Louisiana § RS 49:219.2 - Drug Policy Board; establishment; membership; selection; terms; compensation; organization; domicile; procedure

§ RS 49:219.2. Drug Policy Board; establishment; membership; selection; terms; compensation; organization; domicile; procedure

            A. The Drug Policy Board is established as a body corporate to operate within the office of the governor.

            B.(1) The board shall be composed of twenty-five members.

            (a) Fifteen of the members shall be as follows:

            (i) The secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health or his designee.

            (ii) The secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections or his designee.

            (iii) The superintendent of state police or his designee.

            (iv) The secretary of the Department of Children and Family Services or his designee.

            (v) The executive director of the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement or his designee.

            (vi) The superintendent of education or his designee.

            (vii) The commander in chief of the national guard or his designee.

            (viii) The attorney general or his designee.

            (ix) The chairman of the Louisiana Commission on Addictive Disorders or his designee.

            (x) The commissioner of Alcohol and Tobacco Control or his designee.

            (xi) The executive director, or his designee, of the office of drug policy within the office of the governor.

            (xii) A member of the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission.

            (xiii) A member of the Board of Pharmacy.

            (xiv) A representative of the Board of Regents specializing in collegiate recovery education and behavioral health services.

            (xv) An individual who has been in recovery for at least five years and is actively engaged in substance use prevention and peer support efforts.

            (b) Two of the members shall be as follows:

            (i) A member of the House Committee on Health and Welfare as designated by the speaker of the House of Representatives.

            (ii) A member of the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare as designated by the president of the Senate.

            (c) The remaining eight members shall be appointed by the governor subject to the confirmation of the Senate as follows:

            (i) A representative of a private or nonprofit organization located within this state providing substance use education, treatment, and prevention.

            (ii) The president or a representative of the District Attorneys Association.

            (iii) The director of the Louisiana Supreme Court Drug and Specialty Court Office or his designee.

            (iv) The president or a representative of the Louisiana Sheriffs' Association.

            (v) A representative of the indigent defender system.

            (vi) A district court judge.

            (vii) A representative from the alcohol industry.

            (viii) A physician representing the field of substance misuse treatment or substance misuse prevention.

            (2) The governor shall appoint persons who represent local and state education agencies; substance and alcohol misuse treatment or rehabilitation facilities or programs; local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies; and local, state, and federal judiciaries, and legal counsel to serve in support of the drug policy board.

            (3) Each member shall serve a term concurrent with that of the appointing governor. Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment.

            (4) Members shall serve without salary or per diem, but shall be reimbursed for travel, lodging, and related expenses occasioned by attendance on the business of the board in the same manner as provided for state employees.

            C.(1) The board shall be domiciled in the city of Baton Rouge in East Baton Rouge Parish.

            (2) The members of the board shall elect from among themselves a chair and such other officers as they deem necessary whose term shall be fixed by rule of the board.

            (3) The board shall meet on a regular basis of not less often than quarterly as established by the board and at such other times as deemed necessary by the chair.

            (4) The board shall establish its own rules of procedure.

            (5) Official action of the board shall require the affirmative approval of not less than a majority of those present. A quorum shall be required to conduct a meeting. A quorum shall be a majority of the total membership of the board.

            (6) Each board member who may appoint a designee to serve in his stead pursuant to Paragraph (B)(1) of this Section shall provide written notice of such to the chairman of the board. Such written notice shall name the individual who shall be the official designee until the member revokes such designation. No board member shall be represented in a meeting other than by the official designee.

            Acts 1990, No. 1029, §2, eff. July 26, 1990; Acts 2009, No. 65, §1; Acts 2025, No. 78, §1.