225C.5  Mental health and disability services commission.
  1.  A mental health and disability services commission is created as the state policy-making body for the provision of services to persons with mental illness, an intellectual disability, other developmental disabilities, or brain injury. The commission’s voting members shall be appointed to three-year staggered terms by the governor and are subject to confirmation by the senate. Commission members shall be appointed on the basis of interest and experience in the fields of mental health, intellectual disability, other developmental disabilities, and brain injury, in a manner so as to ensure adequate representation from persons with disabilities and individuals knowledgeable concerning disability services. The department shall provide staff support to the commission, and the commission may utilize staff support and other assistance provided to the commission by other persons. The commission shall meet at least four times per year. The membership of the commission shall consist of the following persons who, at the time of appointment to the commission, are active members of the indicated groups:
  a.  Three members shall be members of a county board of supervisors selected from nominees submitted by the county supervisor affiliate of the Iowa state association of counties.
  b.  Two members shall be selected from nominees submitted by the director.
  c.  One member shall be an active board member of a community mental health center selected from nominees submitted by the Iowa association of community providers.
  d.  One member shall be an active board member of an agency serving persons with a developmental disability selected from nominees submitted by the Iowa association of community providers.
  e.  One member shall be a board member or employee of a provider of mental health or developmental disabilities services to children.
  f.  Two members shall be staff members of regional administrators selected from nominees submitted by the community services affiliate of the Iowa state association of counties.
  g.  One member shall be selected from nominees submitted by the state’s council of the association of federal, state, county, and municipal employees.
  h.  Three members shall be service consumers or family members of service consumers. Of these members, one shall be a service consumer, one shall be a parent of a child service consumer, and one shall be a parent or other family member of a person admitted to and living at a state resource center.
  i.  Two members shall be selected from nominees submitted by service advocates. Of these members, one shall be an active member of a statewide organization for persons with brain injury.
  j.  One member shall be an active board member of an agency serving persons with a substance use disorder selected from nominees submitted by the Iowa behavioral health association.
  k.  One member shall be a military veteran who is knowledgeable concerning the behavioral and mental health issues of veterans. 
  l.  In addition to the voting members, the membership shall include four members of the general assembly with one member designated by each of the following:  the majority leader of the senate, the minority leader of the senate, the speaker of the house of representatives, and the minority leader of the house of representatives. A legislative member serves for a term as provided in section 69.16B in an ex officio, nonvoting capacity and is eligible for per diem and expenses as provided in section 2.10.
  2.  The three-year terms shall begin and end as provided in section 69.19. Vacancies on the commission shall be filled as provided in section 2.32. A member shall not be appointed for more than two consecutive three-year terms.
  3.  Members of the commission shall qualify by taking the oath of office prescribed by law for state officers. At its first meeting of each year, the commission shall organize by electing a chairperson and a vice chairperson for terms of one year. Commission members are entitled to a per diem as specified in section 7E.6 and reimbursement for actual and necessary expenses incurred while engaged in their official duties, to be paid from funds appropriated to the department.
[C66, 71, 73, 75, 77, §225B.2, 225B.3, 225B.6; C79, 81, §225B.3; S81, §225C.4; 81 Acts, ch 78, §5, 20]
90 Acts, ch 1256, §39; 94 Acts, ch 1170, §14; 2002 Acts, ch 1146, §1
; 2002 Acts, 2nd Ex, ch 1003, §238, 262
; 2003 Acts, ch 101, §3, 4; 2004 Acts, ch 1090, §5, 33; 2008 Acts, ch 1156, §30, 58; 2008 Acts, ch 1187, §51; 2009 Acts, ch 106, §7, 14; 2010 Acts, ch 1031, §383; 2010 Acts, ch 1106, §2; 2011 Acts, ch 34, §53; 2012 Acts, ch 1019, §64; 2015 Acts, ch 69, §33; 2023 Acts, ch 19, §451
Referred to in §135C.23, 225C.55, 227.4, 229.19
Confirmation, see §2.32
Subsection 1, paragraph j amended