                          TITLE 2--THE CONGRESS
 
                CHAPTER 24--CONGRESSIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY
 
                  SUBCHAPTER III--OFFICE OF COMPLIANCE
 
Sec. 1381. Establishment of Office of Compliance


(a) Establishment

    There is established, as an independent office within the 
legislative branch of the Federal Government, the Office of Compliance.

(b) Board of Directors

    The Office shall have a Board of Directors. The Board shall consist 
of 5 individuals appointed jointly by the Speaker of the House of 
Representatives, the Majority Leader of the Senate, and the Minority 
Leaders of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Appointments of 
the first 5 members of the Board shall be completed not later than 90 
days after January 23, 1995.

(c) Chair

    The Chair shall be appointed from members of the Board jointly by 
the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Majority Leader of the 
Senate, and the Minority Leaders of the House of Representatives and the 
Senate.

(d) Board of Directors qualifications

                     (1) Specific qualifications

        Selection and appointment of members of the Board shall be 
    without regard to political affiliation and solely on the basis of 
    fitness to perform the duties of the Office. Members of the Board 
    shall have training or experience in the application of the rights, 
    protections, and remedies under one or more of the laws made 
    applicable under section 1302 of this title.

               (2) Disqualifications for appointments

        (A) Lobbying

            No individual who engages in, or is otherwise employed in, 
        lobbying of the Congress and who is required under the Federal 
        Regulation of Lobbying Act \1\ to register with the Clerk of the 
        House of Representatives or the Secretary of the Senate shall be 
        eligible for appointment to, or service on, the Board.
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    \1\ See References in Text note below.
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        (B) Incompatible office

            No member of the Board appointed under subsection (b) of 
        this section may hold or may have held the position of Member of 
        the House of Representatives or Senator, may hold the position 
        of officer or employee of the House of Representatives, Senate, 
        or instrumentality or other entity of the legislative branch, or 
        may have held such a position (other than the position of an 
        officer or employee of the General Accounting Office Personnel 
        Appeals Board, an officer or employee of the Office of Fair 
        Employment Practices of the House of Representatives, or officer 
        or employee of the Office of Senate Fair Employment Practices) 
        within 4 years of the date of appointment.

                            (3) Vacancies

        A vacancy on the Board shall be filled in the manner in which 
    the original appointment was made.

(e) Term of office

                           (1) In general

        Except as provided in paragraph (2), membership on the Board 
    shall be for 5 years. A member of the Board who is appointed to a 
    term of office of more than 3 years shall only be eligible for 
    appointment for a single term of office.

                       (2) First appointments

        Of the members first appointed to the Board--
            (A) 1 shall have a term of office of 3 years,
            (B) 2 shall have a term of office of 4 years, and
            (C) 2 shall have a term of office of 5 years, 1 of whom 
        shall be the Chair,

    as designated at the time of appointment by the persons specified in 
    subsection (b) of this section.

(f) Removal

                            (1) Authority

        Any member of the Board may be removed from office by a majority 
    decision of the appointing authorities described in subsection (b) 
    of this section, but only for--
            (A) disability that substantially prevents the member from 
        carrying out the duties of the member,
            (B) incompetence,
            (C) neglect of duty,
            (D) malfeasance, including a felony or conduct involving 
        moral turpitude, or
            (E) holding an office or employment or engaging in an 
        activity that disqualifies the individual from service as a 
        member of the Board under subsection (d)(2) of this section.

                (2) Statement of reasons for removal

        In removing a member of the Board, the Speaker of the House of 
    Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate shall 
    state in writing to the member of the Board being removed the 
    specific reasons for the removal.

(g) Compensation

                            (1) Per diem

        Each member of the Board shall be compensated at a rate equal to 
    the daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for 
    level V of the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of title 5 for 
    each day (including travel time) during which such member is engaged 
    in the performance of the duties of the Board. The rate of pay of a 
    member may be prorated based on the portion of the day during which 
    the member is engaged in the performance of Board duties.

                         (2) Travel expenses

        Each member of the Board shall receive travel expenses, 
    including per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates authorized for 
    employees of agencies under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, 
    for each day the member is engaged in the performance of duties away 
    from the home or regular place of business of the member.

(h) Duties

    The Office shall--
        (1) carry out a program of education for Members of Congress and 
    other employing authorities of the legislative branch of the Federal 
    Government respecting the laws made applicable to them and a program 
    to inform individuals of their rights under laws applicable to the 
    legislative branch of the Federal Government;
        (2) in carrying out the program under paragraph (1), distribute 
    the telephone number and address of the Office, procedures for 
    action under subchapter IV of this chapter, and any other 
    information appropriate for distribution, distribute such 
    information to employing offices in a manner suitable for posting, 
    provide such information to new employees of employing offices, 
    distribute such information to the residences of covered employees, 
    and conduct seminars and other activities designed to educate 
    employing offices and covered employees; and
        (3) compile and publish statistics on the use of the Office by 
    covered employees, including the number and type of contacts made 
    with the Office, on the reason for such contacts, on the number of 
    covered employees who initiated proceedings with the Office under 
    this chapter and the result of such proceedings, and on the number 
    of covered employees who filed a complaint, the basis for the 
    complaint, and the action taken on the complaint.

(i) Congressional oversight

    The Board and the Office shall be subject to oversight (except with 
respect to the disposition of individual cases) by the Committee on 
Rules and Administration and the Committee on Governmental Affairs of 
the Senate and the Committee on House Oversight of the House of 
Representatives.

(j) Opening of Office

    The Office shall be open for business, including receipt of requests 
for counseling under section 1402 of this title, not later than 1 year 
after January 23, 1995.

(k) Financial disclosure reports

    Members of the Board and officers and employees of the Office shall 
file the financial disclosure reports required under title I of the 
Ethics in Government Act of 1978 with the Clerk of the House of 
Representatives.

(Pub. L. 104-1, title III, Sec. 301, Jan. 23, 1995, 109 Stat. 24.)

                       References in Text

    The Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act, referred to in subsec. 
(d)(2)(A), is title III of act Aug. 2, 1946, ch. 753, 60 Stat. 839, 
which was classified generally to chapter 8A (Sec. 261 et seq.) of this 
title prior to repeal by Pub. L. 104-65, Sec. 11(a), Dec. 19, 1995, 109 
Stat. 701. See section 1601 et seq. of this title.
    This chapter, referred to in subsec. (h)(3), was in the original 
``this Act'', meaning Pub. L. 104-1, Jan. 23, 1995, 109 Stat. 3, as 
amended, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete 
classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out 
under section 1301 of this title and Tables.
    The Ethics in Government Act of 1978, referred to in subsec. (k), is 
Pub. L. 95-521, Oct. 26, 1978, 92 Stat. 1824, as amended. Title I of the 
Act is set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and 
Employees. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see 
Short Title note set out under section 101 of Pub. L. 95-521 in the 
Appendix to Title 5 and Tables.

                         Change of Name

    Committee on House Oversight of House of Representatives changed to 
Committee on House Administration of House of Representatives by House 
Resolution No. 5, One Hundred Sixth Congress, Jan. 6, 1999.

                  Section Referred to in Other Sections

    This section is referred to in section 1382 of this title.
