ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.

SEC. 5504. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS. (a) Planning and Direction.—The Conference shall be planned and conducted by the Interagency Task Force on the White House Conference on Indian Education (hereafter in this part referred to as the “Task Force”). (b) Establishment of Task Force.— (1) If the President calls the Conference, the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Education, acting jointly, shall establish the Task Force on the White House Conference on Indian Education which shall consist of such employees of the Department of the Interior and the Department of Education as the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Education determine to be necessary to enable the Task Force to carry out its duties. (2) The Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Education shall each appoint no less than 2 professional staff members and one support staff member to the Task Force. (3) All staff assigned to the Task Force shall work on preparations for, and the conduct of, the Conference on a full-time basis. (4) The Secretary of the Interior shall provide office space and materials for the Task Force, including an allowance for mailing costs. (5) Each professional staff person appointed to the Task Force shall have expertise directly related to Indian education and at least one person appointed by the Secretary of the Interior shall be experienced in dealing with the Congress, Indian tribes, and nongovernmental organizations. (6) The Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Education, acting jointly, shall designate one staff person as the Director of the Task Force. (c) Function of the Task Force.—The Task Force shall— (1) when appropriate, request the cooperation and assistance of other Federal departments and agencies in order to carry out its responsibilities; (2) prepare and make available background materials for the use of participants in the Conference and any associated State conferences, and prepare and distribute such reports of the Conference and of any associated State conferences as may be appropriate; (3) make technical and financial assistance (by grants, con-tracts, or otherwise) available to the States and intertribal organizations to enable them to organize and conduct conferences and other meetings in order to prepare for the Conference; and (4) conduct fiscal oversight activities with respect to the preparation for, and the convening of, the Conference, including contracting for the services of an auditor. 102 STAT. 421 (d) Federal Agency Cooperation and Assistance.— (1) Each Federal department and agency shall cooperate with, and provide assistance to, the Task Force upon request made by the Task Force under subsection (c)(1). For that purpose, each Federal department and agency is authorized and encouraged to provide personnel to the Task Force. (2) The Commissioner of the Administration for Native Americans of the Department of Health and Human Services and the Director of the Indian Health Service of the Department of Health and Human Services are authorized to detail personnel to the Task Force, upon request, to enable the Task Force to carry out its functions under this part. (e) Personnel.—In carrying out the provisions of this part, the Task Force is authorized to engage such personnel as may be necessary to assist the Conference and the Advisory Committee of the Conference, without regard for the provisions of title 5, United States Code, governing appointments in the competitive service, and without regard to chapter 51, and subchapter III of chapter 53 of such title relating to classification and General Schedule pay rates. (f) Expenses —Participants in the Conference may, while away from their homes or regular places of business and attending the Conference, be allowed such travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, as are allowed under section 5703 of title 5, United States Code. Such expenses may be paid by way of advances, reimbursement, or in installments, as the Task Force may determine.