Sec. 14. Participatory Government and Civic Dialogue Advisory Council
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/bill/117/s/1934/is/section-14A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
In this section: The term Council means the Participatory Government and Civic Dialogue Advisory Council. The term State means— a State; the District of Columbia; the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and any other territory or possession of the United States. The Director, in coordination with the Chief Customer Experience Officer of the United States appointed under section 9(b), shall establish an advisory council to be known as the Participatory Government and Civic Dialogue Advisory Council for the purpose of providing the recommendations described in subsection (e).
The Council shall consist of 22 members appointed by the Director, of whom— 4 shall be representatives of a nonprofit organization or foundation; 4 shall be representatives of agencies who have the responsibility to foster, or relevant experience in fostering, public participation in the prioritization of the policy, regulation, execution, or evaluation of the Federal Government; 4 shall be representatives of a State, local, Tribal, or territorial government; 4 shall be representatives of academic or research institutions; 4 shall be representatives of businesses; and 2 shall be representatives of media organizations.
The Director shall ensure that— the membership of the Council is geographically diverse; and not more than 2 of the members described in subparagraphs
(A)through
(E)of paragraph
(1)represent the same State. Subject to subparagraph (C), each member of the Council shall be appointed for a term of 3 years. Members of the Council may be appointed for not more than 2 consecutive terms. The terms of the initial members of the Council may be 1, 2, or 3 years in order to establish a rotation in which the Director appoints 1/3 of the members of the Council each year. Any member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring before the expiration of the term for which the member’s predecessor was appointed shall be appointed only for the remainder of that term. A member may serve after the expiration of that member’s term until a successor has taken office. The Director shall convene the Council not less frequently than biannually. The Council, on a continuous basis, shall provide to the Director written recommendations, including any recommendations relating to the 2-year plan required under subsection (h), that— focus on furthering a virtuous cycle in which responsive political institutions foster a healthy civic culture of participation and responsibility to ensure that political institutions are responsive and inclusive; evaluate, and recommend improvements for, opportunities for active and substantive public participation in the prioritization, design, implementation, and evaluation of the policies of the Federal Government in order to— enhance the quality of the policies of the Federal Government; and increase the legitimacy of processes and outcomes of the Federal Government; identify opportunities created by digital platforms to— facilitate and enhance the interaction between the public and the Federal Government; and incorporate innovations in participatory democracy gleaned from— agencies; State, local, Tribal, and territorial governments; and governments across the world; evaluate, and recommend improvements for— civic dialogue and debate across the United States, with an emphasis on bridging differences and highlighting shared values; and efforts to counterbalance cynical, vitriolic, and unproductive civil conversations on social media by finding common ground; and assess, and recommend improvement for, the role of the Federal Government in using the convening power and resources of the Federal Government to complement— private and philanthropic funding; civic education at all educational levels and structures; and the media. Members of the Council may not receive compensation for the performance of services for the Council. Members of the Council shall be allowed 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, United States Code, while away from their homes or regular places of business in the performance of services for the Council. Notwithstanding section 1342 of title 31, United States Code, the Secretary may accept the voluntary and uncompensated services of members of the Council. Section 14 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the Council. Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director, in consultation with the Council and the heads of appropriate agencies, shall submit to Congress a 2-year plan on participatory government and civic dialogue. The plan required under paragraph
(1)shall include— a description of the problem relating to public participation in the Federal Government and civic dialogue; recommendations for agency and congressional action to improve public participation in the Federal Government, including— good practices; a selection of illustrative mechanisms for agencies that can enable agencies to offer meaningful and impactful opportunities for public participation; and a list of resources available to agencies to enable agencies to adopt and pilot recommendations. recommendations for agency and congressional action to improve civic conversation in the United States, including new— agency programs; legislative authorities; or funding; and a description of the concrete actions that agencies should take relating to the mission of the Council during the 2-year period beginning on the date on which the plan is submitted under paragraph (1). In developing and implementing the plan required under paragraph (1), the Director shall take into account other efforts of the Federal Government to improve participatory government and civic dialogue, including customer experience initiatives and broader Federal Government communication.