Oregon, like many states across the nation, has experienced a
rapid increase in the number of individuals being diagnosed with Autism
Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and both the public and private systems have had
difficulty responding. Services are often fragmented and inconsistent around
the state. Oregon is not taking full advantage of the wealth of knowledge, best
practices and skill currently available in the state and elsewhere. Oregon
lacks a means to provide accurate, up-to-date information to families and
professionals regarding interventions, services, supports and expected
outcomes. There is currently no consistent approach to increasing the capacity
of agencies and communities to support individuals with ASD.
The rapid increase in the numbers of individuals being identified
with ASD, the complexity and diversity of their needs, limited resources, and
the consequent pressure on families, communities, existing education and social
service systems, requires a more thoughtful, coordinated approach to funding,
service development and delivery. Executive Order 09-07 established the Oregon
Commission on Autism Spectrum Disorder and charged it with creating a 10 Year
Strategic Plan on Autism Spectrum Disorder to address the issues confronting
Oregon. This Plan was submitted to the Governor in December 2010. Executive
Order 09-07 provides that the Oregon Commission on Autism Spectrum Disorder
expires on July 1, 2011.
There exists an ongoing need to guide the implementation of the 10
Year Strategic Plan on Autism Spectrum Disorder. Therefore, this Order
continues the Oregon Commission on Autism Spectrum Disorder to implement the 10
Year Strategic Plan.
1. The Oregon Commission on Autism Spectrum Disorder
(“Commission”) previously established in Executive Order 09-07 shall continue
its work as modified by this Executive Order.
2. The purpose of the Commission shall be to:
a. Guide implementation of the 10 Year Strategic Plan and identify
biennial goals for the state of Oregon by providing leadership, establishing
priorities, creating key performance measures, facilitating collaboration,
ensuring support and monitoring outcomes;
b. Expand and strengthen formal and informal partnerships among
systems serving individuals with ASD, including any ASD related expert panels;
c. Identify and incorporate any needed revisions to the 10 Year
Strategic Plan to address gaps, barriers, and solutions for individuals with
ASD;
d. Convene, facilitate, and lead key stakeholders in developing,
promoting, and implementing recommendations from the 10 Year Strategic Plan;
and
e. Provide regular updates on the status of plan implementation
and outcomes to the Governor, Legislative Assembly, and the public.
3. The Commission shall consist of 15 members, who are
knowledgeable about Autism Spectrum Disorder or about systems that serve people
with Autism Spectrum Disorder or both. The Governor shall appoint all members
but will receive recommendations from the Senate President and Speaker(s) of
the House in regard to Legislative members of the Commission. The members shall
include:
a. One member who is an individual with autism who shall be considered a self-advocate, appointed by the Governor;
b. One member who is the parent of a child with autism below the
age of 18 at the time of appointment, appointed by the Governor;
c. One member who is a parent of an adult child with autism,
appointed by the Governor;
d. One member who represents autism or disability advocacy
organizations, appointed by the Governor;
e. One member who represents the medical community in Oregon, appointed by the Governor;
f. One member who represents the Oregon Health Authority,
recommended by the Director of the Authority and appointed by the Governor;
g. One member who represents the Department of Human Services,
recommended by the Director of the Department and appointed by the Governor;
h. One member who represents the mental health community,
appointed by the Governor;
i. One member who
represents healthcare systems/insurance, appointed by the Governor;
j. One member who represents the Department of Education, recommended by the Superintendent of Public Instruction and appointed by the
Governor;
k. One member who represents Higher Education, appointed by the
Governor;
l. One member
representing a local education entity, appointed by the Governor;
m. One member from the Oregon House of Representatives, appointed
by the Governor;
n. One member from the Oregon Senate, appointed by the Governor;
and
o. One public member at large, appointed by the Governor.
4. All appointments to the Commission shall be made on or before
July 1, 2011. New appointments will typically be for two years, but reappointments
of members from the existing Oregon Commission on Autism Spectrum Disorder in
2011 shall be for 1 year in order to establish staggered terms. Any subsequent
reappointments shall be for two year terms. A minimum
of 1/3 of the members of the existing Oregon Commission on Autism Spectrum
Disorder whose terms expire in July, 2011 will be
retained for a period of at least one year to assist in the transition of the
new Commission.
5. All members serve at the pleasure of their appointing
authority. If a vacancy should occur for any reason it shall be the
responsibility of the appointing authority to make an appointment effective
immediately that meets the requirements of section 3.
6. The Governor shall select a chair and vice-chair from the
Commission’s membership.
7. The Commission may create as many subcommittees as it deems
necessary to carry out the scope and mission of the Commission. Each
subcommittee shall include a Commission member and may be composed of members
outside of the Commission. Subcommittees should strive for geographic diversity
in membership.
