Sec. 22.009. ADVISORY COMMITTEES

(a) The board shall appoint advisory committees on the recommendation of the commissioner to assist the board in performing its duties.

(b) The board shall appoint each advisory committee to provide for a balanced representation of the general public, providers, consumers, and other persons, state agencies, or groups with knowledge of and interest in the committee's field of work.

(c) The board shall specify each advisory committee's purpose, powers, and duties and shall require each committee to report to the board in a manner specified by the board concerning the committee's activities and the results of its work.

(d) The board shall establish procedures for receiving reports concerning activities and accomplishments of advisory committees established to advise the board or department. The board on the recommendation of the commissioner may appoint additional members to those committees and establish additional duties of those committees as the board determines to be necessary.

(e) The board shall adopt rules to implement this section. Those rules must provide that during the development of rules relating to an area in which an advisory committee exists the committee must be allowed to assist in the development of and to comment on the rules before the rules are finally adopted. The rules may allow the department to bypass this procedure only in an emergency situation. However, the department shall submit emergency rules to the appropriate advisory committee for review at the first committee meeting that occurs after the rules are adopted.

(f) A member of an advisory committee receives no compensation but is entitled to reimbursement for transportation expenses and the per diem allowance for state employees in accordance with the General Appropriations Act.

(g) Subsections (c) through (f) of this section apply to each department advisory committee created under this section or under other law.

Added by Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 1052, Sec. 1.11(a), eff. Sept. 1, 1987.