The Council is comprised of 25 public members, who are appointed by the Governor and include self-advocates and family members of people with developmental disabilities; physicians, nurses and other allied health professionals; representatives from agencies that provide services to people with developmental disabilities; and the private sector.  Members serve a three-year term. 

Additionally, the Council includes New Jersey State Commissioners, or their designees, of the Departments of Human Services, Community Affairs, Education, Health, and Environmental Protection, and the Secretary of State, serving as ex officio members.

The Council reports annually to the Governor and the Legislature concerning the status of IDD prevention programs in the state.

The Governor’s Council administers two standing committees:

The mission of the Lead Task Force is to: reduce childhood lead poisoning; promote lead-safe and healthy housing; support education and blood lead screening; and support interagency collaboration.

Lead is one of the leading preventable environmental health threats to New Jersey’s children.  Due to the state’s extensive industrial heritage and high proportion of pre-1978 housing, lead continues to be an important I/DD prevention issue.  Despite the ban on residential use in 1978, lead continues to affect the lives of families.  Our country’s aging water delivery infrastructure, in addition to the hazards of lead paint, motivate the members of the Interagency Task Force on the Prevention of Lead Poisoning (Lead Task Force) to reduce lead’s dangerous footprint in NJ. 

The immediate impact of lead can be profound, and it may also have long-term multigenerational effects.  New Jersey is the most densely populated state, and its residents are at higher risk for elevated blood lead levels because of substantial amounts of lead contamination. 

Lead Task Force members include representatives from state agencies charged with addressing the health and environmental problems caused by exposure to lead.  The Departments of Human Services, Community Affairs, Environmental Protection, and Health are represented on the Task Force. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Rutgers University, and many local public health, housing, and social service agencies also participate on the Lead Task Force.

The mission of the New Jersey Task Force on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders and other Perinatal Addictions (FASDTF) is to: provide education regarding the causal relationship between the exposure to alcohol and other substances during pregnancy and the incidence of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), and to promote effective, life-long interventions for individuals affected by prenatal exposure to alcohol and other substances.

The members of the FASDTF work on the front lines of FASD prevention.  They engage with community organizations and policy professionals regarding news, research, best practices, and programs, locally and nationally, related to FASD.  The FASDTF focuses on increasing awareness in New Jersey about FASD and perinatal substance use disorders among the public and healthcare professionals.  Additionally, FASDTF members continue to engage in vigorous discussions pertaining to cannabis legalization, its increased usage in NJ, and its potential impact on fetal development.