The Board shall have the following powers and duties:

1. To develop and establish programmatic and fiscal policies governing the operation of state hospitals, training centers, community services boards, and behavioral health authorities;

2. To ensure the development of long-range programs and plans for mental health, developmental, and substance abuse services provided by the Department, community services boards, and behavioral health authorities;

3. To review and comment on all budgets and requests for appropriations for the Department prior to their submission to the Governor and on all applications for federal funds;

4. To monitor the activities of the Department and its effectiveness in implementing the policies of the Board;

5. To advise the Governor, Commissioner, and General Assembly on matters relating to mental health, developmental, and substance abuse services;

6. To adopt regulations that may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this title and other laws of the Commonwealth administered by the Commissioner or the Department;

7. To ensure the development of programs to educate citizens about and elicit public support for the activities of the Department, community services boards, and behavioral health authorities;

8. To ensure that the Department assumes the responsibility for providing for education and training of school-age individuals receiving services in state facilities, pursuant to § 37.2-312;

9. To change the names of state facilities; and

10. To adopt regulations that establish the qualifications, education, and experience for registration of peer recovery specialists by the Board of Counseling.

Prior to the adoption, amendment, or repeal of any regulation regarding substance abuse services, the Board shall, in addition to the procedures set forth in the Administrative Process Act (§ 2.2-4000 et seq.), present the proposed regulation to the Substance Abuse Services Council, established pursuant to § 2.2-2696, at least 30 days prior to the Board's action for the Council's review and comment.

Code 1950, §§ 37-1, 37-2, 37-4, 37-5, 37-34; 1954, c. 668; 1960, c. 133; 1968, c. 477, §§ 37.1-10, 37.1-34; 1976, cc. 671, 739, § 37.1-223; 1979, c. 41; 1980, c. 582; 1984, c. 720; 1985, c. 207; 1998, c. 724; 2005, c. 716; 2012, cc. 476, 507; 2017, cc. 418, 426.