§ 70112.
(b)
Area Maritime Security Advisory Committees.—
(1)
In general.—
(A)
Establishment.—
The Secretary may—
(i)
establish an Area Maritime Security Advisory Committee for any port area of the United States; and
(ii)
request such a committee to review the proposed Area Maritime Transportation Security Plan developed under section 70103(b) and make recommendations to the Secretary that the committee considers appropriate.
(B)
Additional functions and meetings.—
A committee established under this subsection for an area—
(i)
may advise, consult with, report to, and make recommendations to the Secretary on matters relating to maritime security in that area;
(ii)
may make available to the Congress recommendations that the committee makes to the Secretary; and
(iii)
shall meet at the call of—
(I)
the Secretary, who shall call such a meeting at least once during each calendar year; or
(II)
a majority of the committee.
(2)
Membership.—
(A)
In general.—
Each committee established under this subsection shall consist of at least 7 members appointed by the Secretary, each of whom has at least 5 years practical experience in maritime security operations.
(B)
Terms.—
The term of each member of a committee established under this subsection shall be for a period of not more than 5 years, specified by the Secretary.
(C)
Notice.—
Before appointing an individual to a position on a committee established under this subsection, the Secretary shall publish a notice in the Federal Register soliciting nominations for membership on the committee.
(D)
Background examinations.—
The Secretary may require an individual to have passed an appropriate security background examination before appointment to a committee established under this subsection.
(E)
Representation.—
Each committee established under this subsection shall be composed of individuals who represent the interests of the port industry, terminal operators, port labor organizations, and other users of the port areas.
(3)
Chairperson and vice chairperson.—
(A)
In general.—
Each committee established under this subsection shall elect 1 of the committee’s members as the Chairperson and 1 of the committee’s members as the Vice Chairperson.
(B)
Vice chairperson acting as chairperson.—
The Vice Chairperson shall act as Chairperson in the absence or incapacity of the Chairperson, or in the event of a vacancy in the office of the Chairperson.
(4)
Observers.—
(A)
In general.—
The Secretary shall, and the head of any other interested Federal agency may, designate a representative to participate as an observer with a committee established under this subsection.
(B)
Role.—
The Secretary’s designated representative to a committee established under this subsection shall act as the executive secretary of the committee and shall perform the duties set forth in
section 1009(c) of title 5.
(5)
Consideration of views.—
The Secretary shall consider the information, advice, and recommendations of each committee established under this subsection in formulating policy regarding matters affecting maritime security.
(6)
Compensation and expenses.—
(A)
In general.—
A member of a committee established under this subsection, when attending meetings of the committee or when otherwise engaged in the business of the committee, is entitled to receive—
(i)
compensation at a rate fixed by the Secretary, not exceeding the daily equivalent of the current rate of basic pay in effect for GS–15 of the General Schedule under
section 5332 of title 5 including travel time; and
(B)
Status.—
A member of a committee established under this subsection shall not be considered to be an officer or employee of the United States for any purpose based on the receipt of any payment under this paragraph.
(7)
Chapter 10 of title 5.—
Chapter 10 of title 5 does not apply to a committee established under this subsection.
(Added [Pub. L. 107–295, title I, § 102(a)], Nov. 25, 2002, [116 Stat. 2081]; amended [Pub. L. 108–293, title VIII, § 806], Aug. 9, 2004, [118 Stat. 1082]; [Pub. L. 109–241, title IX, § 901(m)], July 11, 2006, [120 Stat. 565]; [Pub. L. 111–281, title VIII, § 810], Oct. 15, 2010, [124 Stat. 2995]; [Pub. L. 115–254, div. J, § 1805(c)(1)], Oct. 5, 2018, [132 Stat. 3534]; [Pub. L. 115–282, title VI, § 602(a)], Dec. 4, 2018, [132 Stat. 4290]; [Pub. L. 117–286, § 4(a)(294)], (295), Dec. 27, 2022, [136 Stat. 4338].)