by consensus, on a case-by-case basis, 
that the hearing or meeting should be closed to 
the public. 
(B) PROTECTION OF INFORMATION.—Any 
public meeting or hearing of the Commission 
shall be conducted in a manner consistent with 
the protection of information provided to or de-
veloped for or by the Commission as required 
by any applicable statute, regulation, or Execu-
tive order. 
(g) STAFF OF COMMISSION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.— 
(A) APPOINTMENT AND COMPENSATION.— 
The chair, in consultation with vice chair, in ac-
cordance with rules agreed upon by the Com-
mission, may appoint and fix the compensation 
of a staff director and such other personnel as 
may be necessary to enable the Commission to 
carry out its functions, without regard to the 
provisions of title 5, United States Code, gov-
erning appointments in the competitive service, 
and without regard to the provisions of chapter 
51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of such 
title relating to classification and General 
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Schedule pay rates, except that no rate of pay 
fixed under this subsection may exceed the 
equivalent of that payable for a position at level 
V of the Executive Schedule under section 5316 
of title 5, United States Code. 
(B) PERSONNEL
AS
FEDERAL
EMPLOY-
EES.— 
(i) IN GENERAL.—The staff director 
and any personnel of the Commission who 
are employees shall be employees under 
section 2105 of title 5, United States 
Code, for purposes of chapters 63, 81, 83, 
84, 85, 87, 89, and 90 of that title. 
(ii) MEMBERS
OF
COMMISSION.— 
Clause (i) shall not be construed to apply 
to members of the Commission. 
(2) DETAILEES.—Any Federal Government em-
ployee may be detailed to the Commission without 
reimbursement from the Commission, and such 
detailee shall retain the rights, status, and privileges 
of his or her regular employment without interrup-
tion. 
(3) CONSULTANT SERVICES.—The Commission 
is authorized to procure the services of experts and 
consultants in accordance with section 3109 of title 
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5, United States Code, but at rates not to exceed the 
daily rate paid a person occupying a position at level 
IV of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of 
title 5, United States Code. 
(h) COMPENSATION AND TRAVEL EXPENSES.— 
(1) COMPENSATION.—Each member of the 
Commission may be compensated at not to exceed 
the daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay 
in effect for a position at level IV of the Executive 
Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, United 
States Code, for each day during which that member 
is engaged in the actual performance of the duties 
of the Commission. 
(2) TRAVEL
EXPENSES.—While away from 
their homes or regular places of business in the per-
formance of services for the Commission, members 
of the Commission shall be allowed travel expenses, 
including per diem in lieu of subsistence, in the 
same manner as persons employed intermittently in 
the Government service are allowed expenses under 
section 5703(b) of title 5, United States Code. 
(i) SECURITY CLEARANCES FOR COMMISSION MEM-
BERS AND STAFF.—The appropriate Federal agencies or 
departments shall cooperate with the Commission in expe-
ditiously providing to the Commission members and staff 
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appropriate security clearances to the extent possible pur-
suant to existing procedures and requirements, except that 
no person shall be provided with access to classified infor-
mation under this section without the appropriate security 
clearances. 
(j) REPORTS OF COMMISSION.— 
(1) INTERIM REPORTS.—The Commission may 
submit to the President and Congress, and make 
publicly available, interim reports containing such 
findings, conclusions, and recommendations for cor-
rective measures as have been agreed to by a major-
ity of Commission members. 
(2) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than the date 
described in paragraph (3)(A), the Commission shall 
submit to the President and Congress, and make 
publicly available, a final report containing such 
findings, conclusions, and recommendations for cor-
rective measures as have been agreed to by a major-
ity of Commission members. 
(3) DEADLINE.— 
(A) DATE
DESCRIBED.—The date de-
scribed in this subparagraph is October 15, 
2021, unless not fewer than 8 members of the 
Commission vote for a 90-day extension. 
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(B) NUMBER OF EXTENSIONS.—The Com-
mission may make not more than 3 extensions 
under subparagraph (A). 
(C) 
NOTIFICATION.—The 
Commission 
shall notify the President, Congress, and the 
public of each extension under subparagraph 
(A). 
(k) TERMINATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Commission, and all the 
authorities of this section, shall terminate 90 days 
after the date on which the final report is submitted 
under subsection (j)(2). 
(2) ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIVITIES BEFORE TER-
MINATION.—The Commission may use the 90-day 
period referred to in paragraph (1) for the purpose 
of concluding its activities, including providing testi-
mony to committees of Congress concerning its re-
ports, disseminating the final report, and explaining 
to the public such reports and the conclusions of the 
Commission. 
(l) FUNDING.— 
(1) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.— 
There is authorized to be appropriated to the Com-
mission such sums as may be necessary for any fis-
cal year, half of which shall be derived from the ap-
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