text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``HELP Commission Act''.
  
  SEC. 2. PURPOSE.
  
      The Congress finds that, despite the long-standing efforts and 
  resources of the United States dedicated to helping needy people around 
  the world, despair remains and in many areas is growing. Therefore, a 
  commission should be established to bring together the best minds 
  associated with development and humanitarian assistance to make a 
  comprehensive review of--
              (1) policy decisions, including why certain development 
          projects are funded and others are not;
              (2) delivery obstacles, including the roles of United 
          States agencies and other governmental and nongovernmental 
          organizations;
              (3) methodology, including whether the delivery of United 
          States development assistance always represents best practices 
          and whether it can be improved; and
              (4) results, including measuring improvements in human 
          capacity instead of in purely economic terms.
  An examination of these issues should present new approaches and ideas 
  to ensure that United States development assistance reaches its 
  intended recipients.
  
  SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT AND FUNCTIONS OF COMMISSION.
  
      (a) Establishment.--There is established the Helping Enhance the 
  Livelihood of People (HELP) Around the Globe Commission (in this Act 
  referred to as the ``Commission'').
      (b) Functions.--The Commission shall--
              (1) identify the past and present objectives of United 
          States development assistance, identify cases in which those 
          objectives have been met, identify the beneficiaries of such 
          assistance, and what percentage of the funds provided actually 
          reached the intended beneficiaries;
              (2) identify cases in which United States development 
          assistance has been most successful, and analyze why such 
          successes have not been transferable to other countries or 
          areas;
              (3) study ways to expand educational opportunities and 
          investments in people, and assess infrastructure needs;
              (4) because of the difficulty in measuring results in 
          lesser developed countries, study whether additional resources 
          should be dedicated in order to bring about tangible results;
              (5) analyze how the United States could place conditions on 
          governments in countries receiving United States development 
          assistance, in light of and notwithstanding the objectives of 
          the Millennium Challenge Account;
              (6) analyze ways in which the United States can coordinate 
          its development assistance programs with those of other donor 
          countries and international organizations;
              (7) analyze ways in which the safety of development 
          assistance workers can be ensured, particularly in the midst of 
          conflicts;
              (8) compare the effectiveness of increased and open trade 
          with development assistance, and analyze the advantages and 
          disadvantages of such trade and whether such trade could be a 
          more effective alternative to United States development 
          assistance;
              (9) analyze ways in which the United States can strengthen 
          the capacity of indigenous nongovernmental organizations to be 
          more effective in grassroots development;
              (10) analyze how political pressures affect the 
          decisionmaking process on providing development assistance;
              (11) analyze ways in which decisions on providing 
          development assistance can involve more of the people of the 
          recipient countries;
              (12) analyze ways in which results can be measured if 
          United States development assistance is targeted to the least 
          developed countries;
              (13) recommend standards that should be set for 
          ``graduating'' recipient countries from United States 
          development assistance;
              (14) analyze whether United States development assistance 
          should be used as a means to achieve United States foreign 
          policy objectives;
              (15) analyze how the United States can evaluate the 
          performance of its development assistance programs not only 
          against economic indicators, but in other ways, including how 
          to measure the success of United States development assistance 
          in democratization efforts; and
              (16) study any other areas that the Commission considers 
          necessary relating to United States development assistance.
  
  SEC. 4. MEMBERSHIP.
  
      (a) Appointment.--The Commission shall be composed of 21 members as 
  follows:
              (1) Six members shall be appointed by the President, of 
          whom at least two shall be representatives of nongovernmental 
          organizations.
              (2) Four members shall be appointed by the majority leader 
          of the Senate, and three members shall be appointed by the 
          minority leader of the Senate.
              (3) Four members shall be appointed by the Speaker of the 
          House of Representatives, and three members shall be appointed 
          by the minority leader of the House of Representatives.
              (4) The Administrator of the United States Agency for 
          International Development shall serve as a member of the 
          Commission, ex officio.
  Members under paragraphs (1) through (3) shall be appointed for the 
  life of the Commission.
      (b) Selection.--Members of the Commission shall be selected from 
  among individuals noted for their knowledge and experience in foreign 
  assistance, particularly development and humanitarian assistance.
      (c) Time of Appointment.--The appointments under subsection (a) 
  shall be made not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of 
  this Act.
      (d) Chair.--The President shall designate one of the members of the 
  Commission from private life as the Chair of the Commission.
      (e) Regional Subcommittees.--In order to facilitate the workload of 
  the Commission, the Commission shall divide the membership of the 
  Commission into three subcommittees representing the different regions 
  of the world to which the United States provides development 
  assistance, the membership of each subcommittee to be proportional to 
  the percentage of United States development assistance provided to the 
  region represented by the subcommittee. Each subcommittee shall elect 
  one of its members as Chair of the subcommittee.
      (f) Quorum and Meetings.--
              (1) Commission.--Eleven members of the Commission shall 
          constitute a quorum for purposes of transacting the business of 
          the Commission. The Commission shall meet at the call of the 
          Chair.
              (2) Subcommittees.--A majority of the members of each 
          regional subcommittee shall constitute a quorum for purposes of 
          transacting the business of the subcommittee. Each subcommittee 
          shall meet at the call of the Chair of the subcommittee.
      (g) Vacancies.--Any vacancy of the Commission shall not affect its 
  powers, but shall be filled in the manner in which the original 
  appointment was made.
      (h) Administrative Support.--The Administrator of General Services 
  shall provide to the Commission on a reimbursable basis (or, in the 
  discretion of the Administrator, on a nonreimbursable basis) such 
  administrative support services as the Commission may request to carry 
  out this Act.
      (i) Compensation.--
              (1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), members of the 
          Commission shall serve without pay.
              (2) Prohibition on additional compensation of federal 
          employees.--Members of the Commission who are full-time 
          officers or employees of the United States or Members of 
          Congress may not receive additional pay, allowances, or 
          benefits by reason of their service on the Commission.
      (j) Travel Expenses.--Members of the Commission 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 Commission.
      (k) Staff.--
              (1) In general.--The Chairman of the Commission may, 
          without regard to the civil service laws and regulations, 
          appoint and terminate an executive director and such other 
          additional personnel as may be necessary to enable the 
          Commission to perform its duties. The employment of an 
          executive director shall be subject to confirmation by the 
          Commission.
              (2) Compensation.--To the extent or in the amounts provided 
          in advance in appropriations Acts--
                      (A) the executive director shall be compensated at 
                  the rate payable for level V of the Executive Schedule 
                  under section 5316 of title 5, United States Code; and
                      (B) the Chairman of the Commission may fix the 
                  compensation of other personnel without regard to the 
                  provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 
                  53 of title 5, United States Code, relating to 
                  classification of positions and General Schedule pay 
                  rates, except that the rate of pay for such personnel 
                  may not exceed the rate payable for level V of the 
                  Executive Schedule under section 5316 of such title.
  
