(a) The Governor shall appoint, upon recommendation by the Director and Commissioner, a Citizens Advisory Council on Mental Illness, Alcoholism and Drug Dependency (hereinafter referred to as the Council), composed of fifteen members who shall be representative of a wide cross-section of the community and in compliance with all federal laws or guidelines. These members shall serve for overlapping terms of three years each; one-third of the members first appointed shall be appointed for one, two and three-year terms respectively. Members shall have professional, research or personal interest in mental illness, alcoholism and/or drug dependency problems, and the membership shall be proportionately distributed between these three disciplines on the basis of the Governor's determinations regarding the relative seriousness of mental illness, alcoholism and drug dependency in the community.
(b) The Council shall select from among their number a Chairman, Vice Chairman and such other officers as it deems necessary, each to serve for a term of one year from date of selection.
(c) The Council shall advise the Director on broad policies, goals, priorities and operations of the mental health, alcoholism and drug dependency programs and on other matters the Director refers to it, and shall encourage public understanding and support of mental health, alcoholism and drug dependency programs. In this regard, the Council shall be given the opportunity to review the budgets of the Department of Health and the Division at least two weeks prior to submission of same by the Governor to the Legislature, and shall be given opportunity to present its recommendations to the Finance Committee of the Legislature during its budget hearings.
(d) Members of the Council shall serve without compensation but shall receive reimbursement for travel and other necessary expenses actually incurred in the performance of their duties.