[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 104 (Wednesday, May 31, 1995)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 28507-28508]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-13484]
[[Page 28505]]
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Part IX
The President
_______________________________________________________________________
Executive Order 12961--Presidential Advisory Committee on Gulf War
Veterans' Illnesses
                        Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 104 / Wednesday, May 31, 1995 /
Presidential Documents
____________________________________________________________________
Title 3--
The President
[[Page 28507]]
                Executive Order 12961 of May 26, 1995
Presidential Advisory Committee on Gulf War
                Veterans'
                Illnesses
                By the authority vested in me as President by the
                Constitution and the laws of the United States of
                America, it is hereby ordered as follows:
                Section 1. Establishment. (a) There is hereby
                established the Presidential Advisory Committee on Gulf
                War Veterans' Illnesses (the ``Committee''). The
                Committee shall be composed of not more than 12 members
                to be appointed by the President. The members of the
                Committee shall have expertise relevant to the
                functions of the Committee and shall not be full-time
                officials or employees of the executive branch of the
                Federal Government. The Committee shall be subject to
                the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended, 5
                U.S.C. App. 2.
                    (b) The President shall designate a Chairperson
                from among the members of the Committee.
                Sec. 2. Functions. (a) The Committee shall report to
                the President through the Secretary of Defense, the
                Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and the Secretary of
                Health and Human Services.
                    (b) The Committee shall provide advice and
                recommendations based on its review of the following
                matters:
                    (1) Research: epidemiological, clinical, and other
                research concerning Gulf War veterans' illnesses.
                    (2) Coordinating Efforts: the activities of the
                Persian Gulf Veterans Coordinating Board, including the
                Research Coordinating Council, the Clinical Working
                Group, and the Disability and Compensation Working
                Group.
                    (3) Medical Treatment: medical examinations and
                treatment in connection with Gulf War veterans'
                illnesses, including the Comprehensive Clinical
                Evaluation Program and the Persian Gulf Registry
                Medical Examination Program.
                    (4) Outreach: government-sponsored outreach efforts
                such as hotlines and newsletters related to Gulf War
                veterans' illnesses.
                    (5) External Reviews: the steps taken to implement
                recommendations in external reviews by the Institute of
                Medicine's Committee to Review the Health Consequences
                of Service During the Persian Gulf War, the Defense
                Science Board Task Force on Persian Gulf War Health
                Effects, the National Institutes of Health Technology
                Assessment Workshop on the Persian Gulf Experience and
                Health, the Persian Gulf Expert Scientific Committee,
                and other bodies.
                    (6) Risk Factors: the possible risks associated
                with service in the Persian Gulf Conflict in general
                and, specifically, with prophylactic drugs and
                vaccines, infectious diseases, environmental chemicals,
                radiation and toxic substances, smoke from oil well
                fires, depleted uranium, physical and psychological
                stress, and other factors applicable to the Persian
                Gulf Conflict.
                    (7) Chemical and Biological Weapons: information
                related to reports of the possible detection of
                chemical or biological weapons during the Persian Gulf
                Conflict.
                    (c) It shall not be a function of the Committee to
                conduct scientific research. The Committee shall review
                information and provide advice and
                [[Page 28508]] recommendations on the activities
                undertaken related to the matters described in (b)
                above.
                    (d) It shall not be a function of the Committee to
                provide advice or recommendations on any legal
                liability of the Federal Government for any claims or
                potential claims against the Federal Government.
                    (e) As used herein, ``Gulf War Veterans'
                Illnesses'' means the symptoms and illnesses reported
                by United States uniformed services personnel who
                served in the Persian Gulf Conflict.
                    (f) The Committee shall submit an interim report
                within 6 months of the first meeting of the Committee
                and a final report by December 31, 1996, unless
                otherwise provided by the President.
                Sec. 3. Administration. (a) The heads of executive
                departments and agencies shall, to the extent permitted
                by law, provide the Committee with such information as
                it may require for purposes of carrying out its
                functions.
                    (b) Members of the Committee shall be compensated
                in accordance with Federal law. Committee members may
                be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu
                of subsistence, to the extent permitted by law for
                persons serving intermittently in the Government
                service (5 U.S.C. 5701-5707).
                    (c) To the extent permitted by law, and subject to
                the availability of appropriations, the Department of
                Defense shall provide the Committee with such funds as
                may be necessary for the performance of its functions.
                Sec. 4. General Provisions. (a) Notwithstanding the
                provisions of any other Executive order, the functions
                of the President under the Federal Advisory Committee
                Act that are applicable to the Committee, except that
                of reporting annually to the Congress, shall be
                performed by the Secretary of Defense, in accordance
                with the guidelines and procedures established by the
                Administrator of General Services.
                    (b) The Committee shall terminate 30 days after
                submitting its final report.
                    (c) This order is intended only to improve the
                internal management of the executive branch and it is
                not intended to create any right, benefit or trust
                responsibility, substantive or procedural, enforceable
                at law or equity by a party against the United States,
                its agencies, its officers, or any person.
                    (Presidential Sig.)
                THE WHITE HOUSE,
                    May 26, 1995.
[FR Doc. 95-13484
Filed 5-30-95; 10:36 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P