8. The Commission shall meet at least quarterly and more often as
the Commission determines is necessary and as funding allows. A quorum for
meetings shall consist of a majority of the appointed members. The Commission
shall strive to operate by consensus.
9. To facilitate meaningful participation by parents of
individuals with ASD and self-advocates, those members may be paid a per diem
pursuant to ORS 292.495(1) and reimbursed for expenses incurred in attending
Commission meetings, pursuant to ORS 292.495(2), and subject to availability of
funds. No other members shall be eligible for a per diem or reimbursement of
expenses.
10. The Director of the Department of Human Services, the Director
of the Oregon Health Authority and the Superintendent of Public Instruction
shall provide staff and support necessary to support the activities of the
Commission and its subcommittees, subject to availability of funds. All other
agencies of state government are ordered to assist the Commission in the
performance of its duties and to the extent possible, provide the Commission
with representatives as outlined in Commission membership as well as the
information and advice considered necessary by members of the Commission to
meet their responsibilities.
11. The Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities may accept,
on behalf of the Commission, contributions of moneys and assistance from the
United States Government or its agencies, or from any other source, public or
private and agree to conditions upon the monies, not inconsistent with the
duties of this Commission and as otherwise allowed by state and federal law.
12. The Commission shall use the 10 Year Strategic Plan to develop
goals, outcomes, and implementation strategies to ensure effective services to
individuals experiencing Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families. The
Commission shall continue to monitor implementation and amend the Strategic
Plan designed to:
a. Clarify the array and structure of necessary services and
supports that enable persons with Autism Spectrum Disorder to function to their
individual potentials across their lifespan;
b. Ensure effectively coordinated service systems for persons with
Autism Spectrum Disorder in Oregon through strategies that might include
interagency agreements, braiding of funding, and other processes necessary to
assure collaboration and coordination;
c. Define and recommend strategies for accessing and promoting
best practices and research-based information to the professional community and
the public;
d. Identify and recommend strategies to increase the capacity of
agencies and the community to appropriately support individuals experiencing
Autism Spectrum Disorder; and
e. Estimate and make recommendations regarding the long-term
funding and the sources of funding needed to provide the necessary services and
supports described in the 10 Year Strategic Plan.
13. The Commission shall submit a report to the Governor and the
appropriate Legislative Committee each year, no later than the fall prior to
the annual legislative session. The report shall include but need not be
limited to:
a. An update on implementation and outcome priorities identified
in the 10 Year Strategic Plan;
b. Biennial goals for providing services and supports to persons
with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Oregon as outlined in section 12;
c. Proposals for legislation is necessary for implementation of
the goals; and
d. Recommendations to applicable principal departments of the
state concerning policies, procedures, and to improve services that benefit
people with Autism Spectrum Disorder or to improve coordination among state
agencies that provide services that benefit people with Autism Spectrum
Disorder.
14. The Commission shall continue its work as set forth in this
Executive Order until the Executive Order is revoked.
Done at Salem, Oregon, this 24th day of June, 2011.
/s/
John A. Kitzhaber
John
A. Kitzhaber, M.D.
GOVERNOR
ATTEST
/s/
Kate Brown
Kate
Brown
SECRETARY
OF STATE
Executive Order No. 09-13 created the Governor’s Reset Cabinet and
charged it with studying the core functions of state government and with
recommending strategies to increase its efficiencies and improve outcomes in
order to better serve the interests and needs of Oregonians. In June 2010, the
Reset Cabinet issued its findings on the fiscal crisis facing Oregon and
provided a set of strategies to ensure that state government can continue to
meet Oregonians’ critical public safety, human services, and education needs.
With respect to public safety, the Reset Cabinet identified the need to
transform Oregon’s current sentencing policy.
This Order convenes the leaders of the three branches of state
government and one public member as part of the Commission on Public Safety.
The Commission shall collect, review, and evaluate arrest, conviction,
sentencing, and recidivism data in order to develop recommendations for
comprehensive sentencing reform for consideration by the state legislature and
by the people of Oregon. In addition, the Commission shall collect, review, and
evaluate data related to the costs of Oregon’s current sentencing policy. The
Commission is an opportunity for the heads of the three branches of government,
as well as the citizens of Oregon, to take stock of our current public safety
system with its successes and challenges and to chart a path for the future.
In addressing public safety policy, the Commission must focus on
four core outcomes: the safety of our citizens in their homes and communities,
accountability for criminal offenses, an efficient system that controls costs,
and a system that is also smart and fair. Any concepts developed must put the
safety of our citizens as the top priority and also ensure that individuals who
commit crimes are held accountable for their conduct. At the same time, we must
focus on building a smart and efficient system that maximizes our public safety
dollars in light of the current economic environment.
