JOINT RESOLUTION Providing for membership and participation by the United States in the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, and authorizing an appropriation therefor

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the President is hereby authorized to accept membership for the United States in the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (hereinafter referred to as the "Organization"), the constitution of which was approved in London on November 16, 1945, by the United Nations Conference for the establishment of an Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, and deposited in the Archives of the Government of the United Kingdom.

SEC. 2. The President by and with the consent of the Senate shall designate from time to time to attend a specified session or specified sessions of the General Conference of the Organization not to exceed five representatives of the United States and such number of alternates not to exceed five as he may determine consistent with the rules of procedure of the General Conference: Provided, however, That each such representative and each such alternate must be an American citizen. One of the representatives shall be designated as the senior representative. Such representatives and alternates shall each be entitled to receive compensation at such rates, not to exceed $12,000 per annum, as the President may determine, for such periods as the President may specify, except that no Member of the Senate or House of Representatives or officer of the United States who is designated under this section as a representative of the United States or as an alternate to attend any specified session or specified sessions of the General Conference shall be entitled to receive such compensation. Whenever a representative of the United States is elected by the General Conference to serve on the Executive Board, or is elected President of the General Conference and thus becomes an ex officio adviser to the Executive Board, Under provision of article V of the constitution of the Organization, the President may extend the above provisions for compensation to such representative during periods of service in connection with the Executive Board.

SEC. 3. In fulfillment of article VII of the constitution of the Organization, the Secretary of State shall cause to be organized a National Commission on Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Co6peration of not to exceed one hundred members. Such Commission shall be appointed by the Secretary of State and shall consist of (a) not more than sixty representatives of principal national, voluntary organizations interested in educational, scientific, and cultural matters; and (b) not more than forty outstanding persons selected by the Secretary of State, including not more than ten persons holding office under or employed by the Government of the United States, not more than fifteen representatives of the educational, scientific, and cultural interests of State and local governments, and not more than fifteen persons chosen at large. The Secretary of State is authorized to name in the first instance fifty of the principal national voluntary organizations, each of which shall be invited to designate one representative for appointment to the National Commission. Thereafter, the National Commission shall periodically review and, if deemed advisable, revise the list of such organizations designating representatives in order to achieve a desirable rotation among organizations represented. To constitute the initial Commission, one-third of the members shall be appointed to serve for a term of one year, one-third for a term of two years, and one-third or the remainder thereof for a term of three years; from thence on following, all members shall be appointed for a term of three years each, but no member shall serve more than two consecutive terms. The National Commission shall meet at least once annually. The National Commission shall designate from among its members an executive committee, and may designate such other committees as may prove necessary, to consult with the Department of State and to perform such other functions as the National Commission shall delegate to them. No member of the National Commission shall be allowed any salary or other compensation for services: Provided, however, That he may be paid his actual transportation expenses, and not to exceed $10 per them in lieu of subsistence and other expenses, while away from his home in attendance upon authorized meetings or in consultation on request with the Department of State. The Department of State is authorized to provide the necessary secretariat for the Commission.

SEC. 4. That each such member of the National Commission must. be an American citizen.

SEC. 5. The National Commission shall call general conferences for the discussion of matters relating to the activities of the Organization, to which conferences organized bodies actively interested in such matters shall be invited to send representatives: Provided, however, That the travel and maintenance of such representation shall be without expense to the Government. Such general conferences shall be held annually or biennially, as the National Commission may determine, and in such places as it may designate. They shall be attended so far as possible by the members of the National Commission and by the delegates of the United States to the General Conference of the Organization. The National Commission is further authorized to call special conferences of experts for the consideration of specific matters relating to the Organization by persons of specialized competences. Under such regulations as the Secretary of State may prescribe, the actual transportation expenses of experts attending such conferences shall be borne by the Department of State, and they shall be allowed a per diem of $10 in lieu of subsistence and other expenses, for the period of actual attendance and of necessary travel.

SEC. 6. There is hereby authorized to be appropriated annually to the Department of State, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, such sums as may be necessary for the payment by the United States of its share of the expenses of the Organization as apportioned by the General Conference of the Organization in accordance with article IX of the constitution of the Organization, and such additional sums as may be necessary to pay the expenses of participation by the United States in the activities of the Organization, including: (a) salaries of the representatives provided for in section 2 hereof, of their appropriate staffs, and of members of the secretariat of the National. Commission provided for in section 3 hereof, including personal services in the District of Columbia and elsewhere, without regard to the civil-service laws and the Classification Act of 1923, as amended; (b) travel expenses without regard to the Standardized Government Travel Regulations, as amended, the Subsistence Expense Act of 1926, as amended, and section 10 of the Act of March 3, 1933 (U. S. C., title 5, see. 73b), and, under such rules and regulations as the Secretary of State may prescribe, travel expenses of families and transportation of effects of United States representatives and other personnel in going to and returning from their post of duty; (c) allowances for living quarters, including heat, fuel, and light, as authorized by the Act approved June 6, 1930 (U. S. C., title 5, see. 118a); (d) cost of living allowances under such rules and regulations as the Secretary of State may prescribe, including allowances to persons temporarily stationed abroad; (e) communication services; (f) stenographic reporting, translating, and other services, by contract, if deemed necessary, without regard to section 3709 of the Revised Statutes (U. S. C., title 41, see. 5); (g) local transportation; (h) equipment; (i) transportation of things; (j) rent of offices; (k) printing and binding without regard to section 11 of the Act of March 1, 1919 (U. S. C., title 44, see. 111), and section 3709 of the Revised Statutes (U. S. C., title 41, see. 5); (1) official entertainment; (m) stationery; (n) purchase of newspapers, periodicals, books, and documents; and (o) such other expenses as may be authorized by the Secretary of State.

SEC. 7. Unless Congress by law authorizes such action, neither the President nor any person or agency shall on behalf of the United States approve any amendment under article XIII of the constitution of the Organization involving any new obligation for the United States.

SEC. 8. In adopting this joint resolution, it is the understanding of the Congress that the constitution of the Organization does not require, nor does this resolution authorize, the disclosure of any information or knowledge in any case in which such disclosure is prohibited by any law of the United States.

Approved July 30, 1946.

1 Public Law 565, 79th Cong., 2d sess, R J. Res. 305. Back