20 U.S.C. § 3602 : US Code - Section 3602: Asbestos Hazards School Safety Task Force

Search 20 U.S.C. § 3602 : US Code - Section 3602: Asbestos Hazards School Safety Task Force

(a) Establishment; composition; membership; chairman; appointment;
vacancies
(1) There is established a task force to be known as the Asbestos
Hazards School Safety Task Force (hereinafter in this chapter
referred to as "Task Force"). The Task Force shall be composed of
ten members, who shall be appointed by the Secretary within 30 days
after June 14, 1980, as follows:
(A) One representative of the Department of Education,
recommended by the Secretary of Education.
(B) One representative of the Department of Health and Human
Services.
(C) One representative of the National Cancer Institute.
(D) One representative of the Environmental Protection Agency,
recommended by the Administrator of such agency.
(E) One representative of the National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences.
(F) One representative of the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration, recommended by the Secretary of Labor.
(G) Four representatives from among organizations concerned
with education and health.
Members of the Task Force shall be individuals who have knowledge
of the medical problems associated with exposure to asbestos, or
individuals who are familiar with procedures for the following
activities: the containment or removal of asbestos from buildings;
the replacement of asbestos materials removed from school buildings
with other appropriate building materials; and the restoration of
such buildings to conditions comparable to those existing before
such containment or removal was carried out.
(2) The Secretary shall designate a chairman of the Task Force
from among its members.
(3) Members shall be appointed for the life of the Task Force.
Any vacancy in the Task Force shall be filled in the same manner in
which the original appointment was made.
(b) Meetings; quorum; hearings
(1) The Task Force shall meet, no later than 30 days after the
appointment of its members, at the call of the chairman of the Task
Force.
(2) Five members of the Task Force shall constitute a quorum for
purposes of conducting the business of the Task Force, but a lesser
number may hold hearings.
(c) Compensation; travel expenses
(1) Members of the Task Force who are not full-time officers or
employees of the Federal Government shall receive compensation at a
rate determined by the Secretary, but not to exceed the daily
equivalent of the maximum annual rate of pay in effect for grade GS-
16 of the General Schedule, for each day (including traveltime)
during which they are engaged in the performance of the duties of
the Task Force.
(2) While away from their homes or regular places of business in
the performance of the duties of the Task Force, all members of the
Task Force shall be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in
lieu of subsistence, in the same manner as persons employed
intermittently in the Government service are allowed expenses under
section 5703 of title 5.
(d) Availability of Department of Education personnel; use of mails
(1) Upon request of the Task Force, the Secretary shall make
available to the Task Force personnel of the Department of
Education to assist the Task Force in carrying out its duties.
(2) The Task Force may use the United States mails in the same
manner and upon the same conditions as other departments and
agencies of the United States.
(e) Duties
The duties of the Task Force shall include -
(1) the compilation of medical, scientific, and technical
information explaining -
(A) the health and safety hazards associated with asbestos
materials; and
(B) the means of identifying, sampling, and testing materials
suspected of emitting asbestos fibers;
(2) the distribution of the information described in paragraph
(1) (in any appropriate form such as pamphlets, reports, or
instructions) to State educational agencies and to local
educational agencies for the purpose of assisting such agencies
in carrying out activities described in this chapter;
(3) the review of applications for grants and loans under
sections 3604 and 3605 of this title, and the submission to the
Secretary of recommendations respecting the approval or
disapproval of such applications;
(4) the review of any guidelines established by the
Environmental Protection Agency for identifying those schools in
which exposure to asbestos fibers constitutes a health problem
and for taking appropriate corrective actions at such schools, in
order to determine whether any modifications of such guidelines
should be recommended to the Secretary under paragraph (5); and
(5) providing the Secretary with assistance in formulating
standards and procedures under section 3606 of this title by -
(A) submitting to the Secretary relevant information
concerning the results of the review made under paragraph (4)
of this subsection; and
(B) recommending such modifications to the guidelines
referred to in such paragraph as the Task Force considers
appropriate.
In carrying out its duties under this subsection, the Task Force
shall avoid, to the maximum extent practicable, duplicating similar
activities undertaken by the Environmental Protection Agency.
(f) Termination
The Task Force shall cease to exist at the end of the 180-day
period beginning on the date that the authority of the Secretary to
make loans under section 3605 of this title has expired.