Rules & Procedures of the 2010–2015 Council of Experts

5. Expert Committees

5.01 Number of Committees

The Board of Trustees shall approve the number of Expert Committees in accordance with Article VII, Section 3 of the Bylaws. The CoE Chairperson, in consultation with the Council of Experts, may at any time during a current cycle recommend to the Board that additional Expert Committees be established to carry out the work of the Convention, in accordance with Article VII, Section 4 of the Bylaws. If approved by the Board, the chairs of such additional Expert Committees shall be appointed by a majority vote of the Council of Experts.

5.02 Election of Expert Committee Members; Removal & Vacancies

Members of each Expert Committee shall be elected by the Council of Experts.  Each member of the Council of Experts, working with staff, shall nominate individuals for election to his or her Expert Committee.  An individual may be elected to more than one Expert Committee.  A member of the Council of Experts may be elected to serve as a member of any other Expert Committee.  A member of an Expert Committee may be removed for cause by the CoE Chairperson, upon the recommendation of the Expert Committee chairperson, and cause shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3.03 above.  In the event of a vacancy in an Expert Committee or if additional members are determined to be needed on any Expert Committee, the CoE Chairperson shall appoint new members. 

5.03 Vice Chair

Each Expert Committee shall elect a vice chairperson to serve in the temporary absence of the chairperson. In the event of a permanent vacancy of the chairperson’s office, the vice chairperson shall serve as chairperson until a new chairperson is appointed by the Council of Experts in accordance with Article VII, Section 7 of the Bylaws.

5.04 Expert Committee Work Plan

Each Expert Committee shall work with the CoE Chairperson and other USP staff to develop a work plan which sets forth the standard setting goals and objectives of the Expert Committee for the cycle (Work Plan).  The Work Plan shall be revised as needed subject to the approval of the CoE Chairperson. The Work Plan and any revisions thereto shall be made publicly available.  Reports of progress made under the Work Plan shall be provided to the CoE Chairperson and made publicly available on a regular basis.  All work of the Expert Committees, including the formation of subcommittees and Expert Panels, shall be consistent with the Work Plan; provided, however, that in the event of a public health crisis or emergency, the CoE Chairperson may authorize an Expert Committee to work outside of its Work Plan as necessary to respond to such crisis or emergency. 

5.05 Subcommittees

Expert Committees may form subcommittees to advance their work. A subcommittee is a group of members of a single Expert Committee assigned to perform a certain task of the Expert Committee. A joint subcommittee is a group of members from two or more Expert Committees assigned to perform a certain task of interest to such Expert Committees. A subcommittee or joint subcommittee may make recommendations to the Expert Committee responsible for a particular task or issue, but all decision-making authority shall be retained and exercised by the Expert Committee. A joint subcommittee shall only make recommendations to, and be directed by, one Expert Committee, which shall be designated by the CoE Chairperson, and exercise decision-making authority with respect to the task. Expert Committees not charged with oversight and decision-making authority shall be kept apprised of the work of a joint subcommittee by their members that have been assigned to the joint subcommittee.

5.06 Expert Consultations

From time to time, an Expert Committee (Requesting Expert Committee) may request that a CoE/EC Expert from another Expert Committee participate in the Requesting Expert Committee’s meetings or other work in order to obtain additional expertise in a particular area. Such participating CoE/EC Experts shall not be deemed members of the Requesting Expert Committees or vote on any Requesting Expert Committee matter. An Expert Committee may also request assistance from an individual who is not a CoE/EC Expert to participate in discussions or review documents where such individual provides necessary expertise not available within the Council of Experts or Expert Committees. Such individual shall be required to sign a confidentiality agreement requiring that the confidentiality of all information provided to such individual be maintained.