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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Networking Electronically To Connect 
Our Police Act of 2001'' or the ``NET COP Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) Internet-based crime-fighting, investigatory, and 
        information-sharing technologies have proven to be extremely 
        useful to the law enforcement agencies that use them;
            (2) the sharing of information and the dissemination of 
        criminal intelligence between and among Federal, State, and 
        local law enforcement agencies benefit the society at large by 
        making criminal investigations more inclusive and effective;
            (3) the sharing of information between and among Federal, 
        State, and local law enforcement agencies allows these agencies 
        to find missing, neglected, abused, or abducted children, as 
        well as non-custodial parents seeking to evade their legal or 
        financial responsibilities; and
            (4) police departments in rural areas of the country tend 
        to be underserved by these Internet-based technologies.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are--
            (1) to authorize the Department of Justice to make grants 
        to rural police departments for the purchase or upgrade of 
        computer equipment, and to pay for Internet access for crime-
        fighting, investigatory, or information-sharing purposes;
            (2) to reimburse police department officials or members 
        who, acting on behalf of their rural police departments and 
        using personal funds, have purchased computer equipment or paid 
        for Internet access for crime-fighting, investigatory, or 
        information-sharing purposes; and
            (3) to require annual reports to Congress on the 
        concentration of police departments that have Internet access, 
        particularly those departments serving rural areas.

SEC. 3. GRANTS AUTHORIZED.

    The Attorney General is authorized to award grants to rural police 
departments to--
            (1) enable those departments to gain access to the various 
        crime-fighting, investigatory, and information sharing 
        resources available on the Internet; and
            (2) reimburse rural police department officials and members 
        for the cost of computer equipment or Internet access.

SEC. 4. USE OF FUNDS.

    Grants awarded under this Act may be used--
            (1) for the purchase of new or upgraded computer hardware 
        or software;
            (2) to pay for Internet access; and
            (3) to reimburse rural police departments that have paid 
        for computer equipment or Internet access out of the funds of 
        the department or department official or members, for some or 
        all of the costs associated with those purchases, as determined 
        by the Attorney General.

SEC. 5. APPLICATION.

    Each eligible rural police department that desires a grant under 
this Act shall submit an application to the Attorney General at such 
time, in such manner, and accompanied by such information as the 
Attorney General may reasonably require.

SEC. 6. GRANT PROGRAM CRITERIA.

    (a) In General.--In awarding a grant under this Act, the Attorney 
General shall--
            (1) set criteria for determining which police departments 
        are currently underserved by crime-fighting, investigatory, or 
        information-sharing technologies available on the Internet, by 
        differentiating between police departments that do not have 
        Internet access, and those departments that have access but are 
        using outmoded, obsolete, or otherwise inadequate technology; 
        and
            (2) determine what would constitute the minimum feasible 
        package of technologies required to enable those police 
        departments to use existing crime-fighting, investigatory, and 
        information-sharing technologies.
    (b) Grant Limitations.--The Attorney General shall set limits for 
maximum annual grants, based on determinations made under subsection 
(a), for rural police departments that do not have Internet access, and 
for those that do have access but are using inadequate technology.

SEC. 7. POLICE DEPARTMENT TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANCE DESK.

    The Attorney General shall establish a Police Department Technology 
Assistance Desk to offer advice to chiefs of police in rural police 
departments regarding--
            (1) the types of products to buy in order to achieve not 
        less than a minimum level of Internet service to access 
        existing crime-fighting, investigatory, and information-sharing 
        technologies; and
            (2) technology upgrades for those police departments in 
        possession of outmoded or obsolete technology;
            (3) preferred vendors; and
            (4) any other information the Attorney General determines 
        to be necessary.

SEC. 8. REPORT TO CONGRESS.

    The General Accounting Office, in consultation with the Attorney 
General, shall annually report to Congress on the concentration of 
police departments in the country that have Internet access, with 
particular emphasis on the number and percentage of rural police 
departments that lack Internet access, especially high-speed Internet 
access.

SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There is authorized to be appropriated $500,000,000 for each of 
fiscal years 2002 through 2007 to carry out this Act.
Networking Electronically To Connect Our Police Act of 2001 or NET COP Act - Authorizes the Attorney General to award grants to rural police departments to: (1) enable those departments to gain access to the various crime-fighting, investigatory, and information sharing resources available on the Internet; and (2) reimburse rural police department officials and members for the cost of computer equipment or Internet access.Allows grants awarded to be used: (1) for the purchase of new or upgraded computer hardware or software; (2) to pay for Internet access; and (3) to reimburse rural police departments that have paid for computer equipment or Internet access out of the funds of the department or department officials or members for some or all of the costs associated with those purchases, as determined by the Attorney General.Sets forth provisions regarding grant application requirements and grant program criteria.Directs the Attorney General to establish a Police Department Technology Assistance Desk to offer advice to chiefs of police in rural police departments.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Oceans Act of 1998''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    As used in this Act:
            (1) Commission.--The term ``Commission'' means the 
        Commission on Ocean Policy established under section 4.
            (2) Coastal state.--The term ``coastal State'' means a 
        State in, or bordering on, the Atlantic, Pacific, or Arctic 
        Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, Long Island Sound, or one or more of 
        the Great Lakes.
            (3) Marine environment.--The term ``marine environment'' 
        includes--
                    (A) the oceans, including coastal and offshore 
                waters and nearshore saltwater estuaries;
                    (B) the continental shelf; and
                    (C) the Great Lakes.
            (4) Ocean and coastal activities.--The term ``ocean and 
        coastal activities'' includes activities consisting of, 
        affecting, or otherwise related to oceanography, fisheries, or 
        the management or use of any ocean and coastal resource. The 
        term does not include military operations and training.
            (5) Ocean and coastal resource.--The term ``ocean and 
        coastal resource'' means any living or nonliving natural, 
        historic, or cultural resource or mineral found in the marine 
        environment.
            (6) State.--The term ``State'' means any State of the 
        United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of 
        Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the 
        Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and any other 
        territory or possession of the United States.

SEC. 3. EXECUTIVE RESPONSIBILITIES.

    (a) National Ocean and Coastal Policy.--The Congress and the 
President, after receiving and considering the report of the Commission 
under section 4, shall develop and propose a coordinated, 
comprehensive, and long-range national policy for the responsible use 
and stewardship of ocean and coastal resources for the benefit of the 
United States, including a plan to meet the resource monitoring and 
assessment facilities and equipment requirements of Federal ocean and 
coastal programs.
    (b) Biennial Report.--Beginning in January 1999, the President 
shall transmit to the Congress biennially a report that shall include a 
detailed listing of all existing Federal programs relating to ocean and 
coastal activities, including a description of each program, the 
current funding for the program, and a projection of the funding level 
for the program for each of the following 5 fiscal years.
    (c) Budget Coordination.--Each agency or department involved in 
ocean and coastal activities shall include with its annual request for 
appropriations a report that identifies significant elements of the 
proposed agency or department budget relating to ocean and coastal 
activities.
    (d) Cooperation and Consultation.--In carrying out responsibilities 
under this Act, the President--
            (1) may use such staff, interagency, and advisory 
        arrangements as the President finds necessary and appropriate; 
        and
            (2) shall consult with State and local governments and non-
        Federal organizations and individuals involved in ocean and 
        coastal activities.

SEC. 4. COMMISSION ON OCEAN POLICY.

    (a) Establishment.--
            (1) In general.--There is hereby established the Commission 
        on Ocean Policy.
            (2) Membership.--(A) The Commission shall be composed of 16 
        members appointed by the President from among individuals who 
        are knowledgeable in ocean and coastal activities, including 
        individuals representing State and local governments, ocean-
        related industries, academic and technical institutions, and 
        public interest organizations involved with scientific, 
        regulatory, economic, and environmental ocean and coastal 
        activities. The membership of the Commission shall be balanced 
        geographically to the extent consistent with maintaining the 
        highest level of expertise on the Commission.
            (B) Of the members of the Commission appointed under this 
        paragraph--
                    (i) 4 shall be appointed from a list of 8 
                individuals who shall be recommended by the majority 
                leader of the Senate in consultation with the Chairman 
                of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
                Transportation;
                    (ii) 4 shall be appointed from a list of 8 
                individuals who shall be recommended by the Speaker of 
                the House of Representatives in consultation with the 
                Chairmen of the Committee on Resources, Transportation 
                and Infrastructure, and Science;
                    (iii) 2 shall be appointed from a list of 4 
                individuals who shall be recommended by the minority 
                leader of the Senate in consultation with the ranking 
                member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, 
                and Transportation; and
                    (iv) 2 shall be appointed from a list of 4 
                individuals who shall be recommended by the by the 
                minority leader of the House of Representatives in 
                consultation with the ranking members of the Committees 
                on Resources, Transportation and Infrastructure, and 
                Science.
            (C) The members of the Commission shall be appointed for 
        the life of the Commission by not later than 90 days after the 
        date of the enactment of this Act.
            (3) First meeting.--The Commission shall hold its first 
        meeting within 30 days after it is established.
            (4) Chairman.--The Commission shall elect one of its 
        members as Chair.
    (b) Report.--
            (1) In general.--The Commission shall submit to the 
        Congress and the President, by not later than 18 months after 
        the date of the establishment of the Commission, a final report 
        of its findings and recommendations regarding United States 
        ocean policy.
            (2) Public and state review.--Before submitting the final 
        report to the Congress, the Commission shall--
                    (A) publish in the Federal Register a notice that 
                the draft report is available for public review; and
                    (B) provide a copy of the draft report to the 
                Governor of each coastal State, the Committees on 
                Resources, Transportation and Infrastructure, and 
                Science of the House of Representatives, and the 
                Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of 
                the Senate.
            (3) Final report contents, generally.--Subject to paragraph 
        (4), the final report of the Commission shall include 
        recommendations for the responsible use and stewardship of 
        ocean and coastal resources, including the following:
                    (A) Recommendations for any modifications to United 
                States laws and regulations, and the administrative 
                structure of the Executive agencies, that are necessary 
                to improve the understanding, management, and 
                conservation and use of, and access to, ocean and 
                coastal resources.
                    (B) An assessment of the condition and adequacy of 
                existing and planned facilities associated with ocean 
                and coastal activities, including human resources, 
                vessels, computers, satellites, and other appropriate 
                platforms and technologies, and recommendations for 
                investments and improvements in those facilities.
                    (C) A review of existing and planned ocean and 
                coastal activities of Federal entities, and 
                recommendations for changes in such activities 
                necessary to reduce duplication of Federal efforts.
                    (D) A review of the cumulative effect of Federal 
                laws and regulations on United States ocean policy, an 
                examination of those laws and regulations for 
                inconsistencies and contradictions that might adversely 
                affect the conduct of ocean and coastal activities, and 
                recommendations for resolving any such inconsistencies. 
                In particular, this portion of the report shall include 
                an examination of the relationship between the 
                fisheries development and fisheries conservation 
                responsibilities of the National Marine Fisheries 
                Service.
                    (E) A review of the known and anticipated supply of 
                and demand for ocean and coastal resources of the 
                United States.
                    (F) A review of the relationship between Federal, 
                State, and local governments and the private sector in 
                planning and carrying out ocean and coastal activities, 
                and recommendations for enhancing the role of State and 
                local governments.
                    (G) A review of opportunities for the development 
                of or investment in new products, technologies, or 
                markets related to ocean and coastal activities.
                    (H) A review of previous and ongoing State efforts 
                and Federal efforts to enhance the effectiveness and 
                integration of ocean activities, including those 
                occurring offshore and in nearshore saltwater 
                estuaries.
            (4) State comments.--The Commission shall include in the 
        final report comments received from the Governor of any coastal 
        State regarding recommendations in the draft report that apply 
        to areas within the boundaries of that coastal State.
            (5) Consideration of factors.--In making its assessments 
        and reviews and developing its recommendations, the Commission 
        shall give full and balanced consideration to environmental, 
        technical, economic, and other relevant factors, with an equal 
        opportunity for all parties to present a fair and reasonable 
        case for unbiased consideration by the Commission. All 
        recommendations should consider effects on private property. To 
        the greatest extent possible, no recommendations shall have a 
        negative impact on local economies that are dependent on ocean 
        and coastal resources. Any data used by the Commission in 
        making its recommendations for regulations shall be peer 
        reviewed.
            (6) Limitation on recommendations.--The Commission shall 
        not make any specific recommendations with respect to lands and 
        waters within the boundary of any State located north of 51 
        degrees North latitude, or with respect to lands and waters 
        within the State of Idaho.
    (c) Duties of the Chair.--In carrying out the provisions of this 
section, the Chair of the Commission shall be responsible for--
            (1) the assignment of duties and responsibilities among 
        staff personnel and their continuing supervision; and
            (2) the use and expenditures of funds available to the 
        Commission.
    (d) Compensation.--Members of the Commission shall, subject to the 
availability of appropriations, when engaged in the actual performance 
of duties of the Commission, receive reimbursement of travel expenses, 
including per diem in lieu of subsistence as authorized for persons 
employed intermittently in the Government service under section 3109 of 
title 5, United States Code.
    (e) Staff.--
            (1) Executive director.--The Chair of the Commission may, 
        with the consent of the Commission and without regard to the 
        civil service laws and regulations, appoint and terminate an 
        executive director who is knowledgeable in administrative 
        management and ocean and coastal policy and such other 
        additional personnel as may be necessary to enable the 
        Commission to perform its duties.
            (2) Compensation.--The executive director shall, subject to 
        the availability of appropriations, be compensated at a rate 
        not to exceed the rate payable for Level V of the Executive 
        Schedule under section 5316 of title 5, United States Code. The 
        Chairman may fix the compensation of other personnel without 
        regard to the provisions of chapter 51 and 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 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 
        employment without interruption.
            (4) Experts and consultants.--To the extent 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 exceed 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 Commission shall be open 
        to the public, except that a meeting 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. 
        Interested 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.--(A) Minutes of each meeting 
        shall be kept and shall contain a record of the people present, 
        a description 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 inspection and copying at a single location in the 
        offices of the Commission.
            (B) The Commission shall have at least one meeting in each 
        of the following 6 geographic regions of the United States:
                    (i) The Northeast.
                    (ii) The Southeast.
                    (iii) The Southwest.
                    (iv) The Northwest.
                    (v) The Great Lakes States.
                    (vi) The Gulf of Mexico States.
    (g) Cooperation With Other Federal Entities.--
            (1) Other federal agencies and departments.--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 extent permitted by law, 
        furnish such information to the Commission, upon the request of 
        the Chair 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 agencies, private firms, institutions, 
        and individuals to assist the Commission in carrying out its 
        duties. The Commission may purchase and contract without regard 
        to section 18 of the Office of Federal Procurement 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 provisions of title 44, United States Code. The contracting 
        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 $2,000,000 for 
fiscal year 1999 and $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2000. Any sums 
appropriated may remain available without fiscal year limitation until 
the Commission ceases to exist.

            Passed the House of Representatives September 15, 1998.

            Attest:

                                                                 Clerk.
Oceans Act of 1998 - Requires that the Congress and the President, after considering the Commission report under this Act, develop a coordinated, comprehensive, and long-range national policy for the use and stewardship of ocean and coastal resources for the benefit of the United States, including a plan to meet the resource monitoring and assessment facilities and equipment requirements of Federal ocean and coastal programs.  Mandates a biennial report by the President to the Congress listing all existing Federal programs relating to ocean and coastal activities.  Requires each agency or department involved in ocean and coastal activities to include with its annual appropriations request a report identifying elements of its budget relating to ocean and coastal activities. 
Establishes the Commission on Ocean Policy and requires it to report to the Congress and the President regarding U.S. ocean policy. Requires opening the draft report for public comment before submitting the final report.  Prohibits Commission recommendations regarding lands and waters within:  (1) the boundary of any State north of 51 degrees North latitude; or (2) the State of Idaho.  Terminates the Commission after submission of its final report.  Authorizes appropriations.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``The White House Conference on Food 
and Nutrition''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) Hunger and undernutrition are political conditions that 
        can be solved.
            (2) Access to healthy food and good nutrition should be a 
        fundamental right of all Americans.
            (3) Nearly 40 years have passed since the United States 
        convened a White House conference to comprehensively address 
        the issues of food, hunger, health, and nutrition in America.
            (4) More than 35,500,000 Americans live in households that 
        face a constant struggle against hunger, 12,600,000 of whom are 
        children and 5,000,000 of whom are seniors, the disabled, and 
        the critically ill.
            (5) The Government spends more than $55,000,000,000 every 
        year responding to the concurrent epidemics of hunger and 
        undernutrition, yet the number of Americans facing hunger 
        continues to grow and our Nation's nutritional health is 
        declining.
            (6) Conservative cost estimates show that the true cost of 
        hunger and illness related to undernutrition in America is at 
        least $90,000,000,000 a year, more than half of which is paid 
        by Medicare and Medicaid.
            (7) Appropriate food and nutrition can save the United 
        States billions of dollars in health care costs by preventing 
        or delaying the progression to late-stage disease for tens of 
        millions of Americans who live with chronic diseases, such as 
        diabetes, HIV, AIDS, and heart disease. The costs of the 
        effects and treatments of those diseases are significantly 
        exacerbated by hunger, food insecurity, and undernutrition.
            (8) A national discussion of the root causes of hunger, 
        food insecurity, and undernutrition, as well as identification 
        of solutions to these epidemics, can lead to action to 
        implement such solutions and to end hunger in America.

