; initial meeting (1) Political party affiliation Not more than 5 members of the Commission shall be from the same political party. (2) Nongovernmental appointees An individual appointed to the Commission may not be an officer or employee of the Federal Government or any State or local government. (3) Other qualifications It is the sense of Congress that individuals appointed to the Commission should be prominent citizens of the United States, with national recognition and significant depth of experience in such professions as governmental service, biological science, and higher education, and that members should include individuals with expertise in the medical community, including hospital experts and administrators. (4) Deadline for appointment All members of the Commission shall be appointed on or before December 15, 2020. (5) Initial meeting The Commission shall hold its initial meeting and begin to carry out its duties as soon as practicable after the appointment of its members. (c) Quorum; vacancies After its initial meeting, the Commission shall meet upon the call of the Chair or a majority of its members. Six members of the Commission shall constitute a quorum. Any vacancy in the Commission shall not affect its powers, but shall be filled in the same manner in which the original appointment was made. (d) Compensation Each member of the Commission may be compensated at not to exceed the daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay in effect for a position at level IV of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, United States Code, for each day during which that member is engaged in the actual performance of the duties of the Commission. (e) Establishment of subcommittees With the approval of a majority of its members, the Commission may establish and assign duties to a subcommittee within the Commission. 4. Duties (a) In general The duties of the Commission are to— (1) conduct an investigation on the relevant facts and circumstances relating to the COVID–19 pandemic