"(a) The State Support Council is created and shall be
comprised of not more than 15 consumer and family members. Of these, there will be three
representatives appointed by each regional support council. These shall include a regional
council officer, one other regional council member, and a community council member.
Additionally, the following individuals or their designees shall serve as nonvoting
advisory members: The Chair of the Developmental Disabilities Planning Council, the
Commissioner of the Department of Human Resources, the Commissioner of the Department of
Mental Health and Mental Retardation, the State Superintendent of Education, the Director
of the Department of Rehabilitation Services, and the State Health Officer of the
Department of Public Health. The State Support Council shall provide a forum for the
development of a state plan for an individual and family support system reflecting the
experiences and needs of each region which shall be updated at least every three years and
a forum for the consolidation and presentation of the annual budget request. The State
Support Council shall make an annual report to the Legislature that includes an evaluation
of the program and recommendations for future policy in individual and family supports.
The report shall also be distributed to the Governor for dissemination to state agencies.
"(b) The state council shall also develop a code of ethics for the council,
including a policy regarding potential conflicts on interest in membership, receipt of
supports, and other areas as appropriate.
"(c) The state council shall meet at least quarterly.
"38-9A-6.
"(a) The local, regional, and state plans for individual and family supports
developed by each community and regional council and the state support council shall be
developed in conjunction with the regional planning process of the Division of Mental
Retardation of the Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation. These plans and
accompanying proposed budgets shall be considered by the Commissioner of the Department of
Mental Health and Mental Retardation as a line item in the department's budget request
that is annually submitted to the Governor's office.
"(b) The minimum level of funding in any year in the line item shall be six
hundred fifty thousand dollars ($650,000) as a continuation of current funding from the
Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, except that this amount may be reduced
in a fiscal year in an amount equal to or less than any reduction applied to all other
community-based programs and services of the Division of Mental Retardation in that same
fiscal year. Provided, however, this exception shall not apply to federal maintenance of
effort requirements. The councils may request the allocation of additional new funds in
the budget of the Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation for the Individual
and Family Support Program and may also receive new funds from other state agencies and
from the State General Fund.
"(c) The state, regional, or affiliated community councils, as defined by this
chapter, are exempted from any county and local and sales and use taxes."
Section 2. (a) It is the intent of the Legislature to continue the Individual
and Family Support Program established pursuant to Chapter 9A, commencing with Section
38-9A-1, of Title 38 of the Code of Alabama 1975.
(b) Chapter 9A of Title 38 of the Code of Alabama 1975, is continued and shall be a
permanent statute.
(c) Section 9 of Act 93-334, S.421, 1993 Regular Session (Acts 1993, p. 507), is
amended to read as follows:
"Section 9. This act shall become effective October 1, 1993."
Section 3. This act shall become effective of the first day of the third month
following its passage and approval by the Governor, or its otherwise becoming law.
Approved May 14, 1997
Time: 9:33 A.M.
I hereby certify that the foregoing copy of an Act of the Legislature of Alabama has
been compared with the enrolled Act and it is a true and correct copy thereof.
Given under my hand this 14th day of May, 1997.
McDOWELL LEE
Secretary of Senate
