“(a) Establishment.—There is established a commission to be known as the Commission on Servicemembers and Veterans Transition Assistance (hereafter in this title referred to as the ‘Commission’).
“(b) Membership.—(1) The Commission shall be composed of 12 members appointed from among private United States citizens with appropriate and diverse experiences, expertise, and historical perspectives on veterans, military, organizational, and management matters. The members shall be appointed as follows:“(A) Four shall be appointed jointly by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives.
“(B) Four shall be appointed jointly by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate.
“(C) Two shall be appointed jointly by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on National Security of the House of Representatives [now Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives].
“(D) Two shall be appointed jointly by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate.
“(2)(A) One member of the Commission appointed under each of subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (1) shall be a representative of a veterans service organization.
“(B) To the maximum extent practicable, the individuals appointed under paragraph (1) as members of the Commission shall be veterans.
“(C) Not more than seven of the members of the Commission may be members of the same political party.
“(3) In addition to the members appointed under paragraph (1), the following shall be nonvoting members of the Commission:“(A) The Under Secretary for Benefits of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“(B) The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Management and Personnel.
“(C) The Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans’ Employment and Training.
“(4) The appointments of members of the Commission shall, to the maximum extent practicable, be made after consultation with representatives of veterans service organizations.
“(5) The appointments of the members of the Commission shall be made not later than 45 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Oct. 9, 1996].
“(c) Period of Appointment; Vacancies.—Members shall be appointed for the life of the Commission. Any vacancy in the Commission shall not affect its powers, but shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment.
“(d) Initial Meeting.—Not later than 30 days after the date on which all members of the Commission have been appointed under subsection (b)(1), the Commission shall hold its first meeting.
“(e) Quorum.—A majority of the members of the Commission shall constitute a quorum, but a lesser number may hold hearings.
“(f) Chairman and Vice Chairman.—The Commission shall select a chairman and vice chairman from among its members.
“(g) Meetings.—The Commission shall meet at the call of the chairman of the Commission.
“(h) Panels.—The Commission may establish panels composed of less than the full membership of the Commission for the purpose of carrying out the Commission’s duties. The actions of such panels shall be subject to the review and control of the Commission. Any findings and determinations made by such a panel shall not be considered the findings and determinations of the Commission unless approved by the Commission.
“(i) Authority of Individuals To Act for Commission.—Any member or agent of the Commission may, if authorized by the Commission, take any action which the Commission is authorized to take under this title.
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