U.S. Code > Title 49 Transportation > SUBTITLE II—OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCIES (§§ 1101—1155) > CHAPTER 11—NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD (§§ 1101—1155) > SUBCHAPTER II—ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATIVE (§§ 1111—1119) > § 1111. General organization

§ 1111. General organization

(a) Organization.— The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent establishment of the United States Government.
(b) Appointment of Members.— The Board is composed of 5 members appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. Not more than 3 members may be appointed from the same political party. At least 3 members shall be appointed on the basis of technical qualification, professional standing, and demonstrated knowledge in accident reconstruction, safety engineering, human factors, transportation safety, or transportation regulation.
(c) Terms of Office and Removal.— The term of office of each member is 5 years. An individual appointed to fill a vacancy occurring before the expiration of the term for which the predecessor of that individual was appointed, is appointed for the remainder of that term. When the term of office of a member ends, the member may continue to serve until a successor is appointed and qualified. The President may remove a member for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.
(d) Chairman and Vice Chairman.— The President shall designate, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, a Chairman of the Board. The President also shall designate a Vice Chairman of the Board. The terms of office of both the Chairman and Vice Chairman are 2 years. When the Chairman is absent or unable to serve or when the position of Chairman is vacant, the Vice Chairman acts as Chairman.
(e) Duties and Powers of Chairman.— The Chairman is the chief executive and administrative officer of the Board. Subject to the general policies and decisions of the Board, the Chairman shall—
(1) appoint and supervise officers and employees, other than regular and full-time employees in the immediate offices of another member, necessary to carry out this chapter;
(2) fix the pay of officers and employees necessary to carry out this chapter;
(3) distribute business among the officers, employees, and administrative units of the Board; and
(4) supervise the expenditures of the Board.
(f) Quorum.— Three members of the Board are a quorum in carrying out duties and powers of the Board.
(g) Offices, Bureaus, and Divisions.— The Board shall establish offices necessary to carry out this chapter, including an office to investigate and report on the safe transportation of hazardous material. The Board shall establish distinct and appropriately staffed bureaus, divisions, or offices to investigate and report on accidents involving each of the following modes of transportation:
(1) aviation.
(2) highway and motor vehicle.
(3) rail and tracked vehicle.
(4) pipeline.
(5) marine.
(h) Chief Financial Officer.— The Chairman shall designate an officer or employee of the Board as the Chief Financial Officer. The Chief Financial Officer shall—
(1) report directly to the Chairman on financial management and budget execution;
(2) direct, manage, and provide policy guidance and oversight on financial management and property and inventory control; and
(3) review the fees, rents, and other charges imposed by the Board for services and things of value it provides, and suggest appropriate revisions to those charges to reflect costs incurred by the Board in providing those services and things of value.
(i) Board Member Staff.— Each member of the Board shall select and supervise regular and full-time employees in his or her immediate office as long as any such employee has been approved for employment by the designated agency ethics official under the same guidelines that apply to all employees of the Board. Except for the Chairman, the appointment authority provided by this subsection is limited to the number of full-time equivalent positions, in addition to 1 senior professional staff at a level not to exceed the GS 15 level and 1 administrative staff, allocated to each member through the Board’s annual budget and allocation process.
(j) Seal.— The Board shall have a seal that shall be judicially recognized.