§ 42-12-19 - Permanent advisory commission on traumatic brain injuries – Commission established.
SECTION 42-12-19
§ 42-12-19 Permanent advisory commissionon traumatic brain injuries – Commission established. – (a) There is hereby established a permanent advisory commission on traumaticbrain injuries.
(b) The purpose of the commission shall be to:
(1) Report on all matters relating to traumatic brain injuryin Rhode Island to the governor and the general assembly.
(2) Advise the department of human services, the departmentof mental health, retardation and hospitals, and the department of healthregarding the development of priorities and criteria for disbursement of moneysin response to both individual requests and grant-seeking entities from thetraumatic brain injury fund. Such priorities and criteria shall be inaccordance with the expenditure guidelines set forth in § 42-12-28 of thischapter.
(3) Advise the department of human services, the departmentof mental health, retardation and hospitals, and the department of health onall matters regarding traumatic brain injury.
(c) The commission shall consist of nineteen (19) members.They shall meet not less than four (4) times a year and report their findingsannually to the governor and general assembly. The members of the commissionshall serve without compensation. The commissioners shall elect their ownofficers on a biennial basis.
(d) The membership of the commission shall be as follows: thedirector of the department of mental health, retardation and hospitals or hisor her designee; the director of the department of health or his or herdesignee; the director of the department of human services or his or herdesignee; the director of the department of education or his or her designee,all of whom shall serve ex-officio; the chief of neurosurgery at Rhode IslandHospital or his or her designee; the president and executive director or two(2) designees of the Brain Injury Association of Rhode Island; the director ofthe Rhode Island Disability Law Center or his or her designee; the governor orhis or her designee; and ten (10) persons appointed by the governor as follows:two (2) persons who are unrelated, one of whom must have a traumatic braininjury, and one of whom may be an immediate family member of an individual witha traumatic brain injury; one person who is a neurologist; one person who is apsychiatrist; one person who is a neuropsychologist; one person who is acognitive rehabilitation specialist; one of whom is a traumatic brain injurycase manager; one of whom is a physical therapist or occupational therapist;one of whom is a representative of a post-acute rehabilitation facility; andone person who is a community-based service provider.
(e) The first meeting of the members of the commission shallbe called to order by the governor or his or her designee within ninety (90)days of the effective date of this act [July 7, 2006]. Of the ten(10) members appointed by the governor, three (3) shall serve a term of oneyear, three (3) shall serve a term of two (2) years, and four (4) shall serve aterm of three (3) years. Upon expiration of the initial term, commissionmembers shall serve terms of three (3) years. The initial terms of commissionmembers shall be determined by lot.