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF THE CONFERENCE.

    (a) Authority To Call Conference.--Not later than December 31, 
2010, the President shall call the White House Conference on Food and 
Nutrition (in this Act referred to as the ``Conference'') to be 
convened not later than 18 months after the selection of the Policy 
Committee established in section 4, in order to make fundamental policy 
recommendations on ways to end hunger and to improve nutrition in the 
United States and to implement the purposes set forth in subsection 
(c).
    (b) Planning and Direction.--The Secretary of Health and Human 
Services, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Secretary of the 
Treasury (in this Act referred to as the ``Cochairs'') shall plan, 
conduct, and convene the Conference, in consultation with the Surgeon 
General.
    (c) Purposes of the Conference.--The purposes of the Conference are 
to--
            (1) identify viable solutions for ending hunger in the 
        United States;
            (2) review the current structure, scope, and effectiveness 
        of existing legislation and programs at the Federal, State, and 
        local levels that provide for the nutritional needs of food-
        insecure people living in the United States;
            (3) determine the extent to which current Federal, State, 
        and local programs that provide for the nutritional health of 
        Americans can better use available resources and ensure greater 
        coordination among such programs;
            (4) identify new ways to utilize the abundant agricultural 
        resources of the United States to meet the nutritional needs of 
        all Americans;
            (5) highlight emerging and innovative programs from the 
        public and private sectors, including community-based and 
        faith-based organizations that effectively address the 
        nutrition needs of vulnerable Americans and recommend such 
        programs as can be reasonably and cost-effectively replicated;
            (6) identify opportunities for effective partnerships 
        between the Government, industry, labor, healthcare, and the 
        nonprofit sectors to fight hunger in the United States;
            (7) explore the possibility of creating a Federal office 
        within the Department of Agriculture to oversee the Nation's 
        response to persistent and widespread hunger and food 
        insecurity, to include the oversight and coordination of all 
        Federal, State, and local antihunger programs;
            (8) bring public attention to the more than 35,500,000 
        people living in the United States that face a constant 
        struggle against hunger, food insecurity, and inadequate 
        nutrition;
            (9) illustrate the medical, developmental, and educational 
        impact of hunger, food insecurity, and inadequate nutrition, 
        and the potential savings to the United States health care 
        system, educational system, and other sectors when appropriate 
        food is available to the critically and chronically ill;
            (10) build understanding of the true cost of hunger in the 
        United States, to include lost wages, diminished stamina, 
        reduced capacity to learn, and the impact of despair; and
            (11) build understanding that the ever-burgeoning dual 
        epidemic of hunger and undernutrition is a matter of national 
        security.

SEC. 4. POLICY COMMITTEE; RELATED COMMITTEES.

