Executive Order 11973—President's Commission on Mental Health

By virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and statutes of the United States of America, and as President of the United States of America, in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App. I), it is hereby ordered as follows:

SECTION 1. (a) There is hereby established the President's Commission on Mental Health, hereinafter referred to as the Commission, which shall be composed of not more than twenty persons who shall be appointed by the President.

(b) The President shall designate a Chairperson and a Vice Chairperson from among the members.

SEC. 2. (a) The Commission shall conduct such public hearings, inquiries, and studies as may be necessary to identify the mental health needs of the Nation. In particular, the Commission shall seek to identify:

(1) How the mentally ill, emotionally disturbed, and mentally retarded are being served, to what extent they are being underserved, and who is affected by such underservice.

(2) The projected needs for dealing with emotional stress during the next twenty five years.

(3) The various ways the President, the Congress, and the Federal Government may most efficiently support the treatment of the underserved mentally ill, emotionally disturbed, and mentally retarded.

(4) Various methods for coordinating a unified approach to all mental health and people-helping services.

(5)The types of research the Federal Government should support to further the prevention and treatment of mental illness and mental retardation.

(6) What role the various educational systems, volunteer agencies and other people-helping institutions can perform to minimize emotional disturbance in our country.

(7) As nearly as possible, what programs will cost, when the money should be spent, and how the financing should be divided among Federal, State and local governments, and the private sector.

(b) The Commission shall submit a report to the President recommending how the mental health needs of the Nation can be met and identifying the relative priority of those needs.

SEC. 3. The Commission shall make a preliminary report with recommendations to the President by September 1, 1977. A final report with recommendations and priorities shall be submitted to the President by April 1, 1978.

SEC. 4. (a) The Chairperson of the Commission is authorized to establish such advisory committees as may be deemed appropriate to carry out the purposes of this Order.

(b) The Commission, and any advisory committees established pursuant to this Order, shall hold such hearings and public meetings as the Chairperson may deem necessary and as required by law.

SEC. 5. The Commission is authorized to request, at the direction of the Chairperson, from any executive department or agency, any information deemed necessary to carry out its functions under this Order. Each department or agency shall, to the extent permitted by law, furnish information and otherwise cooperate with the Commission in performing its functions under this Order.

SEC. 6. The General Services Administration shall provide administrative services and facilities to the Commission on a reimbursable basis.

SEC. 7. (a) Each member of the Commission and its advisory committees and staff who is not otherwise employed in the Government, may receive, to the extent permitted by law, compensation for each day he or she is engaged upon the work of the Commission at a rate not to exceed the maximum daily rate now or hereafter prescribed by law for CS-18 of the General Schedule, and may also receive travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, as authorized by law (5 U.S.C. 5702 and 5703) for persons in the government service employed intermittently.

(b) The Commission is authorized to appoint and fix the compensation of such other persons as may be necessary to enable it to carry out its functions, and is authorized to obtain services in accordance with the provisions of Section 3109 of Title 5 of the United States Code, to the extent funds are available therefor.

(c) All necessary expenses incurred in connection with the work of the Commission shall be paid from the appropriation for "Unanticipated Needs," in the Executive Office Appropriations Act, 1977, or from such other funds as may be available.

(d) Within the limitations permitted by law the Commission has the authority to seek and receive other than government funds to carry out its work.

SEC. 8. Notwithstanding the provisions of any other Executive order, the functions of the President under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App. I), except that of reporting annually to the Congress, which are applicable to the Commission or its advisory committees, shall be performed by the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare in accordance with guidelines and procedures established by the Office of Management and Budget.

SEC. 9. The Commission shall terminate sixty days after the transmittal of its final report to the President.

JIMMY CARTER

The White House,

February 17, 1977.

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 1:32 p.m., February 18, 1977]