Section 41-4-3 - State Board of Mental Health(1) There is created a State Board of Mental Health, referred to in this chapter as "board," consisting of nine (9) members, to be appointed by the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate, each of whom shall be a qualified elector. Three (3) members shall be appointed from each Mississippi Supreme Court District . One (1) appointee shall be a licensed medical doctor who is a psychiatrist, one (1) shall hold a Ph.D. degree and be a licensed clinical psychologist, one (1) shall be a licensed medical doctor, and one (1) of whom shall be a social worker with experience in the mental health field. The State Board of Mental Health, created by former Section 41-4-3, is continued and reconstituted as follows: Effective January 1, 2028, each member shall be appointed by the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate, for a term of office of four (4) years, provided that five (5) members shall be appointed in 2028 to a term ending December 31, 2031, and four (4) members shall be appointed in 2030 to a term ending December 31, 2033. Appointments made at the beginning of the four-year cycle shall be made to fill any member's term which actually expires that year and any member's term which expires next until the majority of the membership of the board or commission is reached. Appointments made at the beginning of the third year of the four-year cycle shall be made for the remainder of the membership positions irrespective of the time of their prior appointment. Any question regarding the order of appointments shall be determined by the Secretary of State in accordance with the specific statute. All appointment procedures, vacancy provisions, interim appointment provisions and removal provisions specifically provided for in Section 7-1-35, Mississippi Code of 1972, shall be fully applicable to appointments to the State Board of Mental Health.
The board shall elect a chairman whose term of office shall be one (1) year and until his successor shall be elected.
(2) Each board member shall be entitled to a per diem as is authorized by law and all actual and necessary expenses, including mileage as provided by law, incurred in the discharge of official duties.(3) The board shall hold regular meetings quarterly and such special meetings deemed necessary, except that no action shall be taken unless there is present a quorum of at least five (5) members.(4) No board member may be appointed for more than two (2) consecutive terms. Laws, 1974, ch. 567, § 2; Laws, 1980, ch. 560, § 16; Laws, 2010, ch. 548, § 11, eff. 7/1/2010.Amended by Laws, 2024, ch. 497, SB 2799,§ 8, eff. 7/1/2024.Amended by Laws, 2023, ch. 427, HB 1222,§ 4, eff. 7/1/2023.Short title. Section 1 of Laws, 2023, ch. 427, HB 1222 provides: "This act shall be known and may be cited as "The Mississippi Collaborative Response to Mental Health Act.""