1. I. Membership

   The Select Commission shall consist of members appointed by the Governor. The Governor shall appoint a member of the Select Commission to serve as chairperson. The members of the Select Commission shall receive no compensation for their service, but shall be entitled to reimbursement for any necessary expense incurred in connection with the performance of their duties.

2. II. Powers and Responsibilities

   The Select Commission shall prepare recommendations for the Governor after a careful review of the State's present mental health program and shall propose policies which will lead to a new relationship between levels of government to serve the mentally ill more effectively. Specifically, the Select Commission shall:

3. (1) examine the current mental health system, including the persons served by the system and the kinds of services provided and offer recommendations for the future direction of mental health services;
4. (2) review the current roles and responsibilities of the State and local governments in the planning, regulation and provision of mental health services and recommend to the Governor ways to strengthen community care services and establish a new relationship between levels of government;
5. (3) examine the current mechanisms for coordinating the mental health system and recommend policies that will reduce fragmentation, increase integration and promote effective and efficient care;
6. (4) analyze present financing mechanisms from State, Federal and local sources and recommend to the Governor new financing methods to restructure the system and improve the coordination of services;
7. (5) evaluate within New York City the extent to which acute care beds are inappropriately occupied by the individuals in need of intermediate or longer term care and the extent to which intermediate and longer term beds are, in turn, inappropriately occupied by individuals in need of safe and adequate housing in the community; and
8. (6) complete its review and submit its report to the Governor on or about April 15, 1984.

9. III. Assistance to the Select Commission

   All departments, agencies, divisions, boards and offices of the State are directed to cooperate with the Select Commission and to provide such assistance as the Select Commission may require to fulfill its purposes. Such assistance may include, but need not be limited to, the use of agency staff, the provision of statistical and policy data in such form as is determined by the Select Commission and consultation with agency staff as the Select Commission shall require.

   Signed: Mario M. Cuomo Dated: September 20, 1983

WHEREAS, New York State has, over the past quarter century, undertaken a policy of providing services in the community and reducing the role of institutional care in the mental health field;

WHEREAS, the emphasis on services in the community has resulted in a dramatic decrease in the census of psychiatric centers;

WHEREAS, there is, nevertheless, overcrowding in municipal and State psychiatric inpatient units in New York City;

WHEREAS, there is a continuing concern over the quality and range of services available in both the community and institutional settings;

WHEREAS, despite the impact of these policies on the mental health system, there has not been a corresponding, systematic review of the traditional roles and responsibilities of the State, local governments and other providers;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Mario M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of New York, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the State of New York, do hereby establish within the Executive Chamber a Select Commission on the Future of the State-Local Mental Health System.