Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to discharge the Committee on House Administration from further consideration of the bill (S. 1860) to permit each current member of the Board of Directors of the…
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to discharge the Committee on House Administration from further consideration of the bill (S. 1860) to permit each current member of the Board of Directors of the Office of Compliance to serve for 3 terms, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
Mr. Speaker, the statute we are amending limits the terms of the current Board of Directors of the Office of Compliance to two consecutive five year terms. The Board consists of five legal practitioners from around the country, each of whom is an expert in labor and employment matters. They were originally appointed in 1999 and 2000, and reappointed to second terms in 2004 and 2005. The terms of three Board members expired last month, and the terms of the remaining two Board members will expire this coming May. The Congressional Accountability Act does not allow for holdovers, so the current Board has already lost its quorum.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found in 2004 that term limits for Board members caused a loss of leadership, and negatively impacted the Office's continuity of operations. To avoid that negative impact, the Committee proposes to amend the law to allow the current Board to serve for an additional term.
This particular Board has demonstrated extraordinary productivity and balance in its handling of multiple cases, and its issuance of a number of substantive regulations. The current Board operates collegially, and appreciates the operating environment in which they perform their responsibilities. Over the last decade, the Board has met its statutory mandate without cause for concern from the Congress. The Board has been a neutral body, committed to advancing safety, health, and workplace rights, while working with the Congress to promulgate regulations that reflect the unique nature of the Legislative Branch.
The Congress amended the Congressional Accountability Act five years ago to allow for a second term. The GAO's 2004 report on the operations of the Board noted that, in comparable administrative regulatory agencies, such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Federal Labor Relations Board, and the National Labor Relations Board, there were no limitations on board members serving consecutive terms.
The Board members have provided an excellent balance, and unnecessary change to the composition of this Board creates a risk of loss of such balance. The Committee therefore recommends that the term limits for the current Board members be extended by an additional five year term. By enacting S. 1860, we will accomplish this purpose.
The bill was ordered to be read a third time, was read the third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
