WHEREAS, Executive
Order No. 45 of Governor Florio creating the Governor's Advisory
Council on AIDS ("Advisory Council") expired on June 2, 1994; and
WHEREAS, the
presence of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome ("AIDS") and Human
Immunodeficiency Virus ("HIV") continue to present a serious public
health concern for the State of New Jersey; and
WHEREAS, New
Jersey currently ranks fifth in the nation in the total number of
its citizens infected with AIDS, third in the nation in pediatric
cases of AIDS and first in the nation in the proportion of women
with AIDS; and
WHEREAS, the
number of AIDS cases in the State as of March 31, 1994 had grown
to 20,942 cases, with 482 of those persons affected being children;
and
WHEREAS, combating
the spread of AIDS and HIV must be considered a public health priority
for the State;
NOW, THEREFORE,
I, CHRISTINE TODD WHITMAN, Governor of the State of New Jersey,
by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
by the Statutes of this State, do hereby ORDER and DIRECT:
1. The Advisory
Council is hereby continued.
2. The Advisory
Council shall consist of the Commissioner of Health, the Commissioner
of Corrections, the Commissioner of Education, the Commissioner
of Human Services, the Commissioner of Community Affairs, the
Commissioner of Insurance, the Attorney General and the Secretary
of State or their designees; two members of the New Jersey Senate
to be appointed by the Senate President, no more than one of whom
shall be from the same political party; two members of the New
Jersey General Assembly to be appointed by the Speaker of the
Assembly, no more than one of whom shall be from the same political
party; and no more than twenty-five public members to be appointed
by the Governor. The public members shall consist of educators,
representatives of the State's business community, labor representatives,
health care and other service providers, representatives of the
insurance industry, community leaders and persons who have tested
HIV positive. The public members shall serve at the pleasure of
the Governor. All members of the Advisory Council shall serve
without compensation.
3. The Governor
shall designate a Chairperson and Vice Chairperson from among
the public members of the Advisory Council.
4. It shall
be the duty of the Advisory Council to:
a. advise
the Governor on policy issues relating to AIDS;
b. reassess
the Department of Health's implementation of its plan to fight
AIDS and HIV in the 1990's, and offer recommendations for updating
the plan;
c. recommend
relevant legislation to the Governor;
d. advise
the Governor on the actions needed to coordinate State efforts
concerning AIDS and HIV research, prevention and treatment;
e. advise
the Executive Branch concerning its relationship with voluntary
agencies and private sector entities involved in AIDS and HIV-related
activities; and
f. prepare
an annual report for the Governor on or before June 30 of each
year summarizing its findings and providing any recommendations
it deems appropriate.
5. The Advisory
Council shall receive administrative staff support from the Department
of Health.
6. This
Order shall take effect immediately and shall apply retroactively
to June 2, 1994.
GIVEN,
under my hand and seal
this 1st day of December in the
Year of Our Lord, One Thousand
Nine Hundred and Ninety Four, and
of the Independence of the United
States, the Two Hundred and Eighteenth.
/s/
Christine Todd Whitman
GOVERNOR
Attest:
/s/ Peter
Verniero
Chief Counsel to the Governor
|