JOINT STUDY ORDER TO ESTABLISH THE JOINT SELECT COMMITTEE ON THE PSYCHIATRIC TREATMENT INITIATIVE
ORDERED, the Senate concurring, that the Joint Select Committee on the Psychiatric Treatment Initiative is established as follows.
Sec. 1. Committee established. The Joint Select Committee on the Psychiatric Treatment Initiative, referred to in this order as the "committee," is established to work with the interested parties in the community and to report regarding the actions taken by the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services regarding the recommendations for improved community services as described in the executive summary of the report "Maine Inpatient Treatment Initiative: Civil and Forensic."
Sec. 2. Membership. The President of the Senate shall appoint 4 members from the Senate, 2 of whom are not members of the majority party. The Speaker of the House shall appoint 4 members from the House of Representatives, 2 of whom are not members of the majority party. In making the appointments, preference must be given to members of the Joint Standing Committee on Health and Human Services, the Joint Standing Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs and the Joint Standing Committee on Criminal Justice.
Sec. 3. Appointments; chairs; convening of committee. All appointments must be made no later than August 1, 2000. The appointing authorities shall notify the Executive Director of the Legislative Council once all appointments have been made. The first named Senate member is the Senate chair and the first named House of Representatives member is the House chair. The first meeting must be called by the chairs no later than September 1, 2000. The committee may meet up to 4 times to carry out its duties.
Sec. 4. Duties. The duties of the committee include:
1. Overseeing the efforts of the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services to address the recommendations for departmental action detailed in pages 24 to 26 of the executive summary of the report "Maine Inpatient Treatment Initiative: Civil and Forensic";
2. Working with community hospitals, community psychiatric hospitals, community providers, consumers of mental health services and interested members of the public; and
3. Reporting on the actions taken by the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services to the Joint Standing Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs, the Joint Standing Committee on Health and Human Services and the Joint Standing Committee on Criminal Justice by November 1, 2000. If the committee requires a limited extension of time to conclude its work, it may apply to the Legislative Council, which may grant the extension.
Sec. 5. Staff assistance. Staffing may be provided by the Office of Policy and Legal Analysis by request of the committee to the Legislative Council, with secondary staffing provided by the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services. The department shall provide information, data and research services as reasonably required by the committee. The committee shall request the assistance of and shall invite to their meetings representatives of the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services, the Department of Human Services and the Department of Corrections.
Sec. 6. Compensation. The members of the committee are entitled to receive the legislative per diem, as defined in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 3, section 2, and reimbursement of necessary expenses incurred for their attendance at authorized meetings of the committee.
Passed by the House of Representatives April 27, 2000 and the Senate May 11, 2000.
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