42 U.S.C. § 247d–7g — National Biodefense Science Board and working groups

(a) In general: (1) Establishment and function: The Secretary must create the National Biodefense Science Board to advise the Secretary on scientific and technical issues involving chemical, biological, nuclear, and radiological agents — whether natural, accidental, or deliberate. (2) Membership: The Board includes: (A) federal officials the Secretary decides are needed; (B) four people from the pharmaceutical, biotech, and device industries; (C) four people from academia; and (D) five more members the Secretary picks, including one practicing healthcare professional, one person from a healthcare-consumer organization, one person with pediatric expertise, and one state, tribal, territorial, or local public health official. One member can count toward more than one of these five categories. (3) Term of appointment: Members in categories (B), (C), or (D) serve 3-year terms, though the Secretary can stagger the first group's terms. (4) Consecutive appointments; maximum terms: A member can serve up to 3 terms total, but no more than 2 in a row. (5) Duties: The Board must (A) advise the Secretary on trends and threats from biological and life sciences, biotechnology, and genetic engineering related to infectious diseases and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear agents; (B) review information from the working groups described in subsection (b), when the Secretary asks; (C) give recommendations for expanded and coordinated biodefense research, when the Secretary asks; and (D) pass along any of its recommendations, findings, or reports to Congress. (6) Meetings: The Secretary had to hold the Board's first meeting within one year of December 19, 2006. After that, the Board meets when the Secretary calls it, but at least twice a year. (7) Vacancies: A vacancy doesn't stop the Board from working, and it's filled the same way as the original appointment. (8) Chairperson: The Secretary appoints a chairperson from among the members. (9) Powers: The Board may hold hearings, meet where needed, take testimony, and gather evidence. It can use U.S. mail like other federal agencies. (10) Personnel: A Board member who is a federal employee gets no extra pay for serving. A non-federal member can be paid up to the daily rate for Executive Schedule Level IV for each day of actual Board work, including travel days. Every member gets travel expenses and per diem under standard federal travel rules. Any federal employee can be loaned to the Board without reimbursement and without losing civil-service status. (b) Other working groups: The Secretary may set up a new expert working group, or use an existing one, to: (1) find promising research that could become a qualified countermeasure or pandemic/epidemic product; (2) find accepted animal models for diseases tied to chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear agents or pandemics, and find ways to speed up developing and validating those models and other research tools; and (3) get advice on supporting research into countermeasures and products that are likely safe and effective for children, pregnant women, and other vulnerable groups, plus other issues affecting them. (c) Definitions: Any term defined in section 247d–7e that's also used here has the same meaning as in that section. (d) Authorization of appropriations: Congress authorized $1,000,000 per year to carry out this section, starting in fiscal year 2007 and continuing every year after.