Inflation Working Group Act
Bill: H.R.6399 | Sponsor: Rep. Emmer, Tom (R-MN)
Policy area: Economics and Public Finance

Summary:
Inflation Working Group Act
This bill establishes the U.S. Working Group on Inflation in Congress. The group must investigate the recent causes of elevated inflation and the relationships between inflation and gross domestic product growth, the labor market, poverty, crime, and other societal factors. The group must publish a report on their investigation and provide recommendations for actions to mitigate sustained inflation.

To establish the United States Working Group on Inflation.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Inflation Working Group Act''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established in the legislative branch 
the United States Working Group on Inflation (in this Act referred to 
as the ``Working Group'').
    (b) Membership.--The Working Group shall be composed of 17 members. 
Members of the Working Group shall be appointed in accordance with the 
following:
            (1) Four members shall be appointed by the Speaker of the 
        House of Representatives.
            (2) Four members shall be appointed by the minority leader 
        of the House of Representatives.
            (3) Four members shall be appointed by the majority leader 
        of the Senate.
            (4) Four members shall be appointed by the minority leader 
        of the Senate.
            (5) One member, who shall serve as the Chairperson of the 
        Working Group, shall be jointly appointed by the Speaker of the 
        House of Representatives, the minority leader of the House of 
        Representatives, the majority leader of the Senate, and the 
        minority leader of the Senate.
    (c) Qualifications; Initial Meeting.--
            (1) Qualification.--It is the sense of Congress that 
        individuals appointed to the Working Group should be prominent 
        United States citizens with national recognition and 
        significant depth of experience in macroeconomic policy.
            (2) Initial meeting.--The Working Group shall meet and 
        begin the initial operation of the Working Group as soon as 
        practicable, but not earlier than 15 days after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act.
    (d) Timing for Appointment.--All members of the Working Group shall 
be appointed not later than 10 days after the date of the enactment of 
this Act.
    (e) Quorum; Vacancies.--After its initial meeting, the Working 
Group shall meet upon the call of the Chairperson or a majority of its 
members. A majority of members of the Working Group shall constitute a 
quorum. Any vacancy in the Working Group shall not affect its powers, 
but shall be promptly filled in the same manner in which the original 
appointment was made.
    (f) Compensation.--Each member of the Working Group who is not an 
officer or employee of the Federal Government may be compensated at a 
rate not to exceed the daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay 
in effect for a position at level III of the Executive Schedule under 
section 5314 of title 5, United States Code, for each day during which 
the member is engaged in the actual performance of the duties of the 
Working Group.
    (g) Travel Expenses.--Each member of the Working Group shall 
receive travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, in 
accordance with applicable provisions under subchapter I of chapter 57 
of title 5, United States Code.

SEC. 3. POWERS.

    (a) Contracting.--The Working Group may, to such extent and in such 
amounts as are provided in appropriations Acts, enter into contracts to 
enable the Working Group to discharge its duties under this Act.
    (b) Obtaining Official Data.--
            (1) In general.--The Working Group may secure directly from 
        any Federal department or agency information that is necessary 
        to enable it to carry out its purposes and functions under this 
        Act. Upon request of the Chairperson, the head of such 
        department or agency shall furnish such information to the 
        Working Group.
            (2) Receipt, handling, storage, and dissemination.--
        Information obtained by the Working Group shall only be 
        received, handled, stored, and disseminated by members of the 
        Working Group or its staff consistent with all applicable 
        statutes, regulations, and Executive orders.
    (c) Assistance From Federal Agencies.--
            (1) General services administration.--Upon the request of 
        the Working Group, the Architect of the Capitol shall provide 
        to the Working Group, on a reimbursable basis, the 
        administrative support services and office space necessary for 
        the Working Group to carry out its purposes and functions under 
        this Act.
            (2) Other federal departments and agencies.--In addition to 
        the assistance prescribed in paragraph (1), Federal departments 
        and agencies may provide to the Working Group such services, 
        funds, facilities, staff, and other support services as 
        determined advisable and authorized by law.
    (d) Postal Services.--The Working Group may use the United States 
mail in the same manner and under the same conditions as Federal 
departments and agencies.

SEC. 4. STAFF.

    (a) Appointment.--
            (1) In general.--The Chairperson may appoint and fix the 
        compensation of a Staff Director and such other personnel as 
        may be necessary to enable the Working Group to carry out its 
        purposes and functions, without regard to the provisions of 
        title 5, United States Code, governing 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 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 
        IV of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, 
        United States Code.
            (2) Coverage under congressional accountability act of 
        1995.--For purposes of the Congressional Accountability Act of 
        1995 (18 U.S.C. 1301 et seq.)--
                    (A) the Working Group shall be considered an 
                employing office; and
                    (B) the personnel of the Working Group shall be 
                considered covered employees.
    (b) Experts and Consultants.--The Working Group is authorized to 
procure temporary and intermittent services under section 3109 of title 
5, United States Code, but at rates for individuals not to exceed the 
daily equivalent of the maximum annual rate of basic pay under level IV 
of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, United States 
Code.
    (c) Detailees.--The head of any Federal department or agency may 
detail, on a nonreimbursable basis, any of the personnel of that 
department or agency to the Working Group to assist the Working Group 
in carrying out its purposes and functions.

SEC. 5. SECURITY CLEARANCES FOR MEMBERS AND STAFF.

    The appropriate Federal departments or agencies shall cooperate 
with the Working Group in expeditiously providing to the Working Group 
members and staff appropriate security clearances to the extent 
possible pursuant to existing procedures and requirements, except that 
no person may be provided with access to classified information under 
this Act without the appropriate security clearances.

SEC. 6. DUTIES.

    (a) Investigation.--The Working Group shall investigate the recent 
causes of elevated inflation, as well as the relationships between 
inflation and the following:
            (1) Gross domestic product growth.
            (2) The labor market, workforce development, and hiring.
            (3) Poverty.
            (4) Crime.
            (5) Other factors of major societal concern.
    (b) Report.--
            (1) Report.--Not later than 3 months after the date on 
        which a majority of the members of the Working Group have been 
        appointed, the Working Group shall submit a report to Congress 
        and the President setting forth the results of the 
        investigation conducted under subsection (a), as well as 
        recommendations for Congressional or other government action to 
        mitigate the threat of sustained inflation.
            (2) Public availability.--The report under paragraph (1) 
        shall be made publicly available and accessible.

SEC. 7. TERMINATION.

    The Working Group shall terminate 4 months after the date on which 
it submits the report under section 6(b).

SEC. 8. RECORDS.

     The records of the Working Group shall be transferred to the 
Center for Legislative Archives at the National Archives and Records 
Administration upon termination of the Working Group pursuant to 
section 7.

SEC. 9. FUNDING.

    Of the amounts used to carry out this Act--
            (1) 50 percent shall be derived from the existing balance 
        of the applicable accounts of the House of Representatives as 
        of the date of the enactment of this Act; and
            (2) 50 percent shall be derived from the existing balance 
        of the contingent fund of the Senate as of the date of the 
        enactment of this Act.
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