Service as a member on the Technical Assessment 
Board shall not be construed under the rules of the 
House of Representatives or the Senate as service as 
a member of a House of Representatives or Senate 
Committee. 
(3) VACANCIES.—Vacancies in the membership 
of the Technical Assessment Board shall not affect 
the authority of the remaining members to act, and 
such vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as 
in the case of the original appointment. 
(4) CHAIRMAN
AND
VICE
CHAIRMAN.—There 
shall be selected at the beginning of each Congress 
a chairman and a vice chairman, one of whom shall 
be a member of the Senate selected by the members 
of the Technical Assessment Board who are mem-
bers of the Senate from among their number, and 
one of whom shall be a member of the House of 
Representatives selected by the members of the 
Technical Assessment Board who are members of 
the House of Representatives from among their 
number. The chairmanship and vice chairmanship 
shall alternate between the Senate and the House of 
Representatives with each year. The chairman dur-
ing each odd-numbered year shall be a member of 
the House of Representatives. The vice chairman
shall act in the place of the chairman in the absence 
of the chairman. 
(5) AUTHORITY TO ACT.—The Technical As-
sessment Board established under this subsection 
may sit and act at such places and times as it choos-
es, including during the sessions, recesses, and ad-
journed periods of Congress. 
(c) DIRECTOR AND DEPUTY DIRECTOR.—
(1) DIRECTOR.—The Director of the Center 
shall be appointed by the Comptroller General with 
the approval of the Technical Assessment Board and 
shall serve for a term of 6 years unless sooner re-
moved by the Technical Assessment Board. The Di-
rector shall receive basic pay at the rate provided for 
level III of the Executive Schedule under section 
5314 of title 5, United States Code. 
(2) POWERS AND DUTIES.—In addition to the 
powers and duties vested by this section, the Direc-
tor shall exercise such powers and duties as may be 
delegated by the Technical Assessment Board. The 
Director, with the permission of the Comptroller 
General, shall have the authority to hire, remove, or 
promote permanent staff and enter into contracts 
for consultants, expert analysis, and peer reviewers 
described in subsection (f). In consultation with the
Technical Assessment Board and with the approval 
of the Comptroller General, the Director shall pre-
pare the annual budget for the Center for submis-
sion to Congress. 
(3) DEPUTY DIRECTOR.—The Director may ap-
point, with the approval of the Comptroller General, 
a Deputy Director who shall perform such functions 
as the Director may prescribe and who shall be Act-
ing Director during the absence or incapacity of the 
Director or in the event of a vacancy in the office 
of Director. The Deputy Director shall receive basic 
pay at the rate provided for level IV of the Executive 
Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, United 
States Code. 
(4) CONFLICTS OF INTEREST.—Neither the Di-
rector nor the Deputy Director shall engage in any 
other business, vocation, or employment than that of 
serving as such Director or Deputy Director, as the 
case may be; nor shall the Director or Deputy Direc-
tor, except with the approval of the Comptroller 
General, hold any office in, or act in any capacity 
for, any organization, agency, or institution with 
which the Center makes any contract or other ar-
rangement under this section. 
(d) CONGRESSIONAL REQUESTS.—
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Any member of Congress 
may make requests to the Technical Assessment 
Board that the Center conduct an investigation and 
report to the requester, within a specified time pe-
riod, on any matter relating to scientific and tech-
nical assessment. 
(2) FORMAL
CALLS
FOR
REQUESTS.—The 
chairman of the Technical Assessment Board estab-
lished under subsection (b) shall submit to all mem-
bers of Congress formal calls for requests under this 
subsection. 
(3) PRIORITIZATION.—Requests under para-
graph (1) shall be addressed by the Center in ac-
cordance with the following priority order: 
(A) Requests with bipartisan and bi-
cameral support. 
(B) Requests with bipartisan support. 
(C) Requests from other members. 
The Director, with the approval of the Technical As-
sessment Board, may determine the final priority for 
consideration of and fulfilling requests among and 
within each category described in subparagraphs (A) 
through (C). 
(e) ADVISORY PANELS.—The Director may establish 
an advisory panel as necessary to support each technical
assessment report provided by the Center. Such panels 
shall not be subject to the Federal Advisory Committee 
Act (5 U.S.C. App.). 
(f) PEER REVIEW.—Each report requested under 
this subsection shall be subject to peer review before deliv-
ery to the committee or member of Congress requesting 
the report. Such peer review shall consist of rigorous vet-
ting, checking, criticism, and recommendations for im-
provement by independent, qualified experts in the various 
aspects of the subject of the request under study. Inde-
pendent experts shall assess each Center report by consid-
ering the scientific method, factual accuracy, results, and 
conclusions put forward by the authors. The peer review-
ers’ comments shall be given to the report authors to allow 
for change, improvement, and modification of the report 
before delivery to the Director. After final review by the 
Director, and the approval of the Technical Assessment 
Board, the report shall be delivered to the committee or 
member of Congress requesting the report. 
(g) PUBLIC RELEASE.—Except for classified reports, 
the Center, with the permission of the Technical Assess-
ment Board, shall promptly release a report requested 
under subsection (d) to the public, except that such release 
shall be delayed by not more than 2 weeks at the request
of the Technical Assessment Board or a member of Con-
gress. 
(h) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to the Comptroller Gen-
eral for carrying out this section $30,000,000 for each of 
the fiscal years 2005 through 2007, to remain available 
until expended.
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