42 U.S.C. § 285m–4 — National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Advisory Board

(a) Establishment: The Secretary must create the National Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Advisory Board inside the Institute. (b) Composition: The Advisory Board has eighteen appointed members plus nonvoting ex officio members. (1) The Secretary appoints (A) twelve members who are scientists, physicians, or other health and rehabilitation professionals — not federal officers or employees — representing fields relevant to deafness and communication disorders, including at least two people who themselves have a communication disorder; and (B) six members from the general public who know about these disorders, including at least one person with a communication disorder and at least one parent of someone with one. Among all appointed members, at least five must be knowledgeable — through training or experience — in diagnosing and rehabilitating communication disorders, in educating people with hearing, speech, or language impairments, in public health, public information, community program building, workplace hazards to communication, or the aging process. (2) Ex officio members are: (A) the Assistant Secretary for Health, the Director of NIH, the Director of the Institute, the Director of the CDC, the Under Secretary for Health at Veterans Affairs, and the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs (or their designees), and (B) any other federal officers or employees the Secretary decides the Board needs. (c) Compensation: Members who are federal officers or employees get no extra pay for Board service beyond their regular government salary. Other members can be paid, for each day (including travel time) doing Board work, at a rate no higher than the daily rate for a GS-18 federal employee. (d) Term of office: An appointed member serves four years, and no term can run past the Board's own expiration. A member appointed to fill an unexpired term serves only the rest of that term. A member may keep serving past their term until a successor is in place. If a seat opens up, the Secretary must fill it within 90 days. (e) Chairman: The appointed members choose a chairman from among themselves. (f) Personnel: After consulting the Board and considering its recommendations, the Secretary must give the Board an executive director and one more professional staff member, plus whatever other staff, consultants, information, and administrative support the Secretary decides the Board needs. (g) Meetings: The Board meets when the chairman calls a meeting or the Institute's Director asks for one, but at least four times a year. (h) Functions: The Board must (1) review how the plan required under section 285m–1(a) is being carried out, and regularly update that plan; (2) advise and make recommendations to Congress, the Secretary, the Director of NIH, the Director of the Institute, and other relevant federal agencies about carrying out and revising the plan; and (3) stay in touch with other advisory bodies and outside groups working on these issues. (i) Subcommittee activities: The Board may create subcommittees, hold workshops and conferences, and collect data. Subcommittees can include Board members plus outside consultants with relevant expertise. (j) This subsection has been repealed. (k) Commencement: The Board had to be up and running by April 1, 1989.