This bill establishes an independent Children's Commission to advocate for children's interests and well-being at the federal level. The Commission would consist of 15 members appointed by the Comptroller General, including child welfare experts, pediatricians, educators, nonprofit advocates, and young people with lived experience, with diversity in background and geography required. The Commission would be led by a Children's Commissioner serving as executive director, who can serve no more than two five-year terms and must not have worked for a for-profit company in the two years prior to appointment.
The Commission's primary responsibilities include promoting awareness of children's views and interests, receiving complaints about how government agencies serve children, advising Congress and agencies on child welfare policies, researching how federal laws and regulations affect children and marginalized youth, and publishing publicly accessible reports with child-friendly versions when appropriate. The Commission would also study the feasibility of requiring federal agencies to assess the impact of their actions on children and track progress on recommendations from previous child-focused congressional commissions.
The bill authorizes $5 million annually for fiscal years 2024 through 2030 to fund the Commission's operations. The Commission would have broad powers to hold hearings, request information from federal agencies, conduct research, and appear in court cases involving rules that affect children.
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