[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 59 (Tuesday, March 26, 1996)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 13047-13049]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-7461]



 
 
                         Presidential Documents 
 
 

  Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 59 / Tuesday, March 26, 1996 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 13047]]

                Executive Order 12994 of March 21, 1996

                
Continuing the President's Committee on Mental 
                Retardation and Broadening Its Membership and 
                Responsibilities

                The President's Committee on Mental Retardation, 
                established by Executive Order No. 11280 on May 11, 
                1966, as superseded by Executive Order No. 11776 on 
                March 28, 1974, has organized national planning, 
                stimulated development of plans, policies and programs, 
                and advanced the concept of community participation in 
                the field of mental retardation.

                National goals have been established to:

                    (1) promote full participation of people with 
                mental retardation in their communities;
                    (2) provide all necessary supports to people with 
                mental retardation and their families for such 
                participation;
                    (3) reduce the occurrence and severity of mental 
                retardation by one-half by the year 2010;
                    (4) assure the full citizenship rights of all 
                people with mental retardation, including those rights 
                secured by such landmark statutes as the Americans with 
                Disabilities Act of 1990, Public Law 101-336 (42 U.S.C. 
                12101 et seq.);
                    (5) recognize the right of all people with mental 
                retardation to self-determination and autonomy, to be 
                treated in a nondiscriminatory manner, and to exercise 
                meaningful choice, with whatever supports are necessary 
                to effectuate these rights;
                    (6) recognize the right of all people with mental 
                retardation to enjoy a quality of life that promotes 
                independence, self-determination, and participation as 
                productive members of society; and
                    (7) promote the widest possible dissemination of 
                information on models, programs, and services in the 
                field of mental retardation.

                The achievement of these goals will require the most 
                effective possible use of public and private resources.

                NOW, THEREFORE, by the authority vested in me as 
                President by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States of America, including the Federal 
                Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. App. 2), 
                it is hereby ordered as follows:

                Section 1. Committee Continued and Responsibilities 
                Expanded. The President's Committee on Mental 
                Retardation (the ``Committee''), with expanded 
                membership and expanded responsibilities, is hereby 
                continued in operation.

                Sec. 2. Composition of Committee. (a) The Committee 
                shall be composed of the following members:

                      (1) The Secretary of Health and Human Services;
                      (2) The Secretary of Education;
                      (3) The Attorney General;
                      (4) The Secretary of Labor;
                      (5) The Secretary of Housing and Urban 
                Development;
                      (6) The Chief Executive Officer of the 
                Corporation for National and Community Service 
                (formerly ACTION);
                
[[Page 13048]]

                      (7) The Commissioner of Social Security;
                      (8) The Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity 
                Commission;
                      (9) The Chairperson of the National Council on 
                Disability;
                      (10) No more than 21 other members who shall be 
                appointed to the Committee by the President. These 
                citizen members shall consist of individuals who 
                represent a broad spectrum of perspectives, experience, 
                and expertise on mental retardation, and shall include 
                self-advocates with mental retardation and members of 
                families with a child or adult with mental retardation, 
                and persons employed in either the public or the 
                private sector. Except as the President may from time 
                to time otherwise direct, appointees under this 
                paragraph shall have two-year terms, except that an 
                appointment made to fill a vacancy occurring before the 
                expiration of a term shall be made for the balance of 
                the unexpired term.
                    (b) The President shall designate the Chair of the 
                Committee from the 21 citizen members. The Chair shall 
                advise and counsel the Committee and represent the 
                Committee on appropriate occasions.

                Sec. 3. Functions of the Committee. (a) The Committee 
                shall provide such advice and assistance in the area of 
                mental retardation as the President or Secretary of 
                Health and Human Services may request, and particularly 
                shall advise with respect to the following areas:

                      (1) evaluating and monitoring the national 
                efforts to establish appropriate policies and supports 
                for people with mental retardation;
                      (2) providing suggestions for improvement in the 
                delivery of mental retardation services, including 
                preventive services, the promulgation of effective and 
                humane policies, and the provision of necessary 
                supports;
                      (3) identifying the extent to which various 
                Federal and State programs achieve the national goals 
                in mental retardation described in the preamble to this 
                order and have a positive impact on the lives of people 
                with mental retardation;
                      (4) facilitating liaison among Federal, State, 
                and local governments, foundations, nonprofit 
                organizations, other private organizations, and 
                citizens concerning mental retardation;
                      (5) developing and disseminating such information 
                as will tend to reduce the incidence and severity of 
                mental retardation; and
                      (6) promoting the concept of community 
                participation and development of community supports for 
                citizens with mental retardation.
                    (b) The Committee shall make an annual report, 
                through the Secretary of Health and Human Services, to 
                the President concerning mental retardation. Such 
                additional reports may be made as the President may 
                require or as the Committee may deem appropriate.

                Sec. 4. Cooperation by Other Agencies. To assist the 
                Committee in providing advice to the President, Federal 
                departments and agencies requested to do so by the 
                Committee shall designate liaison officers to the 
                Committee. Such officers shall, on request by the 
                Committee, and to the extent permitted by law, provide 
                the Committee with information on department and agency 
                programs that do contribute to or could contribute to 
                achievement of the President's goals in the field of 
                mental retardation.

                Sec. 5. Administration. (a) The Department of Health 
                and Human Services shall, to the extent permitted by 
                law, provide the Committee with necessary staff, 
                administrative services, and facilities and funding.

                    (b) Each member of the Committee, except any member 
                who receives other compensation from the United States 
                Government, may receive compensation for each day he or 
                she is engaged in the work of the Committee, as 
                authorized by law (5 U.S.C. 3109), and may also receive 
                travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of 
                subsistence, as authorized by law (5 U.S.C. 5701-5707), 
                for persons employed intermittently in the Government 
                service.

[[Page 13049]]
                Committee members with disabilities may be compensated 
                for attendant expenses, consistent with Government 
                procedures and practices.
                    (c) The Secretary of Health and Human Services 
                shall perform such other functions with respect to the 
                Committee as may be required by the provisions of the 
                Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. 
                App. 2), except that of reporting to the Congress.

                Sec. 6. Construction. Nothing in this order shall be 
                construed as subjecting any Federal agency, or any 
                function vested by law in, or assigned pursuant to law 
                to, any Federal agency, to the authority of the 
                Committee or as abrogating or restricting any such 
                function in any manner.

                Sec. 7. Superseded Authority. Executive Order No. 11776 
                is hereby superseded.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

                THE WHITE HOUSE,

                    March 21, 1996.

[FR Doc. 96-7461
Filed 3-25-96; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P