    (a) Establishment.--Not later than June 30, 2009, there is 
established a Policy Committee comprising of 17 members to be selected 
as follows:
            (1) Presidential appointees.--Nine members shall be 
        selected by the President and shall include--
                    (A) 3 members who are officers or employees of the 
                United States, including the Surgeon General; and
                    (B) 6 members with experience in addressing the 
                needs of food-insecure and undernourished people in the 
                United States.
            (2) House appointees.--
                    (A) Two members shall be selected by the Speaker of 
                the House of Representatives after consultation with 
                the chairperson of the Committee on Education and 
                Labor, the chairperson of the Committee on Ways and 
                Means, and the chairperson of the Committee on 
                Agriculture, of the House of Representatives.
                    (B) Two members shall be selected by the minority 
                leader of the House of Representatives, after 
                consultation with the ranking minority members of such 
                committees.
            (3) Senate appointees.--
                    (A) Two members shall be selected by the majority 
                leader of the Senate, after consultation with members 
                of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
                Pensions, the Committee on Agriculture, and the 
                Committee on Finance, and the Appropriations 
                Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, and 
                Related Agencies, of the Senate.
                    (B) Two members shall be selected by the minority 
                leader of the Senate, after consultation with members 
                of such committees.
    (b) Voting; Chairperson.--
            (1) The Policy Committee shall act by the vote of a 
        majority of the members present. A quorum of Committee members 
        shall not be required to conduct Committee business.
            (2) The Surgeon General shall serve as the chairperson of 
        the Policy Committee. The chairperson may vote only to break a 
        tie vote of the other members of the Policy Committee.
    (c) Duties of the Policy Committee.--The Policy Committee shall 
initially meet at the call of the Cochairs, not later than 30 days 
after the last member is selected under subsection (a). Subsequent 
meetings of the Policy Committee shall be held at the call of the 
chairperson. Through meetings, hearings, and working sessions, the 
Policy Committee shall--
            (1) make recommendations to the Cochairs to facilitate the 
        timely convening of the Conference;
            (2) submit to the Cochairs a proposed agenda for the 
        Conference not later than 90 days after the first meeting of 
        the Policy Committee;
            (3) make recommendations for the delegates of the 
        Conference;
            (4) establish the number of delegates to be selected under 
        section 5; and
            (5) establish an executive committee consisting of 3 
        members of the Policy Committee to work with delegates of the 
        Conference.

SEC. 5. CONFERENCE DELEGATES.

    To carry out the purposes of the Conference, the Cochairs shall 
bring together delegates representative of the spectrum of thought in 
the field of food and nutrition, without regard to political 
affiliation or past partisan activity, who shall include--
            (1) representatives of Federal, State, and local 
        governments;
            (2) professional people and laypeople who are working in 
        the field of food, health, nutrition, and economic security; 
        and
            (3) representatives of the general public who are affected 
        by hunger in the United States.

SEC. 6. CONFERENCE ADMINISTRATION.

    (a) Administration.--In administering this section, the Cochairs 
shall--
            (1) provide written notice to all members of the Policy 
        Committee of each meeting, hearing, or working session of such 
        Committee not later than 48 hours before the occurrence of such 
        meeting, hearing, or working session;
            (2) request the cooperation and assistance of the heads of 
        such other Federal departments and agencies as may be 
        appropriate, including the detailing of personnel;
            (3) make available for public comment a proposed agenda 
        prepared by the Policy Committee, which will reflect to the 
        greatest extent possible the major issues facing the field of 
        food and nutrition consistent with the purposes of the 
        Conference set forth in section 3(c);
            (4) prepare and make available background materials that 
        the Cochairs deem necessary for the use of delegates to the 
        Conference; and
            (5) employ such additional personnel as may be necessary to 
        carry out the provisions of this Act without regard to 
        provisions of title 5, United States Code, governing 
        appointments in the competitive service, and without regard to 
        chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of such title 
        relating to classification and General Schedule pay rates.
    (b) Duties.--In carrying out the Cochairs's responsibilities and 
functions under this section, the Cochairs shall ensure that--
            (1) the proposed agenda prepared under subsection (a)(3) is 
        published in the Federal Register not later than 30 days after 
        such agenda is approved by the Policy Committee;
            (2) the personnel employed under subsection (a)(5) are 
        fairly balanced in terms of points of views represented and are 
        appointed without regard to political affiliation or previous 
        partisan activities;
            (3) the recommendations of the Conference are not 
        inappropriately influenced by any public official or by any 
        special interest, but instead are the result of the independent 
        and collective judgment of the delegates of the Conference; and
            (4) before the Conference is convened--
                    (A) current and adequate statistical data 
                (including decennial census data) and other information 
                on food and nutrition in the United States; and
                    (B) such information as may be necessary to 
                evaluate Federal programs and policies relating to food 
                and nutrition;
        which the Cochairs may obtain by making grants to or entering 
        into an agreement with, public agencies or nonprofit 
        organizations, are readily available in advance of the 
        Conference to the delegates.
    (c) Gifts.--The Cochairs may accept, on behalf of the United 
States, gifts (in cash or in kind, including voluntary and 
uncompensated services), which shall be available to carry out this 
Act. Gifts of cash shall be available in addition to amounts 
appropriated to carry out this title. Gifts may be earmarked by the 
donor or the executive committee for a specific purpose.
    (d) Records.--The Cochairs shall maintain records regarding--
            (1) the sources, amounts, and uses of gifts accepted under 
        subsection (c); and
            (2) the identity of each person receiving assistance to 
        carry out this Act, and the amount of such assistance received 
        by each such person.

