Administrative

§ 1113. Administrative (a) General Authority.—(1) The National Transportation Safety Board, and when authorized by it, a member of the Board, an administrative law judge employed by or assigned to the Board, or an officer or employee designated by the Chairman of the Board, may conduct hearings to carry out this chapter, administer oaths, and require, by subpena or otherwise, necessary witnesses and evidence. (2) A witness or evidence in a hearing under paragraph (1) of this subsection may be summoned or required to be produced from any place in the United States to the designated place of the hearing. A witness summoned under this subsection is entitled 108 STAT. 748to the same fee and mileage the witness would have been paid in a court of the United States. (3) A subpena shall be issued under the signature of the Chairman or the Chairman’s delegate but may be served by any person designated by the Chairman. (4) If a person disobeys a subpena, order, or inspection notice of the Board, the Board may bring a civil action in a district court of the United States to enforce the subpena, order, or notice. An action under this paragraph may be brought in the judicial district in which the person against whom the action is brought resides, is found, or does business. The court may punish a failure to obey an order of the court to comply with the subpena, order, or notice as a contempt of court. (b) Additional Powers.—(1) The Board may— (A) procure the temporary or intermittent services of experts or consultants under section 3109 of title 5; (B) make agreements and other transactions necessary to carry out this chapter without regard to section 3709 of the Revised Statutes (41 U.S.C. 5); (C) use, when appropriate, available services, equipment, personnel, and facilities of a department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States Government on a reimbursable or other basis; (D) confer with employees and use services, records, and facilities of State and local governmental authorities; (E) appoint advisory committees composed of qualified private citizens and officials of the Government and State and local governments as appropriate; (F) accept voluntary and uncompensated services notwithstanding another law; (G) accept gifts of money and other property; (H) make contracts with nonprofit entities to carry out studies related to duties and powers of the Board; and (I) require that the departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the Government, State and local governments, and governments of foreign countries provide appropriate consideration for the reasonable costs of goods and services supplied by the Board. (2) The Board shall deposit in the Treasury amounts received under paragraph (1)(I) of this subsection to be credited to the appropriation of the Board. (c) Submission of Certain Copies to Congress.—When the Board submits to the President or the Director of the Office of Management and Budget a budget estimate, budget request, supplemental budget estimate, other budget information, a legislative recommendation, prepared testimony for congressional hearings, or comments on legislation, the Board must submit a copy to Congress at the same time. An officer, department, agency, or instrumentality of the Government may not require the Board to submit the estimate, request, information, recommendation, testimony, or comments to another officer, department, agency, or instrumentality of the Government for approval, comment, or review before being submitted to Congress. (d) Liaison Committees.—The Chairman may determine the number of committees that are appropriate to maintain effective liaison with other departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the Government, State and local governmental authorities, and 108 STAT. 749independent standard-setting authorities that carry out programs and activities related to transportation safety. The Board may designate representatives to serve on or assist those committees. (e) Inquiries.—The Board, or an officer or employee of the Board designated by the Chairman, may conduct an inquiry to obtain information related to transportation safety after publishing notice of the inquiry in the Federal Register. The Board or designated officer or employee may require by order a department, agency, or instrumentality of the Government, a State or local governmental authority, or a person transporting individuals or property in commerce to submit to the Board a written report and answers to requests and questions related to a duty or power of the Board. The Board may prescribe the time within which the report and answers must be given to the Board or to the designated officer or employee. Copies of the report and answers shall be made available for public inspection. (f) Regulations.—The Board may prescribe regulations to carry out this chapter.