§ 4803. Substance Misuse Prevention Oversight and Advisory Council

(a) Creation. There is created the Substance Misuse Prevention Oversight and Advisory Council within the Department of Health to improve the health outcomes of all Vermonters through a consolidated and holistic approach to substance misuse prevention that addresses all categories of substances. The Council shall provide advice to the Governor and General Assembly for improving prevention policies and programming throughout the State and to ensure that population prevention measures are at the forefront of all policy determinations. The Advisory Council’s prevention initiatives shall encompass all substances at risk of misuse, including:

(1) alcohol;

(2) cannabis;

(3) controlled substances, such as opioids, cocaine, and methamphetamines; and

(4) tobacco products and tobacco substitutes as defined in 7 V.S.A. § 1001 and substances containing nicotine or that are otherwise intended for use with a tobacco substitute.

(b) Membership.

(1) The agenda of the Council shall be determined by an executive committee composed of the following members:

(A) the Commissioner of Health or designee, who shall serve as chair;

(B) a community leader in the field of substance misuse prevention, appointed by the Governor, who shall serve as vice chair;

(C) the Secretary of Education or designee;

(D) the Commissioner of Public Safety or designee; and

(E) the Chief Prevention Officer established pursuant to 3 V.S.A. § 2321.

(2) The members of the executive committee jointly shall appoint members to the Council with demographic and regional diversity. Members of the Council shall collectively offer expertise and experience in the categories listed in subdivisions (A)-(E) of this subdivision with the understanding that a single member may offer expertise and experience in multiple categories:

(A) at least two people with lived substance use disorder experience, including a person in recovery and a family member of a person in recovery;

(B) one or more youth less than 18 years of age;

(C) one or more young adults between 18 and 25 years of age;

(D) the Director of Trauma Prevention and Resilience Development established pursuant to 33 V.S.A. § 3403; and

(E) persons with expertise in the following disciplines:

(i) substance misuse prevention in a professional setting;

(ii) pediatric care specific to substance misuse prevention or substance use disorder;

(iii) academic research pertaining to substance misuse prevention or behavioral addiction treatment;

(iv) education in a public school setting specific to substance misuse prevention;

(v) law enforcement with expertise in drug enforcement, addressing impaired driving, and community policing;

(vi) community outreach or collaboration in the field of substance misuse prevention;

(vii) the criminal justice system;

(viii) treatment of substance use disorder;

(ix) recovery from substance use disorder in a community setting;

(x) municipalities;

(xi) community-based, nonprofit youth services;

(xii) substance use disorder or substance misuse prevention within the older Vermonter population; and

(xiii) comprehensive communications and media campaigns.

(c) Powers and duties. The Council shall strengthen the State’s response to the substance use disorder crisis by advancing evidence-based and evidence-informed substance misuse prevention initiatives. The Council’s duties shall include:

(1) reviewing and making recommendations on best practices to assist communities and schools to significantly reduce the demand for substances through prevention and education;

(2) reviewing substance misuse prevention program evaluations and making specific recommendations for modification based on the results, including recommendations to address gaps in both services and populations served;

(3) reviewing existing State laws, rules, policies, and programs and proposing changes to eliminate redundancy and to eliminate barriers experienced by communities and schools in coordinating preventative action with State government;

(4) reviewing existing community-based youth programming, including recreation, municipal programs, parent-child center programs, and afterschool and year-round programs, to determine a foundation of connection and support for all Vermont children and youth;

(5) reviewing community-based programs for older Vermonters for the purpose of identifying gaps in services, including geographic disparities, eliminating barriers, and coordinating prevention services;

(6) recommending strategies to integrate substance misuse prevention programming across the State, including between State agencies and in public-private partnerships;

(7) development of a statewide media campaign for substance misuse prevention; and

(8) holding a minimum of two public meetings to receive public input and advice for setting program priorities for substances at risk of misuse.

(d) Committees. The Council shall have the ability to create issue-specific committees for the purpose of carrying out its duties, such as a youth committee. Any committees created may draw on the expertise of any individual regardless of whether that individual is a member of the Council.

(e) Assistance. The Council shall have administrative, technical, and communications assistance from the Manager of Substance Misuse Prevention established pursuant to section 4804 of this title.

(f) Report. Annually on or before January 1, the Council shall submit a written report to the Governor, the House Committees on Appropriations and on Human Services, and the Senate Committees on Appropriations and on Health and Welfare with its findings and any recommendations for legislative action. The report shall also include the following:

(1) measurable goals for the effectiveness of prevention programming statewide;

(2) three to five performance measures for all substances at risk of misuse that demonstrate the system’s results;

(3) the results of evaluations of State-funded programs; and

(4) an explanation of State-funded program budgets.

(g) Organization.

(1) Members of the Council shall serve two-year terms and may be reappointed. Any vacancy on the Council shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment. The replacement member shall serve for the remainder of the unexpired term. Any individual interested in serving on the Council may submit a letter of interest or resume to the Manager of Substance Misuse Prevention.

(2) A majority of the membership shall constitute a quorum.

(h) Compensation and reimbursement. Members of the Council who are not employed by the State or whose participation is not supported through their employment or association shall be entitled to per diem compensation and reimbursement of expenses as permitted under 32 V.S.A. § 1010 for not more than six meetings per year, unless further authorized by the Commissioner of Health. Payments to members of the Council authorized under this subsection shall be made from monies appropriated to the Department of Health. (Added 2013, No. 131 (Adj. Sess.), § 118, eff. May 20, 2014; amended 2015, No. 58, § E.313.1; 2017, No. 154 (Adj. Sess.), § 4a, eff. May 21, 2018; 2019, No. 82, § 3; 2021, No. 105 (Adj. Sess.), § 347, eff. July 1, 2022; 2023, No. 6, § 153, eff. July 1, 2023.)