THE WHITE HOUSE

                       Office of the Press Secretary

     ________________________________________________________________
     For Immediate Release                         September 16, 1999

                              EXECUTIVE ORDER

                                   13137

         FURTHER AMENDMENT TO EXECUTIVE ORDER 12975, AS AMENDED,
                  NATIONAL BIOETHICS ADVISORY COMMISSION


      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 require-ments 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.


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