PRESIDENTIAL COMMISSION ON STATE AND PRIVATE FORESTS.

SEC. 1245. PRESIDENTIAL COMMISSION ON STATE AND PRIVATE FORESTS. (a) Establishment.— The President shall establish a Commission on State and Private Forests (hereafter in this section referred to as the “Commission”) which shall assess the status of the State and private forest lands of the United States, the problems affecting these lands, and the potential contribution of these lands to the renewable natural resource needs of the United States associated with their improved management and protection. (b) Composition.— The Commission shall be composed of 25 members to be appointed by the President, including Federal, State, and local officials, timber industry representatives, nonindustrial private forest landowners, conservationists, and community leaders. No more than five members shall be appointed from any one State. Not fewer than 20 members shall be appointed by the President from nominations submitted by the following Members of Congress: (1) The chairman of the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives. (2) The ranking minority member of the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives. (3) The chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate. (4) The ranking minority member of the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate. (c) Vacancy.— A vacancy on the Commission shall be filled by appointment by the President in the manner provided in subsection (b). (d) Chairperson.— The Commission shall elect a chairperson from among the members of the Commission by a majority vote. (e) Meetings.— The Commission shall meet at the call of the chairperson or a majority of the members of the Commission. (f) Duties.— (1) Study.— The Commission shall conduct a study that shall include— (A) an assessment using existing inventories of the current status of the State and private forest lands of the United States, including— (i) ownership status and past and future trends; (ii) the production of timber and nontimber resources from such lands; and (iii) landowner attitudes toward the protection and management of these lands; (B) a review of the problems affecting the State and private forest lands of the United States, including— (i) resource losses to insects, disease, fire, and damaging weather; (ii) inadequate reforestation; (iii) fragmentation and conversion of the forest land base; and (iv) management options; 104 STAT. 3549 (C) constraints on, and opportunities for, providing multiresource outputs from forest lands; (D) administrative and legislative recommendations for addressing the problems and capitalizing on the potential of these lands for contributing to the renewable natural resource needs of the United States. (2) Findings and recommendations.— On the basis of its study, the Commission shall make findings and develop recommendations for consideration by the President with respect to the future demands placed on State and private forests in meeting both commodity and noncommodity needs of the United States in anticipation of impending changes in the management of the national forests, especially with regard to timber harvest. This assessment should focus on the role of State and private forest lands and help to identify means of improving their contribution to meeting the timber and nontimber needs of the United States. (3) Report.— The Commission shall submit to the President, not later than December 1, 1992, a report containing its findings and recommendations. The President shall submit the report to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate, and the report is authorized to be printed as a House Document. (g) Operations in General.— (1) Agency cooperation.— The heads of executive agencies, the General Accounting Office, the Office of Technology Assessment, and the Congressional Budget Office shall cooperate with the Commission. (2) Compensation.— Members of the Commission shall serve without compensation for work on the Commission. While away from their homes or regular places of business in the performance of duties of the Commission, members of the Commission shall be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, as authorized by law for persons serving intermittently in the Government service under section 5703 of title 5 of the United States Code. (3) Director.— To the extent there are sufficient funds available to the Commission and subject to such rules as may be adopted by the Commission, the Commission, without regard to the provisions of title 5 of the United States Code governing appointments in the competitive service and without regard to the provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of such title relating to the classification and General Schedule pay rates, may— (A) appoint and fix the compensation of a director; and (B) appoint and fix the compensation of such additional personnel as the Commission determines necessary to assist it to carry out its duties and functions. (4) Staff and services.— On the request of the Commission, the heads of executive agencies, the Comptroller General, and the Director of the Office Technology Assessment may furnish the Director of the Office of Technology Assessment may furnish the Commission with such office, personnel or support services as the head of the agency, or office, and the chairperson of the Commission agree are necessary to assist the Commission to carry out its duties and functions. The Commission shall not104 STAT. 3550 be required to pay, or reimburse, any agency for office, personnel or support services provided by this subsection. (5) Exemptions.— (A) FACA.— The Commission shall be exempt from sections 7(d), 10(e), 10(f), and 14 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App. 2,1 et seq.). (B) Title 5.— The Commission shall be exempt from the requirements of sections 4301 through 4305 of title 5 of the United States Code. (h) Authorization of Appropriations and Spending Authority.— (1) Authorization of appropriations.— There is authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary to implement this section. (2) Spending authority.— Any spending authority (as defined in section 401 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974) provided in this title shall be effective for any fiscal year only to such extent or in such amounts as are provided in appropriation Acts. (i) Termination.— The Presidential Commission on State and Private Forests shall cease to exist 90 days following the submission of its report to the President.