There is established the United States Commission on Civil Rights (hereinafter in this chapter referred to as the “Commission”).

The Commission shall be composed of 8 members. Not more than 4 of the members shall at any one time be of the same political party. The initial membership of the Commission shall be the members of the United States Commission on Civil Rights on September 30, 1994. Thereafter vacancies in the membership of the Commission shall continue to be appointed as follows:

(1) 4 members of the Commission shall be appointed by the President.

(2) 2 members of the Commission shall be appointed by the President pro tempore of the Senate, upon the recommendations of the majority leader and the minority leader, and of the members appointed not more than one shall be appointed from the same political party.

(3) 2 members of the Commission shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives upon the recommendations of the majority leader and the minority leader, and of the members appointed not more than one shall be appointed from the same political party.

The term of office of each member of the Commission shall be 6 years. The term of each member of the Commission in the initial membership of the Commission shall expire on the date such term would have expired as of September 30, 1994.

Except as provided in paragraphs (2) and (3), the individuals serving as Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of the United States Commission on Civil Rights on September 30, 1994 shall initially fill those roles on the Commission.

(1) Except as provided in paragraphs (2) and (3), the individuals serving as Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of the United States Commission on Civil Rights on September 30, 1994 shall initially fill those roles on the Commission.

(2) Thereafter the President may, with the concurrence of a majority of the Commission’s members, designate a Chairperson or Vice Chairperson, as the case may be, from among the Commission’s members.

(3) The President shall, with the concurrence of a majority of the Commission’s members, fill a vacancy by designating a Chairperson or Vice Chairperson, as the case may be, from among the Commission’s members.

(4) The Vice Chairperson shall act in place of the Chairperson in the absence of the Chairperson.

The President may remove a member of the Commission only for neglect of duty or malfeasance in office.

5 members of the Commission constitute a quorum of the Commission.

(Pub. L. 98–183, § 2, Nov. 30, 1983, 97 Stat. 1301; Pub. L. 102–167, § 5, Nov. 26, 1991, 105 Stat. 1101; Pub. L. 103–419, § 2, Oct. 25, 1994, 108 Stat. 4338.)