99 STAT. 884
Studies. Reports.
PUBLIC LAW 99-158—NOV. 20, 1985 "(2) The term of office of a member of the Board shall expire when the member leaves the office of Senator or Representative, as the case may be, or upon the expiration of eight years after the date of the member's appointment to the Board, whichever occurs first. "(3) Vacancies in the membership of the Board shall not affect the power of the remaining members to execute the functions of the Board and shall be filled in the same manner as in the case of the original appointment. "(4) The Board shall select a chairman and a vice chairman from among its members at the beginning of each Congress. The vice chairman shall act as chairman in the absence of the chairman or in the event of the incapacity of the chairman. The chairmanship and vice chairmanship shall alternate between the Senate and the House of Representatives with each Congress. The chairman during each even-numbered Congress shall be selected by the Members of the House of Representatives on the Board from among their number. The vice chairman during each Congress shall be chosen in the same manner from that House of Congress other than the House of Congress of which the chairman is a Member. "(5) The Board shall meet once every three months unless such meeting is dispensed with by the chairman, and may meet at any time upon the request of four or more members of the Board or upon the call of the chairman. "(c)(1) The Board shall study and report to the Congress on a continuing basis on the ethical issues arising from the delivery of health care and biomedical and behavioral research, including the protection of human subjects of such research and developments in genetic engineering (including activities in recombinant DNA technology) which have implications for human genetic engineering. "(2)(A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), an annual report shall be transmitted to the Congress identifying the issues which were the subject of the study conducted under paragraph (1) and identifying areas, programs, and practices of medicine and biomedical and behavioral research which have significant ethical implications and which would be appropriate subjects for study. "(B) A report on research and developments in genetic engineering (including activities in recombinant DNA technology) which have implications for human genetic engineering shall be transmitted to the Congress not later than eighteen months after the appointment of the Committee under subsection (d). "(d)(1) To conduct the studies and make the reports required by subsection (c), the Board shall appoint a Biomedical Ethics Advisory Committee (hereinafter referred to as the 'Committee'). The Committee shall consist of fourteen members as follows: "(A) Four of the members shall be appointed by the Board from individuals who are distinguished in biomedical or behavioral research. "(B) Three of the members shall be appointed by the Board from individuals who are distinguished in the practice of medicine or otherwise distinguished in the provision of health care. "(C) Five of the members shall be appointed by the Board from individuals who are distinguished in one or more of the fields of ethics, theology, law, the natural sciences (other than the biomedical or behavioral sciences), the social sciences, the humanities, health administration, government, and public affairs.
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