SEC. 7. REPORT OF THE CONFERENCE.

    (a) Preliminary Report.--Not later than 100 days after the 
Conference adjourns, the Policy Committee shall prepare a preliminary 
report on the Conference which shall be published in the Federal 
Register and submitted to the chief executive officers of the States. 
The Policy Committee shall request that the chief executive officers of 
the States submit to the Policy Committee, not later than 45 days after 
receiving such report, their views and findings on such report.
    (b) Final Report.--Not later than 6 months after the date on which 
the Conference adjourns, the Policy Committee shall--
            (1) prepare a final report of the Conference which shall 
        include a compilation of the views and findings of the chief 
        executive officers of the States received under subsection (a); 
        and
            (2) publish in the Federal Register, and transmit to the 
        President and to Congress, the recommendations for the 
        administrative action and the legislation necessary to 
        implement the recommendations contained in such report.

SEC. 8. STATUS REPORTS.

    (a) Initial Status Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date 
on which the Conference adjourns, the Surgeon General shall--
            (1) prepare a status report documenting the implementation 
        of the recommendations contained in the final report described 
        in section 7(b)(1); and
            (2) publish in the Federal Register, and transmit to the 
        President and to Congress, such status report.
    (b) Subsequent Status Reports.--Not later than 5 years after the 
date on which the Conference adjourns, and every 5 years thereafter 
until all recommendations in the final report described in section 
7(b)(1) are achieved, the Comptroller General shall--
            (1) prepare a status report documenting the implementation 
        of the recommendations contained in such final report; and
            (2) publish in the Federal Register, and transmit to the 
        President and to Congress, such status report.

SEC. 9. DEFINITION OF STATE.

    For the purposes of this Act, the term ``State'' means any of the 
several States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto 
Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands of the United States, or 
the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

SEC. 10. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) Authorization.--
            (1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated to 
        carry out this Act--
                    (A) such sums as may be necessary for the first 
                fiscal year in which the Policy Committee plans the 
                Conference and for the following fiscal year; and
                    (B) such sums as may be necessary for the fiscal 
                year in which the Conference is held.
            (2) Limitation.--Any new spending authority or new 
        authority to enter into contracts under this Act, and under 
        which the United States is obligated to make outlays, shall be 
        effective only to the extent, and in such amounts, as are 
        provided in advance in appropriations Acts.
    (b) Availability of Funds.--
            (1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (3), funds 
        appropriated to carry out this Act and funds received as gifts 
        under section 6(c) shall remain available for obligation or 
        expenditure until the expiration of the 1-year period beginning 
        on the date the Conference adjourns.
            (2) Unobligated funds.--Except as provided in paragraph 
        (3), any such funds neither expended nor obligated before the 
        expiration of the 1-year period beginning on the date the 
        Conference adjourns shall be returned to the United States 
        Treasury.
            (3) Conference not convened.--If the Conference is not 
        convened before December 31, 2010, a trust fund shall be 
        established and such funds shall only be available for a future 
        Conference on Food and Nutrition.

The White House Conference on Food and Nutrition - Directs: (1) the President to call the White House Conference on Food and Nutrition to be convened in order to make fundamental policy recommendations on ways to end hunger and to improve nutrition in the United States; and (2) the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Secretary of the Treasury to plan and conduct the Conference.

Sets forth Conference provisions.