  SEC. 5. POWERS OF THE COMMISSION.
  
      (a) Hearings and Sessions.--The Commission may, for the purpose of 
  carrying out its functions under this Act, hold hearings, sit and act 
  at times and places in the United States and in countries which receive 
  United States development assistance, take testimony, and receive 
  evidence as the Commission considers advisable to carry out the 
  purposes of this Act.
      (b) Information From Federal Agencies.--The Commission may secure 
  directly from any Federal department or agency such information as the 
  Commission considers necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act. 
  Upon request of the Chair of the Commission, the head of such 
  department or agency shall furnish such information to the Commission, 
  subject to applicable law.
      (c) Postal Services.--The Commission may use the United States 
  mails in the same manner and under the same conditions as other 
  departments and agencies of the Federal Government.
      (d) Administrative Procedures.--The Commission may adopt such rules 
  and regulations, relating to administrative procedure, as may be 
  reasonably necessary to enable it to carry out the provisions of this 
  Act.
      (e) Travel.--
              (1) In general.--The Members of the Commission may, with 
          the approval of the Commission, conduct such travel as is 
          necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act. Each trip must 
          be approved by a majority of the Commission.
              (2) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of the Congress 
          that members of the Commission should, in order to carry out 
          the functions of the Commission most effectively, travel to 
          countries that receive United States development assistance. 
          The Commission is encouraged to invite Members of Congress to 
          accompany members of the Commission on such travel.
      (f) Staff and Services of Other Federal Agencies.--Upon the request 
  of the Commission, the head of any Federal department or agency may 
  detail, on a reimbursable or nonreimbursable basis, any of the 
  personnel of that department or agency to the Commission to assist it 
  in carrying out its functions under this Act. The detail of any such 
  personnel shall be without interruption or loss of civil service or 
  Foreign Service status or privilege.
  
  SEC. 6. REPORT OF THE COMMISSION.
  
      (a) In General.--Not later than 2 years after the members of the 
  Commission are appointed under section 4(a), the Commission shall 
  submit a report to the President, the Secretary of State, and the 
  Congress setting forth its findings and recommendations under section 
  3(b).
      (b) Classified Form of Report.--The report may be submitted in 
  classified form, together with a public summary of recommendations, if 
  the classification of information would further the purposes of this 
  Act.
      (c) Individual or Dissenting Views.--Each member of the Commission 
  may include the individual or dissenting views of the member.
  
  SEC. 7. APPLICABILITY OF OTHER LAWS.
  
      The Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply 
  to the Commission.
  
  SEC. 8. DEFINITION.
  
      In this Act, the term ``United States development assistance'' 
  means--
              (1) assistance provided by the United States under chapters 
          1, 10, 11, and 12 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 
          1961; and
              (2) assistance provided under any other provision of law to 
          carry out purposes comparable to those set forth in the 
          provisions referred to in paragraph (1).
  
  SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
  
      (a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated to the 
  Commission such sums as may be necessary to carry out this Act.
      (b) Availability of Funds.--Amounts authorized to be appropriated 
  under subsection (a) are authorized to remain available until expended, 
  but not later than the date of termination of the Commission.
  
  SEC. 10. TERMINATION.
  
      The Commission shall terminate 30 days after the submission of its 
  report under section 6.
target: HELP Commission Act - Establishes the Helping Enhance the Livelihood of People (HELP) Around the Globe Commission to: (1) identify objectives and beneficiaries of U.S. development assistance; (2) evaluate cases in which assistance has been successful; (3) study ways of expanding educational opportunities and investments in people, coordinating U.S. assistance programs with those of other countries and international organizations, ensuring the safety of development assistance workers, strengthening indigenous nongovernmental organizations in grassroots development, placing conditions on governments receiving assistance, and measuring results of targeting U.S. assistance to the least developed countries; (4) assess infrastructure needs; (5) study whether additional resources are needed for tangible results; (6) compare the effectiveness of increased and open trade with development assistance; (7) analyze how political pressures affect the assistance decision making process and how assistance decisions can involve more people of the recipient countries; (8) recommend standards for graduating recipient countries from U.S. assistance; (9) analyze whether assistance should be used to achieve foreign policy objectives; and (10) analyze how to evaluate the performance of the U.S. assistance programs, including in democratization efforts.
feat_title: To establish a commission to improve United States development assistance and food aid around the globe.