9200-9205
WELFARE AND INSTITUTIONS CODE
SECTION 9200-9205
9200. (a) (1) There is in the state government the California Commission on Aging. (2) The commission shall be composed of 25 persons, as follows: (A) Nineteen persons shall be appointed by the Governor. Nine of the 19 persons shall be appointed by the Governor from lists of nominees submitted by the area agency on aging advisory councils. At least five names shall be submitted as nominees for each vacancy. (B) Three persons appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly. (C) Three persons appointed by the Senate Rules Committee. (3) The commission shall be comprised of a majority of members 60 years of age or older. (4) The commission shall be comprised of actual consumers of services under the federal Older Americans Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 3001, et seq.), as amended. (5) The commission shall be composed of representatives of the geographic, cultural, economic, and other social factors in the state. (b) The commission composition requirements shall be complied with as vacancies occur. 9201. The term of office of members of the commission shall be three years. Members shall not serve more than two terms, and shall be appointed for staggered terms. The members shall select one of their members to serve as chairperson and one of their members to serve as vice chairperson on an annual basis. A commissioner who fails to attend two consecutive monthly meetings or who fails to attend four meetings per year, without having given written excuse acceptable to the commission, shall cause the commission to notify the appointing authority, and the appointing authority may declare the position vacant. 9202. The duties and functions of the commission shall be to do all of the following: (a) Serve as the principal advocate body in the state on behalf of older individuals, including, but not limited to, advisory participation in the consideration of all legislation and regulations made by state and federal departments and agencies relating to programs and services that affect older individuals. (b) Participate with the department in training workshops for community, regional and statewide senior advocates, to help older individuals understand legislative, regulatory, and program implementation processes. (c) Prepare, publish, and disseminate information, findings, and recommendations regarding the well-being of older individuals. (d) Actively participate and advise the department in the development and preparation of the State Plan on Aging, conduct public hearings on the State Plan on Aging, review and comment on the state plan, and monitor the progress of the plan's implementation. (e) Meet at least six times annually in order to study problems of older individuals and present findings and make recommendations. (f) Hold hearings throughout the state, that may include conducting an annual statewide hearing inviting all departments administering programs affecting seniors, in order to gather information and advise the Governor, Legislature, department, and agencies on all levels of government regarding solutions to problems confronting older individuals and the most effective use of existing resources and available services for individuals. (g) Hire an executive director and, within budgetary limits, such staff as may be necessary for the commission to fulfill its duties. (h) Develop, in cooperation with the department, a method for the selection of delegates to the statewide legislative meeting of senior advocates. (i) Perform other duties as may be required by statute, regulation, or resolution. (j) Meet and consult with the area agency on aging advisory councils in order to exchange information, and assist in training, planning, and development of advocacy skills. 9203. The commission may accept gifts and grants from any source, public or private, to assist it in the performance of its functions, and the gifts and grants shall operate to augment any appropriation made for the support of the commission, provided that the department shall serve as the fiscal agent for the accounting of the gifts and grants and that no gifts or grants shall be used for the operation by the commission of direct service programs that would conflict with the department's duties and functions as described by law. 9203.5. The commission may also accept gifts on behalf of the Area Agency on Aging Advisory Council of California, subject to the provisions of Section 9203, as those provisions apply to the commission. 9204. Wherever there is a reference in any statute of this state to the Citizens Advisory Committee on Aging of the California Commission on Aging, it shall be construed to refer to the California Commission on Aging if the reference concerns an advisory or advocacy function, or a function described in Section 9202. Any other reference shall be construed to refer to the department. 9205. Members of the commission shall be reimbursed for their actual and necessary travel and other expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties.