(a) There is established an Advisory Board for Persons Who are Blind or Visually Impaired that shall serve as an advisor to the Department of Rehabilitation Services in fulfilling its responsibilities in providing services to persons who are blind or visually impaired in the state.

(b) (1) The Advisory Board for Persons Who are Blind or Visually Impaired shall consist of members appointed as follows: Six appointed by the Governor, one appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, one appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives, one appointed by the majority leader of the Senate, one appointed by the minority leader of the Senate, one appointed by the majority leader of the House of Representatives and one appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives and all shall be residents of the state. The Commissioner of Social Services shall be an ex-officio member. One of the members appointed by the Governor shall be the parent of a child who receives services provided by the Department of Rehabilitation Services, and not less than two of the members appointed by the Governor shall be persons who are blind.

(2) Three members appointed by the Governor shall serve a term of four years. Three members appointed by the Governor shall serve a term of two years. The three members appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, the majority leader of the Senate and the minority leader of the Senate shall serve a term of four years. The three members appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives, the majority leader of the House of Representatives, and the minority leader of the House of Representatives shall serve a term of two years. Thereafter, all members shall be appointed for a term of four years, commencing on January fourth of the year of the appointment.

(3) One of the members appointed by the Governor shall be designated by the Governor as the chairperson of the advisory board. The advisory board shall meet annually in the month of September and may meet at any other time upon the call of its chairperson; and the chairperson shall call a meeting at the request of two or more members. Any appointed member who fails to attend three consecutive meetings or fifty per cent of all meetings held during any calendar year shall be deemed to have resigned. A majority of the members in office shall constitute a quorum. The appointing authority may, for reasonable cause, remove any appointed member and appoint another person to fill the vacancy for the unexpired portion of the term. Any vacancy in the advisory board shall be filled by the appointing authority for the unexpired portion of the term.

(1949 Rev., S. 1608; 1957, P.A. 249; September, 1957, P.A. 13, S. 7; 1961, P.A. 539, S. 2; 1963, P.A. 386, S. 1; 1967, P.A. 582, S. 1; P.A. 74-150, S. 1; P.A. 77-614, S. 536, 610; P.A. 84-361, S. 1, 7; P.A. 88-156, S. 6; P.A. 93-262, S. 1, 87; P.A. 04-90, S. 1; P.A. 05-156, S. 3; P.A. 06-124, S. 1; P.A. 11-44, S. 7; June 12 Sp. Sess. P.A. 12-1, S. 39; P.A. 17-202, S. 22.)

History: 1961 act allowed governor to appoint staff member in his place and changed secretary of board to executive secretary; 1963 act changed name of board and made executive secretary its director; 1967 act changed membership requirements for board by adding an additional member who shall be a blind person for a total of eight members, two of whom shall be blind; P.A. 74-150 deleted requirement that one member be a woman; P.A. 77-614 removed governor and chief justice of supreme court as members, installed commissioner of human resources as member, decreased number of members to seven and added Subsec. (b) placing board within human resources department for administrative purposes, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 84-361 amended Subsec. (a) by adding provisions re attendance requirements for retaining membership and re members needed for quorum; P.A. 88-156 deleted language re four-year term of office; P.A. 93-262 authorized substitution of commissioner and department of social services for commissioner and department of human resources, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 04-90 amended Subsec. (a) to require that one member be the parent of a child who receives services provided by the board and not less than two members be blind persons and to make conforming and technical changes; P.A. 05-156 amended Subsec. (a) to specify that a board member appointed by the Governor shall be designated as board chairperson, substitute “chairperson” for “director” re calling of board meetings and delete provision re board adopting rules for its own action and regulations for determining persons who receive benefits; P.A. 06-124 amended Subsec. (a) by specifying that board is to serve as the central policy making authority in providing services to the blind and visually impaired in the state and by adding that the terms of the current board members shall expire on January 3, 2007, added new Subsec. (b) re composition of the board on and after January 4, 2007, added Subsec. (c) re duties of and report from the board, and redesignated existing Subsec. (b) as Subsec. (d), effective June 2, 2006; P.A. 11-44 amended Subsec. (a) by replacing provision designating board as policy making authority with provision requiring board to serve as advisor to Bureau of Rehabilitative Services and deleting provision re board membership, amended Subsec. (b)(1) by deleting “On and after January 4, 2007”, amended Subsec. (b)(3) by adding provision requiring chairperson to call a meeting at the request of more than 2 members, deleted former Subsec. (c) re duties of board, and deleted former Subsec. (d) re board within Department of Social Services for administrative purposes, effective July 1, 2011; June 12 Sp. Sess. P.A. 12-1 amended Subsec. (a) by replacing “Bureau of Rehabilitative Services” with “Department of Rehabilitation Services”, effective July 1, 2012; P.A. 17-202 amended Subsecs. (a), (b)(1) and (b)(3) by replacing reference to Board of Education and Services for the Blind with reference to Advisory Board for Persons Who are Blind or Visually Impaired and replacing reference to blind persons with reference to persons who are blind, further amended Subsec. (b)(1) by replacing “board” with “Department of Rehabilitation Services”, and made technical and conforming changes.