The National Task Force on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal
Alcohol Effect expired on October 25, 2007. |
CHARTER
NATIONAL TASK FORCE ON FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME
AND FETAL ALCOHOL EFFECT
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Purpose
The Secretary is mandated under Section 399H of the
Public Health Service Act, (42 U.S.C. Section 280f), as amended by
Public Law 105-392)), to establish a National Task Force on Fetal
Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effect: (1) to foster coordination
among all governmental agencies, academic bodies, and community groups
that conduct or support fetal alcohol syndrome and fetal alcohol effect
research, programs, and surveillance; and (2) to otherwise meet the
general needs of populations actually or potentially impacted by fetal
alcohol syndrome and fetal alcohol effect.
Authority
Section 399H of the Public Health Service Act, (42 U.S.C.
280f), as amended. The task force is governed by provision of Public Law
92-463, as amended (5 U.S.C. App.2), which sets forth standards for the
formation and use of advisory committees.
Function
The National Task Force on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and
Fetal Alcohol Effect shall (a) advise Federal, state, and local programs
and research concerning fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and fetal alcohol
effect (FAE), including programs and research concerning education and
public awareness for relevant service providers, school-age children,
women at risk, and the general public, medical diagnosis, interventions
for women at risk of giving birth to children with FAS and FAE, and
beneficial services for individuals with FAS and FAE and their families;
(b) coordinate its efforts with the Interagency Coordinating Committee
on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome of the Department of Health and Human
Services; and (c) report, on a biennial basis, to the Secretary and
relevant committees of Congress on the current and planned activities of
the participating agencies.
Structure
The task force shall consist of 13 members including the
Chair. The Chairperson of the Interagency Coordinating Committee on
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome of the Department of Health and Human Services
shall be a standing member. Members and the Chair shall be selected by
the Secretary or designee, from authorities knowledgeable in the field
of FAS and FAE and shall include individuals with FAS and FAE or parents
or legal guardians of individuals with FAS and FAE, and representatives
from advocacy and research organizations such as the Research Society on
Alcoholism, the FAS Family Resource Institute, the National Organization
of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, The Arc of the United States, the academic
community, and Federal, state and local government agencies and offices.
The task force shall include seven liaison representatives from the
following organizations: American Academy of Pediatrics; American
Academy of Family Physicians; American College of Obstetrics and
Gynecology; March of Dimes; National Organization on Fetal Alcohol
Syndrome; The Arc of the United States; and the Center for Science in
the Public Interest.
Members shall be invited to serve for overlapping terms
of up to four years, except that any member appointed to fill a vacancy
for an unexpired term shall be appointed for the remainder of that term.
Terms of more than two years are contingent upon the renewal of the task
force by appropriate action prior to its termination. A member may serve
180 days after the expiration of that member’s term if a successor has
not taken office.
Subcommittees may be established from time to time. The
Department Committee Management Officer will be notified upon
establishment of each subcommittee, and will be provided information on
its name, membership, function, and estimated frequency of meetings.
Management and support services shall be provided by the
Division of Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, National
Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, CDC.
Meetings
Meetings shall be held approximately two times per year
at the call of the Chair with the advance approval of a government
official, who shall also approve the agenda. A government official shall
be present at all meetings.
Meetings shall be open to the public except as
determined otherwise by the Secretary or other official to whom the
authority has been delegated; notice of all meetings shall be given to
the public.
Meetings shall be conducted, and records of the
proceedings kept, as required by applicable laws and Departmental
regulations.
Compensation
Members who are not full-time Federal employees shall be
paid at the rate of $250 per day, or at the rate of $31.25 per hour, as
determined by the agency, not to exceed $250 per day; plus per diem and
travel expenses in accordance with Standard Government Travel
Regulations.
Annual Cost Estimate
Estimated annual cost for operating the task force,
including compensation and travel expenses for members but excluding
staff support, is $102,778. Estimate of annual person-years of staff
support required is 1.0, at an estimated annual cost of $80,828.
Reports
The task force will report, on a biennial basis, to the
Secretary and relevant committees of Congress on the current and planned
activities of the participating agencies.
In the event a portion of a meeting is closed to the
public, as determined by the Secretary of HHS, in accordance with the
Government in the Sunshine Act (5 U.S.C. 552b(c)) and the Federal
Advisory Committee Act, a report shall be prepared which shall contain,
as a minimum, a list of members and their business addresses, the task
force activities, and recommendations made during the fiscal year. A
copy of the report shall be provided to the Department Committee
Management Office.
Termination Date
Unless renewed by appropriate action prior to its expiration, the
National Task Force on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effect
will terminate on May 17, 2008.
![Director's Signature](images/approvalsigniture.jpg)
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