[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6399 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 6399
To establish the United States Working Group on Inflation.
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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 13, 2022
Mr. Emmer introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Financial Services
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A BILL
To establish the United States Working Group on Inflation.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Inflation Working Group Act''.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT.
(a) Establishment.--There is established in the legislative branch
the United States Working Group on Inflation (in this Act referred to
as the ``Working Group'').
(b) Membership.--The Working Group shall be composed of 17 members.
Members of the Working Group shall be appointed in accordance with the
following:
(1) Four members shall be appointed by the Speaker of the
House of Representatives.
(2) Four members shall be appointed by the minority leader
of the House of Representatives.
(3) Four members shall be appointed by the majority leader
of the Senate.
(4) Four members shall be appointed by the minority leader
of the Senate.
(5) One member, who shall serve as the Chairperson of the
Working Group, shall be jointly appointed by the Speaker of the
House of Representatives, the minority leader of the House of
Representatives, the majority leader of the Senate, and the
minority leader of the Senate.
(c) Qualifications; Initial Meeting.--
(1) Qualification.--It is the sense of Congress that
individuals appointed to the Working Group should be prominent
United States citizens with national recognition and
significant depth of experience in macroeconomic policy.
(2) Initial meeting.--The Working Group shall meet and
begin the initial operation of the Working Group as soon as
practicable, but not earlier than 15 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act.
(d) Timing for Appointment.--All members of the Working Group shall
be appointed not later than 10 days after the date of the enactment of
this Act.
(e) Quorum; Vacancies.--After its initial meeting, the Working
Group shall meet upon the call of the Chairperson or a majority of its
members. A majority of members of the Working Group shall constitute a
quorum. Any vacancy in the Working Group shall not affect its powers,
but shall be promptly filled in the same manner in which the original
appointment was made.
(f) Compensation.--Each member of the Working Group who is not an
officer or employee of the Federal Government may be compensated at a
rate not to exceed the daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay
in effect for a position at level III of the Executive Schedule under
section 5314 of title 5, United States Code, for each day during which
the member is engaged in the actual performance of the duties of the
Working Group.
(g) Travel Expenses.--Each member of the Working Group shall
receive travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, in
accordance with applicable provisions under subchapter I of chapter 57
of title 5, United States Code.
SEC. 3. POWERS.
(a) Contracting.--The Working Group may, to such extent and in such
amounts as are provided in appropriations Acts, enter into contracts to
enable the Working Group to discharge its duties under this Act.
(b) Obtaining Official Data.--
(1) In general.--The Working Group may secure directly from
any Federal department or agency information that is necessary
to enable it to carry out its purposes and functions under this
Act. Upon request of the Chairperson, the head of such
department or agency shall furnish such information to the
Working Group.
(2) Receipt, handling, storage, and dissemination.--
Information obtained by the Working Group shall only be
received, handled, stored, and disseminated by members of the
Working Group or its staff consistent with all applicable
statutes, regulations, and Executive orders.
(c) Assistance From Federal Agencies.--
(1) General services administration.--Upon the request of
the Working Group, the Architect of the Capitol shall provide
to the Working Group, on a reimbursable basis, the
administrative support services and office space necessary for
the Working Group to carry out its purposes and functions under
this Act.
(2) Other federal departments and agencies.--In addition to
the assistance prescribed in paragraph (1), Federal departments
and agencies may provide to the Working Group such services,
funds, facilities, staff, and other support services as
determined advisable and authorized by law.
(d) Postal Services.--The Working Group may use the United States
mail in the same manner and under the same conditions as Federal
departments and agencies.
SEC. 4. STAFF.
(a) Appointment.--
(1) In general.--The Chairperson may appoint and fix the
compensation of a Staff Director and such other personnel as
may be necessary to enable the Working Group to carry out its
purposes and functions, without regard to the provisions of
title 5, 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 classification and General Schedule pay rates,
except that no rate of pay fixed under this subsection may
exceed the equivalent of that payable for a position at level
IV of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5,
United States Code.
(2) Coverage under congressional accountability act of
1995.--For purposes of the Congressional Accountability Act of
1995 (18 U.S.C. 1301 et seq.)--
(A) the Working Group shall be considered an
employing office; and
(B) the personnel of the Working Group shall be
considered covered employees.
(b) Experts and Consultants.--The Working Group is authorized to
procure temporary and intermittent services under section 3109 of title
5, United States Code, but at rates for individuals not to exceed the
daily equivalent of the maximum annual rate of basic pay under level IV
of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, United States
Code.
(c) Detailees.--The head of any Federal department or agency may
detail, on a nonreimbursable basis, any of the personnel of that
department or agency to the Working Group to assist the Working Group
in carrying out its purposes and functions.
SEC. 5. SECURITY CLEARANCES FOR MEMBERS AND STAFF.
The appropriate Federal departments or agencies shall cooperate
with the Working Group in expeditiously providing to the Working Group
members and staff appropriate security clearances to the extent
possible pursuant to existing procedures and requirements, except that
no person may be provided with access to classified information under
this Act without the appropriate security clearances.
SEC. 6. DUTIES.
(a) Investigation.--The Working Group shall investigate the recent
causes of elevated inflation, as well as the relationships between
inflation and the following:
(1) Gross domestic product growth.
(2) The labor market, workforce development, and hiring.
(3) Poverty.
(4) Crime.
(5) Other factors of major societal concern.
(b) Report.--
(1) Report.--Not later than 3 months after the date on
which a majority of the members of the Working Group have been
appointed, the Working Group shall submit a report to Congress
and the President setting forth the results of the
investigation conducted under subsection (a), as well as
recommendations for Congressional or other government action to
mitigate the threat of sustained inflation.
(2) Public availability.--The report under paragraph (1)
shall be made publicly available and accessible.
SEC. 7. TERMINATION.
The Working Group shall terminate 4 months after the date on which
it submits the report under section 6(b).
SEC. 8. RECORDS.
The records of the Working Group shall be transferred to the
Center for Legislative Archives at the National Archives and Records
Administration upon termination of the Working Group pursuant to
section 7.
SEC. 9. FUNDING.
Of the amounts used to carry out this Act--
(1) 50 percent shall be derived from the existing balance
of the applicable accounts of the House of Representatives as
of the date of the enactment of this Act; and
(2) 50 percent shall be derived from the existing balance
of the contingent fund of the Senate as of the date of the
enactment of this Act.
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