TITLE 49 - US CODE - SUBCHAPTER I - ESTABLISHMENT

49 USC 701 - Establishment of Board

(a) Establishment.— 
There is hereby established within the Department of Transportation the Surface Transportation Board.
(b) Membership.— 

(1) The Board shall consist of 3 members, to be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. Not more than 2 members may be appointed from the same political party.
(2) At any given time, at least 2 members of the Board shall be individuals with professional standing and demonstrated knowledge in the fields of transportation or transportation regulation, and at least one member shall be an individual with professional or business experience (including agriculture) in the private sector.
(3) The term of each member of the Board shall be 5 years and shall begin when the term of the predecessor of that member ends. An individual appointed to fill a vacancy occurring before the expiration of the term for which the predecessor of that individual was appointed, shall be 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, but for a period not to exceed one year. The President may remove a member for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.
(4) On January 1, 1996, the members of the Interstate Commerce Commission serving unexpired terms on December 29, 1995, shall become members of the Board, to serve for a period of time equal to the remainder of the term for which they were originally appointed to the Interstate Commerce Commission. Any member of the Interstate Commerce Commission whose term expires on December 31, 1995, shall become a member of the Board, subject to paragraph (3).
(5) No individual may serve as a member of the Board for more than 2 terms. In the case of an individual who becomes a member of the Board pursuant to paragraph (4), or an individual appointed to fill a vacancy occurring before the expiration of the term for which the predecessor of that individual was appointed, such individual may not be appointed for more than one additional term.
(6) A member of the Board may not have a pecuniary interest in, hold an official relation to, or own stock in or bonds of, a carrier providing transportation by any mode and may not engage in another business, vocation, or employment.
(7) A vacancy in the membership of the Board does not impair the right of the remaining members to exercise all of the powers of the Board. The Board may designate a member to act as Chairman during any period in which there is no Chairman designated by the President.
(c) Chairman.— 

(1) There shall be at the head of the Board a Chairman, who shall be designated by the President from among the members of the Board. The Chairman shall receive compensation at the rate prescribed for level III of the Executive Schedule under section 5314 of title 5.
(2) Subject to the general policies, decisions, findings, and determinations of the Board, the Chairman shall be responsible for administering the Board. The Chairman may delegate the powers granted under this paragraph to an officer, employee, or office of the Board. The Chairman shall
(A) appoint and supervise, other than regular and full-time employees in the immediate offices of another member, the officers and employees of the Board, including attorneys to provide legal aid and service to the Board and its members, and to represent the Board in any case in court;
(B) appoint the heads of offices with the approval of the Board;
(C) distribute Board business among officers and employees and offices of the Board;
(D) prepare requests for appropriations for the Board and submit those requests to the President and Congress with the prior approval of the Board; and
(E) supervise the expenditure of funds allocated by the Board for major programs and purposes.

49 USC 702 - Functions

Except as otherwise provided in the ICC Termination Act of 1995, or the amendments made thereby, the Board shall perform all functions that, immediately before January 1, 1996, were functions of the Interstate Commerce Commission or were performed by any officer or employee of the Interstate Commerce Commission in the capacity as such officer or employee.

49 USC 703 - Administrative provisions

(a) Executive Reorganization.— 
Chapter 9 of title 5, United States Code, shall apply to the Board in the same manner as it does to an independent regulatory agency, and the Board shall be an establishment of the United States Government.
(b) Open Meetings.— 
For purposes of section 552b of title 5, United States Code, the Board shall be deemed to be an agency.
(c) Independence.— 
In the performance of their functions, the members, employees, and other personnel of the Board shall not be responsible to or subject to the supervision or direction of any officer, employee, or agent of any other part of the Department of Transportation.
(d) Representation by Attorneys.— 
Attorneys designated by the Chairman of the Board may appear for, and represent the Board in, any civil action brought in connection with any function carried out by the Board pursuant to this chapter or subtitle IV or as otherwise authorized by law.
(e) Admission To Practice.— 
Subject to section 500 of title 5, the Board may regulate the admission of individuals to practice before it and may impose a reasonable admission fee.
(f) Budget Requests.— 
In each annual request for appropriations by the President, the Secretary of Transportation shall identify the portion thereof intended for the support of the Board and include a statement by the Board
(1) showing the amount requested by the Board in its budgetary presentation to the Secretary and the Office of Management and Budget; and
(2) an assessment of the budgetary needs of the Board.
(g) Direct Transmittal to Congress.— 
The Board shall transmit to Congress copies of budget estimates, requests, and information (including personnel needs), legislative recommendations, prepared testimony for congressional hearings, and comments on legislation at the same time they are sent to the Secretary of Transportation. An officer of an agency may not impose conditions on or impair communications by the Board with Congress, or a committee or Member of Congress, about the information.

49 USC 704 - Annual report

The Board shall annually transmit to the Congress a report on its activities.

49 USC 705 - Authorization of appropriations

There are authorized to be appropriated for the activities of the Board
(1) $8,421,000 for fiscal year 1996;
(2) $12,000,000 for fiscal year 1997; and
(3) $12,000,000 for fiscal year 1998.

49 USC 706 - Reporting official action

(a) Reports on Proceedings.— 
The Board shall make a written report of each proceeding conducted on complaint or on its own initiative and furnish a copy to each party to that proceeding. The report shall include the findings, conclusions, and the order of the Board and, if damages are awarded, the findings of fact supporting the award. The Board may have its reports published for public use. A published report of the Board is competent evidence of its contents.
(b) Special Rules for Matters Related to Rail Carriers.— 

(1) When action of the Board in a matter related to a rail carrier is taken by the Board, an individual member of the Board, or another individual or group of individuals designated to take official action for the Board, the written statement of that action (including a report, order, decision and order, vote, notice, letter, policy statement, or regulation) shall indicate
(A) the official designation of the individual or group taking the action;
(B) the name of each individual taking, or participating in taking, the action; and
(C) the vote or position of each participating individual.
(2) If an individual member of a group taking an official action referred to in paragraph (1) does not participate in it, the written statement of the action shall indicate that the member did not participate. An individual participating in taking an official action is entitled to express the views of that individual as part of the written statement of the action. In addition to any publication of the written statement, it shall be made available to the public under section 552 (a) of title 5.