April 1, 1984

Bill To establish a commission to study the 1932-1933 famine caused by the Soviet Government in Ukraine

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( The Ukrainian Weekly, April 1, 1984, No. 14, Vol. LII)

(HR 4459 in the House of Representatives, S 2456 in the Senate)


Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled.

SHORT TITLE

SECTION 1. This Act may be cited as the “Commission on the Ukraine Famine Act”.

ESTABLISHMENT

SEC. 2 There is established a commission to be known as the “Commission on the Ukraine Famine” (in this Act referred to as the “Commission”).

PURPOSE OF THE COMMISSION

SEC. 3. The purpose of the Commission is to conduct a study of the 1932-1933 Ukraine famine in order to –

(1) expand the world’s knowledge of the famine; and

(2) provide the American public with a better understanding of the Soviet system by revealing the Soviet role in the Ukraine famine.

DUTIES OF THE COMMISSION

SEC. 4. The duties of the Commission are to –

(1) conduct a study of the 1932-1933 Ukraine famine (in this Act referred to as the “famine study”), in accordance with section 6 of this Act, in which the Commission shall

(A) gather all available information about the 1932-1933 famine in Ukraine;

(B) analyze the causes of such famine and the effects it has had on the Ukrainian nation and other countries; and

(C) study and analyze the reaction by the the countries of the world to such famine;

(2) provide interim reports to the House of Representatives and the Senate as the Commission deems necessary;

(3) provide upon request any available information about such famine to Congress, the executive branch, educational institutions, libraries, news media, and the general public;

(4) submit to Congress a final report on the results of the famine study no later than three years after the organizational meeting of the Commission held under section 6(a) of this Act; and

(5) publish the results of the famine study for the use of Congress, the executive branch, educational institutions, libraries, and the general public.

MEMBERSHIP

SEC. 5 (a) The Commission shall be composed of twenty-one members, who shall be appointed within thirty days after the date of enactment of this Act, as follows:

(1) Four members shall be Members of the House of Representatives and shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Two such members shall be selected from the majority party of the House of Representatives and two such members shall be selected, after consultation with the minority leader of the House, from the minority party of the House of Representatives. The Speaker also shall designate one of the House Members as chairman of the Commission.

(2) Two members shall be Members of the Senate and shall be appointed by the President pro tempore of the Senate. One such member shall be selected from the majority party of the Senate and one such member shall be selected, after consultation with the minority leader of the Senate, from the minority party of the Senate.

(3) One member shall be from among officers and employees of each of the Departments of State, Education, and Health and Human Services and shall be appointed by the President, after consultation with the Secretaries of the respective departments.

(4) Twelve members shall be from the Ukrainian-American community at large and Ukrainian-American chartered human-rights groups and shall be appointed by the chairman of the Commission in consultation with congressional members of the Commission, the Ukrainian-American community at large, and executive boards of Ukrainian-American chartered human-rights groups.

(b) The term of office of each member shall be for the life of the Commission.

(c) Each member of the Commission who is not otherwise employed by the United States Government shall be paid the daily equivalent of the rate of basic pay payable GS-18 of the General Schedule for each day, including travel time, during which he or she is performing duties of the Commission. A member of the Commission who is an officer or employee of the United States Government or a Member or Congress shall serve without additional compensation. Each member of the Commission shall be reimbursed for travel expense, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, as authorized by section 5703 of title 5, United States Code, for persons in Government service employed intermittently.

ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS

SEC. 6. (a) Not later than sixty days after all members have been appointed to the Commission, the Commission shall hold an organizational meeting to establish the rules and procedures under which it will carry out its responsibilities.

(b) The Commission shall hire experts and consultants in accordance with section 3109 of title 5, United States Code, from the academic community to assist in carrying out the famine study. Such experts and consultants shall be chosen by a majority vote of the Commission members on the basis or their academic background and their current involvement in research on the Ukraine famine. No person shall be otherwise employed by the Federal Government while serving as an expert or consultant to the Commission.

(c) The Commission shall have a staff director, who shall be appointed by the chairman.

POWERS OF THE COMMISSION

SEC. 7. (a) The Commission or any member it authorizes may, for the purpose or carrying out this Act, hold such hearings, sit and act at such times and places, request such attendance, take such testimony, and receive such evidence as the Commission considers appropriate. The Commission or any such member may administer oaths or affirmations to witnesses appearing before it.

(b) (1) The Commission may issue subpenas requiring the attendance and testimony of witnesses and the production of any evidence that relates to any matter under investigation by the Commission. Such attendance of witnesses and the production of such evidence may be required from any place within the United States at any designated place of hearing within the United States.

(2) The subpenas of the Commission may be issued by the chairman of the Commission or any member designated by him and may be served by any person designated by the chairman or such member. The subpenas of the Commission shall be served in the same manner provided for subpenas issued by a United States district court under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure for the United States district courts.

(3) If a person issued a subpena under paragraph (1) refuses to obey such subpena, any court of the United States within the judicial district within which the hearing is conducted or within the judicial district within which such person is found or resides or transacts business may (upon application by the Commission) order such person to appeal before the Commission to produce evidence or to give testimony relating to the matter under investigation. Any failure to obey such order of the court may be punished as a contempt of the court.

(4) All process of any court to which application may be made under this section may be served in the judicial district in which the person required to be served resides or may be found.

(c) The Commission may obtain from any department or agency of the United States information that it considers useful in the discharge of its duties. Upon request of the chairman, the head of such department or agency shall furnish such information to the Commission to the extent permitted by law.

(d) The Commission may appoint and fix the pay of such personnel as it considers appropriate. Such personnel may be appointed without regard to the provisions of title 5, United States Code, governing appointments in the competitive service, and may be paid without regard to the provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter 53 of such title, relating to classification and General Schedule pay rates. No individual so appointed may receive pay in excess of the maximum annual rate of pay payable for GS-18 of the General Schedule under section 5332 of title 5, United States Code.

(e) The Commission may solicit, accept, use, and dispose of donations of money, property, or services.

(f) The Commission may use the United States mails in the same manner and under the same conditions as other departments and agencies of the United States.

(g) The Administrator of General Services shall provide to the Commission on a reimbursable basis such administrative support services as the Commission may request.

(h) The Commission may procure by contact any supplies, services, and property, including the conduct of research and the preparation of reports by government agencies and private firms, necessary to discharge the duties of the Commission, in accordance with applicable laws and regulations and to the extent or in such amounts as are provided in appropriation Acts.

TERMINATION

SEC. 8. The Commission shall terminate sixty days after, the report of the Commission is submitted to Congress under section 4(4) of this Act.

AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS

SEC. 9. There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this Act.

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