(a) The Board of Mental Health and Addiction Services shall meet monthly with the Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services to review with the commissioner and advise the commissioner on programs, policies and plans of the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.

(b) The board shall advise the Governor concerning candidates for the position of Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services.

(c) The board may issue periodic reports to the Governor and the Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services.

(d) The board shall select a chairperson and other officers from its membership and may establish rules governing its internal procedures.

(e) Members of the board may examine the files and records of the central office of the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services at any time and, upon reasonable notice, of state-operated facilities for the treatment of persons with psychiatric disabilities or substance use disorders.

(f) The board shall advise and assist the Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services on program development and community mental health or substance abuse center construction planning.

(g) The board is designated and shall serve as the state advisory council to consult with the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services in administering the state's mental health and substance abuse programs.

(h) The board may, from time to time, appoint nonmembers to serve on such ad hoc advisory committees as it deems necessary to assist with its functions.

(1972, P.A. 145, S. 6; P.A. 81-473, S. 41, 43; P.A. 95-257, S. 55, 58; P.A. 01-195, S. 136, 181; P.A. 07-148, S. 10.)

History: P.A. 81-473 added Subsecs. (f), (g) and (h) empowering board to advise and assist commissioner on program development and community mental health center construction planning, designating board as state advisory council to consult with department, and permitting board to appoint nonmembers on ad hoc advisory committees; Sec. 17-208a transferred to Sec. 17a-457 in 1991; P.A. 95-257 replaced Board, Commission and Department of Mental Health with Board, Commission and Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, replaced “mentally disordered” with “persons with psychiatric disabilities or substance abuse disabilities” in Subsec. (e) and added “substance abuse” to Subsecs. (f) and (g), effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 01-195 made technical changes for the purpose of gender neutrality in Subsecs. (a) and (d) and deleted “state” re Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services in Subsec. (g), effective July 11, 2001; P.A. 07-148 amended Subsec. (e) by replacing “substance abuse disabilities” with “substance use disorders”.