[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 38, Number 18 (Monday, May 6, 2002)]
[Pages 703-704]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Executive Order 13263--President's New Freedom Commission on Mental 
Health

April 29, 2002

    By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and 
the laws of the United States of America, and to improve America's 
mental health service delivery system for individuals with serious 
mental illness and children with serious emotional disturbances, it is 
hereby ordered as follows:
    Section 1. Establishment. There is hereby established the 
President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health (Commission).
    Sec. 2. Membership. (a) The Commission's membership shall be 
composed of:
    (i) Not more than fifteen members appointed by the President, 
including providers, payers, administrators, and consumers of mental 
health services and family members of consumers; and
    (ii) Not more than seven ex officio members, four of whom shall be 
designated by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the 
remaining three of whom shall be designated--one each--by the 
Secretaries of the Departments of Labor, Education, and Veterans 
Affairs.
    (b) The President shall designate a Chair from among the fifteen 
members of the Commission appointed by the President.
    Sec. 3. Mission. The mission of the Commission shall be to conduct a 
comprehensive study of the United States mental health service delivery 
system, including public and private sector providers, and to advise the 
President on methods of improving the system. The Commission's goal 
shall be to recommend improvements to enable adults with serious mental 
illness and children with serious emotional disturbances to live, work, 
learn, and participate fully in their communities. In carrying out its 
mission, the Commission shall, at a minimum:
    (a) Review the current quality and effectiveness of public and 
private providers and Federal, State, and local government involvement 
in the delivery of services to individuals with serious mental illnesses 
and children with serious emotional disturbances, and identify unmet 
needs and barriers to services.
    (b) Identify innovative mental health treatments, services, and 
technologies that are demonstrably effective and can be widely 
replicated in different settings.
    (c) Formulate policy options that could be implemented by public and 
private providers, and Federal, State, and local governments to 
integrate the use of effective treatments and services, improve 
coordination among service providers, and improve community integration 
for adults with serious mental illnesses and children with serious 
emotional disturbances.
    Sec. 4. Principles. In conducting its mission, the Commission shall 
adhere to the following principles:

[[Page 704]]

    (a) The Commission shall focus on the desired outcomes of mental 
health care, which are to attain each individual's maximum level of 
employment, self-care, interpersonal relationships, and community 
participation;
    (b) The Commission shall focus on community-level models of care 
that efficiently coordinate the multiple health and human service 
providers and public and private payers involved in mental health 
treatment and delivery of services;
    (c) The Commission shall focus on those policies that maximize the 
utility of existing resources by increasing cost effectiveness and 
reducing unnecessary and burdensome regulatory barriers;
    (d) The Commission shall consider how mental health research 
findings can be used most effectively to influence the delivery of 
services; and
    (e) The Commission shall follow the principles of Federalism, and 
ensure that its recommendations promote innovation, flexibility, and 
accountability at all levels of government and respect the 
constitutional role of the States and Indian tribes.
    Sec. 5. Administration. (a) The Department of Health and Human 
Services, to the extent permitted by law, shall provide funding and 
administrative support for the Commission.
    (b) To the extent funds are available and as authorized by law for 
persons serving intermittently in Government service (5 U.S.C. 5701-
5707), members of the Commission appointed from among private citizens 
of the United States may be allowed travel expenses while engaged in the 
work of the Commission, including per diem in lieu of subsistence. All 
members of the Commission who are officers or employees of the United 
States shall serve without compensation in addition to that received for 
their services as officers or employees of the United States.
    (c) The Commission shall have a staff headed by an Executive 
Director, who shall be selected by the President. To the extent 
permitted by law, office space, analytical support, and additional staff 
support for the Commission shall be provided by executive branch 
departments and agencies.
    (d) Insofar as the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended, may 
apply to the Commission, any functions of the President under that Act, 
except for those in section 6 of that Act, shall be performed by the 
Department of Health and Human Services, in accordance with the 
guidelines that have been issued by the Administrator of General 
Services.
    Sec. 6. Reports. The Commission shall submit reports to the 
President as follows:
    (a) Interim Report. Within 6 months from the date of this order, an 
interim report shall describe the extent of unmet needs and barriers to 
care within the mental health system and provide examples of community-
based care models with success in coordination of services and providing 
desired outcomes.
    (b) Final Report. The final report will set forth the Commission's 
recommendations, in accordance with its mission as stated in section 3 
of this order. The submission date shall be determined by the Chair in 
consultation with the President.
    Sec. 7. Termination. The Commission shall terminate 1 year from the 
date of this order, unless extended by the President prior to that date.
                                                George W. Bush
 The White House,
 April 29, 2002.

 [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., May 2, 2002]

Note: This Executive order was published in the Federal Register on May 
3.