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Executive Order 13137 Constitutional Fidelity (+0.23)

Executive Order 13137—Further Amendment to Executive Order 12975, as Amended, National Bioethics Advisory Commission

William J. Clinton William J. Clinton
•
Wednesday, September 15, 1999
•
2 min read (365 words)

Plain-English Translation & Framers' Constitutional Analysis

Early Statesman synthesis distilling legal jargon into practical meaning, statutory anchors, and structural constitutional impacts.

This executive order, signed by President William J. Clinton on 1999-09-15, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "Further Amendment to Executive Order 12975, as Amended, National Bioethics Advisory Commission." It outlines operative directives for executive department officers, delegating enforcement responsibilities and establishing official governance guidelines.

Constitutional Assessment: An early statesman would view this measure favorably under Article II, Section 3 (the Take Care Clause). The President operates strictly within the ambit of executing established laws and supervising departmental subordinates, respecting the supremacy of the legislative branch without fabricating novel statutory obligations.

Key Directives & Operative Actions

▪ Of the order shall read as follows: "Sec.
▪ There is established in the Department of Health and Human Services a National Bioethics Advisory Commission (NBAC).
▪ The NBAC shall be subject to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C.
▪ A new section 4 shall be added to the order to read: "Sec.

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants 🏛️ Private Citizens & Property Owners
Total Words
365
2,283 characters
Estimated Read Time
2 min
@ 200 words / min
Flesch-Kincaid
11.9
Post-Grad reading level
Constitutional Polarity
+0.23
Framers' Alignment index
📜

Scholarly & Legal Citations 

Exec. Order No. 13137, William J. Clinton (Sep 15, 1999). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-13137-further-amendment-executive-order-12975-amended-national-bioethics.

Official Document Text

Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)

Original Source →
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to more accurately describe the expertise requirements for members selected for the National Bioethics Advisory Commission, it is hereby ordered that Executive Order 12975, as amended ("Order"), is further amended as follows: Section 1. Section 3 of the order shall read as follows: "Sec. 3. Establishment of National Bioethics Advisory Commission. There is established in the Department of Health and Human Services a National Bioethics Advisory Commission (NBAC). The NBAC shall be subject to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. App.)." Sec. 2. A new section 4 shall be added to the order to read: "Sec. 4. Structure. (a) The National Bioethics Advisory Commission shall be composed of not more than 18 non-government members appointed by the President. At least one member shall be selected from each of the following categories of primary expertise: (1) philosophy/theology; (2) social/behavioral science; (3) law; (4) medicine/allied health professions; and (5) biological research. At least three members shall be selected from the general public, bringing to the Commission expertise other than that listed. The membership shall be approximately evenly balanced between scientists and non-scientists. Close attention will be given to equitable geographic distribution and to ethnic and gender representation. (b) Members of the Commission will serve for terms of 2 years and may continue to serve after the expiration of their term until a successor is appointed. A member appointed to fill an unexpired term will be appointed to the remainder of such term. (c) The President shall designate a Chairperson from among the members of the NBAC." Sec. 3. (a) "[S]ection 5" in the third sentence of section 1(b) of the order shall be deleted and "section 6" shall be inserted in lieu thereof. (b) Current sections 4 through 7 of Executive Order 12975 shall be renumbered sections 5 through 8. (c) New section 8(b) is amended by deleting "October 3, 1999" and inserting "October 3, 2001" in lieu thereof. William J. Clinton The White House, September 15, 1999. [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., September 17, 1999]