A. There are hereby created four Department of Human Services Citizens Advisory Panels to evaluate core program and administrative areas of the Department and to develop recommendations to improve the programs and administration of the Department. These Panels are for Children and Family Issues, Aging Issues, Disability Issues and Administration. Each Panel shall be composed of five (5) members. Each appointee shall demonstrate an interest or expertise in the area of responsibility of the Panel to which the member is appointed. The Panels shall be established as follows:

1. The Citizens Advisory Panel for Children and Family Issues shall be composed of:

a.one member to be appointed by the Governor,

b.one member to be appointed by the Speaker of the House,

c.one member to be appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate,

d.one member to be appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives, and

e.one member to be appointed by the minority leader of the Senate;

2. The Citizens Advisory Panel for Aging Issues shall be composed of:

a.one member to be appointed by the Governor,

b.one member to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives,

c.one member to be appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate,

d.one member to be appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives, and

e.one member to be appointed by the minority leader of the Senate;

3. The Citizens Advisory Panel for Disability Issues shall be composed of:

a.one member to be appointed by the Governor,

b.one member to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives,

c.one member to be appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate,

d.one member to be appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives, and

e.one member to be appointed by the minority leader of the Senate; and

4. The Citizens Advisory Panel for Administration shall be composed of:

a.one member to be appointed by the Governor,

b.one member to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives,

c.one member to be appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate,

d.one member to be appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives, and

e.one member to be appointed by the minority leader of the Senate.

B. Appointing authorities shall appoint members from diverse backgrounds with specialized interests in public welfare, human services and the specific area of expertise relevant to the Panel to which the member is appointed. Appointees shall not be members of the Oklahoma Legislature. Panels may meet at their discretion anywhere in the state for the purposes of soliciting input from any interested party including but not limited to employees of the Department, persons receiving services from the Department and community stakeholders. Members shall be reimbursed for travel expenses in accordance with the provisions of the State Travel Reimbursement Act. Each respective panel shall also conduct meetings open to the public at least four (4) times per year but not more than six (6) times per year without prior approval from the Director of Human Services. The dates, times and locations of public meetings shall be filed with the Secretary of State on or before December 15th of the preceding calendar year. An agenda for each public meeting shall be posted in prominent public view at the location at least twenty-four (24) hours in advance and identify all items of business to be transacted. Before any Panel member or members initiate efforts to informally solicit input on behalf of a Panel, such action must first be listed on a public meeting agenda and approved by a vote of the respective Panel. All Panels shall meet together at least one time per year in a Joint Citizens Advisory Panel meeting open to the public to be called by the Director of Human Services. The Governor shall appoint one of the members of each Panel as Chair until each Panel has an organizational meeting and elects a chair. Each Panel chair shall be selected by a majority of each respective Panel to serve a one (1) year term with no prohibition on serving consecutive terms.

C. The Department shall provide administrative support for the Panels and the Attorney General shall provide the Panels with general counsel. The Panels shall have reasonable access to Department records and personnel necessary to examine Department policies, practices and outcomes. The members shall operate under the same confidentiality restrictions as any employee or agent of the Department.

D. The Panels shall function as Advisory Panels to provide advice, information and analysis to the Director on the programs and services of the Department and their impact on outcomes. Each panel shall identify programs and services which could be improved or enhanced and report these recommendations in writing to the Director. Recommendations made to the Director shall be discussed and agreed upon by a vote of the respective Panel during a public meeting. The appropriate Panels shall also offer recommendations for the implementation of the Pinnacle Plan. Each Panel, including the Joint Citizens Advisory Panel, shall make recommendations to improve the services and efficiency of the Department in their specific area and report on such recommendations to the Governor, Speaker of the House of Representatives, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Director by December 31 of each year.

E. The panels shall sunset July 1, 2016.

Added by Laws 2012, c. 344, § 3, eff. Nov. 7, 2012. Amended by Laws 2014, c. 366, § 1.