In the 2011–13 biennium, Oregon
faces a multi-billion dollar deficit and substantial general fund cuts. In the
midst of this economic crisis, we must take a strategic look at our sentencing
policies. With limited dollars, we must ensure the public’s safety by making
smart investments across our adult and juvenile justice system, including law
enforcement, courts, local jails, state prisons, community corrections and
other critical public safety partners.
Since the last comprehensive review of sentencing policy in 1989,
our current sentencing structure has been developed by separate legislative
actions and ballot measures. These two processes have created policies that are
independent, and in some cases, inconsistent with each other and with little
uniformity between the two.
Further, as a result of the incarceration costs of our current
sentencing policies, Oregon faces the untenable choice of having to fund its
prisons or educate our children. Although Oregon is recognized nationwide for
its efforts to reduce recidivism and for its support of evidence-based
practices, hard economic realities compel us to be more strategic and to take a
broad look at our current public safety system. The Commission will study the
costs of incarceration and design specific concepts to implement the best use
of our limited public safety dollars that will most effectively keep our
citizens safe and further justice in an efficient manner.
1. The Governor’s Commission on Public Safety (“Commission”) is
hereby established.
2. The Commission shall consist of no more than seven (7) members,
who shall be appointed as follows:
a. The Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court or his designee,
appointed by the Chief Justice;
b. The Governor of Oregon or his designee, appointed by the
Governor;
c. Each Co-Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives, or
their respective designee, appointed by each Co-Speaker;
d. The President of the Oregon Senate, or the President’s
designee, appointed by the Senate President;
e. A member of the Oregon Senate who is also not a member of the
same political party as the President, appointed by the President;
f. A member of the public to be appointed by a majority vote of
the Commission members.
3. The Chair of the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission shall be
the Executive Secretary of the Commission.
4. All members shall serve at the pleasure of their appointing
authorities. The chair of the Commission will be appointed by the Governor and
will serve at the pleasure of the Governor. The chair shall develop a work
plan, set the agenda, and provide leadership and direction for the Commission.
5. A quorum for Commission meetings shall consist of a majority of
the appointed members. The Commission shall approve measures on an affirmative
vote of a majority of voting members appointed to the Commission.
6. The Commission shall lead and coordinate a process to collect,
review and evaluate criminal-justice and cost data, to
determine a public safety policy that both protects the public’s safety and is
cost-effective. This is to be a long-term effort to both develop public safety
policy as well as evaluate its effectiveness. Before developing the specific
policy concepts called for in the next paragraph, the Commission shall develop
a consistent set of definitions for terms for which there have been competing
meanings. In this manner, the Commission’s definition of terms will serve as a
common baseline from which policy makers and the public can make informed
decisions on sentencing policy. Additionally, the Commission shall also develop
an outreach strategy to educate Oregonians about the public safety system and
impacts of our current policies. The Commission, at a minimum, shall work with
state and local governments, Oregon colleges and universities, the Criminal
Justice Commission, the State Department of Justice, and businesses to
implement the data collection, review, evaluation and outreach strategy.
7. The Commission shall develop specific concepts on comprehensive
public safety policy for consideration of the public and policy makers that are
informed by the recommendations of the Reset Cabinet.
8. In developing its proposals for the three branches of
government and the public, the Commission shall form workgroups as deemed
necessary by the Chair. Workgroups may include members of the public,
interested parties, and public safety stakeholders who are not members of the
Commission. Any workgroup created will be given a specific charge by the chair.
The Commission will consider proposals and opinions of any workgroups it
establishes but it is the Commission that shall be ultimately responsible for
making final recommendations consistent with its charge and scope.
9. The Commission shall produce a written report no later than
December 15, 2011. The report will include conceptual proposals for the
consideration of the public and policy-makers.
10. The Oregon Criminal Justice Commission and the Oregon
Department of Corrections shall provide staff support for the Commission. If
the Commission requires assistance of any other State agency, then such agency
shall provide assistance to the Commission upon request.
11. The members of the Commission shall not receive per diem for
their activities as members of the Commission, but may be reimbursed for
expenses incurred in attending Commission business pursuant to ORS 292.495(2),
subject to availability of funds.
12. This Order expires on December 31, 2011.
Done at Salem, Oregon, this 15th day of July, 2011.
/s/
John A. Kitzhaber
John
A. Kitzhaber, M.D.
GOVERNOR
ATTEST
/s/
Kate Brown
Kate
Brown
SECRETARY
OF STATE