The term of office of an appointed member of the advisory council is four years, except that any member appointed to fill a vacancy for an unexpired term shall be appointed for the remainder of such term and the Secretary shall make appointments to an advisory council in such a manner as to ensure that the terms of the members do not all expire in the same year. A member may serve after the expiration of the member’s term until a successor has taken office. A member who has been appointed for a term of four years may not be reappointed to an advisory council before two years from the date of expiration of such term of office. If a vacancy occurs in the advisory council among the appointed members, the Secretary shall make an appointment to fill the vacancy within 90 days from the date the vacancy occurs.
The Director of the Institute shall designate a member of the staff of the Institute to serve as the executive secretary of the advisory council. The Director of the Institute shall make available to the advisory council such staff, information, and other assistance as it may require to carry out its functions. The Director of the Institute shall provide orientation and training for new members of the advisory council to provide them with such information and training as may be appropriate for their effective participation in the functions of the advisory council.
The advisory council may prepare, for inclusion in the triennial report made under section 283 of this title (1) comments respecting the activities of the advisory council in the fiscal years respecting which the report is prepared, (2) comments on the progress of the Institute in meeting its objectives, and (3) recommendations respecting the future directions and program and policy emphasis of the Institute. The advisory council may prepare such additional reports as it may determine appropriate.