1. (a)

   1. (1) The Department shall establish standardized procedures for the administration of the Advisory Group and make the procedures available to the public on a dedicated page of the Department's website.

   2. (2) The dedicated page on the Department's website shall also include:

      1. (i) A list of current Advisory Group members;
      2. (ii) The application process and selection criteria for Advisory Group members;
      3. (iii) The location, date, and time of each Advisory Group meeting with at least 30 calendar days' advance notice;
      4. (iv) Options for virtual participation in meetings of the Advisory Group;
      5. (v) Procedures to ensure meaningful participation for individuals with disabilities and limited English proficiency;
      6. (vi) A notation of at which meetings the general public will have an opportunity to testify or make comments; and
      7. (vii) In accordance with the Open Meetings Act, the agenda and meeting minutes of the previous meeting of the Advisory Group, including a list of meeting attendees.

2. (b) The Department shall provide sufficient data and resources at least 30 days in advance of a meeting to support informed participation in Advisory Group discussions, including:

   1. (1) Current and proposed payment rates;

   2. (2) Federally required information, including:

      1. (i) Home- and community-based services payment transparency reports;
      2. (ii) Payment adequacy reports as required under 42 C.F.R. § 441.311(e); and
      3. (iii) Access-to-care data, as required under 42 C.F.R. § 441.311(d)(2);
   3. (3) Bureau of Labor Statistics publicly available wage data and other labor market and workforce data;
   4. (4) Benchmarking and rate studies for home- and community-based services conducted by the Department;
   5. (5) Rate information from neighboring or similarly situated states; and

   6. (6) Access-to-care metrics, including:

      1. (i) The number of consumers receiving applicable services; and
      2. (ii) The number of utilization hours for applicable service categories.

Added by Acts 2025, c. 754, § 1, eff. July 1, 2025.