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SPECIAL OVERSIGHT BOARD FOR DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE INVESTIGATIONS OF GULF
WAR CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL INCIDENTS
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release February 24, 1998
EXECUTIVE ORDER
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SPECIAL OVERSIGHT BOARD FOR DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE INVESTIGATIONS OF GULF WAR CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL INCIDENTS
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and
the laws of the United States of America, including the Federal Advisory
Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. App.), it is hereby ordered as
follows:
Section 1. Establishment. (a) There is hereby established the
Special Oversight Board for Department of Defense Investigations of
Gulf War Chemical and Biological Incidents ("Special Oversight Board").
The Special Oversight Board shall be composed of not more than seven
members appointed by the President. The members of the Special
Oversight Board shall have expertise relevant to the functions of the
Special Oversight Board and shall not be full-time officials or
employees of the executive branch of the Federal Government.
(b) The President shall designate a Chairperson and a Vice
Chairperson from among the members of the Special Oversight Board.
Sec. 2. Functions. (a) The Special Oversight Board shall report
to the President through the Secretary of Defense.
(b) The Special Oversight Board shall provide advice and
recommendations based on its review of Department of Defense
investigations into possible detections of, and exposures to, chemical
or biological weapons agents and environmental and other factors that
may have contributed to Gulf War illnesses.
(c) It shall not be a function of the Special Oversight Board to
conduct scientific research.
(d) It shall not be a function of the Special Oversight Board to
provide advice or recommendations on any legal liability of the Federal
Government for any claims or potential claims against the Federal
Government.
(e) The Special Oversight Board shall submit an interim report
within 9 months of its first meeting and a final report within 18
months of its first meeting, unless otherwise directed by the President.
Sec. 3. Administration. (a) The heads of executive departments
and agencies shall, to the extent permitted by law, provide the Special
Oversight Board with such information as it may require for purposes of
carrying out its functions.
(b) Special Oversight Board 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). The administrative staff for the Special
Oversight Board shall be compensated in accordance with Federal law.
(c) To the extent permitted by law, and subject to the availability
of appropriations, the Department of Defense shall provide the Special
Oversight Board 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, as amended, that are applicable to the
Special Oversight Board, 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 Special Oversight Board 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, and shall not be
construed, 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.
WILLIAM J. CLINTON
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