Missouri Laws 21.790 – Task force established, members — duties — report
1. There is hereby established the “Task Force on Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment”. The task force shall be composed of six members from the house of representatives, six members from the senate, and four members appointed by the governor. The senate members of the task force shall be appointed by the president pro tempore of the senate and the house members by the speaker of the house of representatives. There shall be at least two members from the minority party of the senate and at least two members from the minority party of the house of representatives. The members appointed by the governor shall include one member from the health care industry, one member who is a first responder or law enforcement officer, one member who is a member of the judiciary or a prosecuting attorney, and one member representing a substance abuse prevention advocacy group.
2. The task force shall select a chairperson and a vice-chairperson, one of whom shall be a member of the senate and one a member of the house of representatives. A majority of the members shall constitute a quorum. The task force shall meet at least once during each legislative session and at all other times as the chairperson may designate.
Terms Used In Missouri Laws 21.790
- Joint committee: Committees including membership from both houses of teh legislature. Joint committees are usually established with narrow jurisdictions and normally lack authority to report legislation.
- Legislative session: That part of a chamber's daily session in which it considers legislative business (bills, resolutions, and actions related thereto).
- President pro tempore: A constitutionally recognized officer of the Senate who presides over the chamber in the absence of the Vice President. The President Pro Tempore (or, "president for a time") is elected by the Senate and is, by custom, the Senator of the majority party with the longest record of continuous service.
- Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
- State: when applied to any of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" includes such district and territories. See Missouri Laws 1.020
3. The task force shall:
(1) Conduct hearings on current and estimated future drug and substance use and abuse within the state;
(2) Explore solutions to substance abuse issues; and
(3) Draft or modify legislation as necessary to effectuate the goals of finding and funding education and treatment solutions to curb drug and substance use and abuse.
4. The task force may make reasonable requests for staff assistance from the research and appropriations staffs of the senate and house of representatives and the joint committee on legislative research. In the performance of its duties, the task force may request assistance or information from all branches of government and state departments, agencies, boards, commissions, and offices.
5. The task force shall report annually to the general assembly and the governor. The report shall include recommendations for legislation pertaining to substance abuse prevention and treatment.