Executive Order  No. 448: Governor's Commission on Mental Retardation

WHEREAS, it is the responsibility of the Commonwealth to safeguard the health, safety, and well-being of its citizens with mental retardation;

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth recognizes the value inherent in its receiving ideas and maintaining communication with family members, advocates, public officials, and other members of the public interested in enhancing the well-being of people with mental retardation;

WHEREAS, it is important that people with mental retardation, their families, and the public be provided with a forum for discussion and resolution of disputes that may otherwise not be addressed by the Department of Mental Retardation pursuant to its statutory responsibilities;

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth's network of individualized services designed to address the wide variety of needs of people with mental retardation must be continually evaluated to ensure its quality and effectiveness;

WHEREAS, the Governor's Commission on Mental Retardation, initially established by Executive Order 356, amended by Executive Order 371, reestablished by Executive Order 396, and reestablished by Executive Order No. 429, continues to be an important part of the Commonwealth's efforts to enhance the well-being of people with mental retardation; and

WHEREAS, the Commission has recommended that it continue to exist to assure quality services and to protect the rights of people with mental retardation;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Mitt Romney, Governor of the Commonwealth, by virtue of the authority vested in me as Supreme Executive Magistrate, Part 2, c. 2, § I, Art. I, do hereby amend Executive Order No. 429 to read as follows:

2.4 Members of the Commission shall serve without compensation, but may receive reimbursement for necessary and reasonable expenses incurred in fulfilling their duties subject to appropriation or allocation.

3.4 The Commission may make recommendations to the Secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services as to how the quality of life of citizens with mental retardation may be improved by legislation and/or regulations.

4.6 If the Department of Mental Retardation fails to implement a mediated agreement or recommended resolution reached pursuant to 4.1 above, after notice to the Commissioner, who shall be provided with an opportunity to respond, the Commission is authorized to make recommendations directly to the Secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services concerning the matter at issue. Such recommendations to the Secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services shall be public information.

5.1 To maximize its capability of realizing it mission, the Commission shall be located in the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, and shall report directly to the Secretary.

Given at the Executive Chamber in Boston this __   day of March in the year our Lord two thousand three, and of the Independence of the United States of America two hundred and twenty seven.

MITT ROMNEY, GOVERNOR

WILLIAM FRANCIS GALVIN
SECRETARY OF THE COMMONWEALTH