26:1A-3. State Commissioner of Health; Deputy Commissioner for Public Health Services

3. a. The head and chief administrative officer of the department shall be the State Commissioner of Health, who shall be appointed by the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate, and shall serve at the pleasure of the Governor during the Governor's term of office and until the appointment and qualification of the commissioner's successor. The commissioner shall be a person with recognized professional, executive or administrative experience in any capacity in which he has demonstrated a substantial knowledge of the activities of the department and the principal public health policy issues affecting the State.

The commissioner shall devote his entire time and attention to the duties of the office and shall receive such salary as shall be provided by law.

b. The commissioner shall delegate such of his powers as the commissioner deems appropriate for the efficient administration of the department, to be exercised under the commissioner's direction and supervision by one or more deputy commissioners, one of whom shall be the Deputy Commissioner for Public Health Services. If the commissioner is not a duly licensed physician and a graduate of a regularly chartered and legally constituted medical school or college, then the Deputy Commissioner for Public Health Services shall be a duly licensed physician and a graduate of a regularly chartered and legally constituted medical school or college, with skill in sanitary science, who, in addition to his other duties, shall advise the commissioner on medical issues. The Deputy Commissioner for Public Health Services shall fulfill the duties of the office of commissioner in the event of a vacancy in that office, until the Governor appoints a successor to the commissioner.

The deputy commissioner shall devote his entire time and attention to the duties of that office and shall receive such salary as the commissioner deems appropriate.

L.1947,c.177,s.3; amended 1948,c.444,ss.2,27; 1970,c.2,s.1; 1994,c.35,s.1.