WHEREAS, Each year in New York State more than 3,200 infants die and an estimated 10,000 children are afflicted with mental and physical disabilities; and
WHEREAS, We have the means through educational, nutritional, preventive, diagnostic, treatment, and rehabilitative programs to reduce such deaths and disabilities, allowing normal, productive lives for many of these children; and
WHEREAS, New York State administers a major perventive resource, the effectiveness of which depends in large part upon the ability of State agencies to integrate and coordinate their efforts toward the achievement of a common goal: the reduction of preventable deaths and disabilities among our most vulnerable population, our children;
NOW THERERFORE, I, Hugh L, Carey, Governor of the State of New York, by virture of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the State of New York, do hereby establish a Governor's Conference for the Prevention of Developmental Disabilities and Infant Mortality to develop a Prevention Action Plan for use by the Legislature, State agencies, health, education and social service providers and the general public in their efforts to enhance the health of our future generations.
I. General Charge and Duties. A. In preparing the Prevention Action Plan, the Governor's Conference shall: 1. Gather and analyze data and information relating to the activities of State-administered preventive and early intervention programs.2. Establish goals with respect to the availability, accessibility, quality and cost of State-administered preventive and early intervention programs3. Review Federal, State and local preventive and early intervention programs and identify: existing inadequacies;
possible modifications of programs, if appropriate;
necessary new initiatives; and possible measures to increase coordination between Federal, State and local programs.
4. Recommend strategies to improve the effectiveness of State-administered programs.5. Conduct public hearings to solicit comments from interested parties and consider those comments in formulation of a final plan.B. The Governor's Conference shall submit to the Governor a preliminary Prevention Action Plan and, after distribution to all interested parties and the conduct of public meetings, a final Prevention Action Plan by September 4, 1981.C. After submission of the final plan, the Governor's Conference shall conduct a Statewide Conference on Prevention of Infant Mortality and Developmental Disabilities to present its findings and recommendations.II. Membership. A. The Governor's Conference shall consist of the commissioner, chairperson, or director of the following agencies: The Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, the Education Department, the Department of Health, the Department of Social Services, the Office of Mental Health, the Division of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, the Division of Substance Abuse Services, the Office of the Advocate for the Disabled, the Council on Children and Families, the Commission on Quality of Care for the Mentally Disabled, the Health Planning Commission and at least 25 additional members to be appointed by the Governor who have demonstrated expertise or a strong interest in the prevention of infant mortality and developmental disabilities.B. The Commissioner of the Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities shall serve as chairperson and the Commissioners of Health and Education shall serve as vice-chairpersons.III. Personnel and Operations. A. In carrying out its charge and duties the Governor's Conference shall, to the extent feasible, make use of the resources of existing State departments and agencies capable of providing such assistance, and such departments and agencies are hereby directed to assist the Governor's Conference as requested by the chairperson. To the extent that funds are from time to time provided to the conference subject to the approval of the Director of the Budget, the chairperson may employ such personnel as he or she deems necessary and desirable to carry out the charge and duties of the Governor's Conference and provide them with compensation within the amounts available therefor.B. Governor's Conference members, except the commissioners, chairpersons, or directors of State departments, agencies or offices, or their designees, shall be unsalaried but shall be reimbursed for the actual and necessary expenses of their duties as members.C. The Governor's Conference shall meet at such times as designated by the chairperson.IV. Termination of Governor's Conference Activities. The Governor's Conference shall terminate its work on or about December 31, 1981.
Signed: Hugh L. CareyDated: December 16, 1980
N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. Tit. 9 § 3.104