42 U.S.C. § 300x–3 — State mental health planning council

(a) In general — Before getting a mental health grant, the State must agree to set up and keep running a State mental health planning council that meets the conditions in this section. (b) Duties — The council's job is to: review the State's plans submitted under section 300x–4(a) and send the State any recommended changes; act as an advocate for adults with a serious mental illness, children with a severe emotional disturbance, and others with mental illness or emotional problems; and check at least once a year how mental health services in the State are allocated and whether they're adequate. (c) Membership — (1) In general. The council must be made up of State residents, including representatives of: the main State agencies for mental health, education, vocational rehabilitation, criminal justice, housing, and social services, plus the agency that develops the State's Medicaid plan; public and private groups involved with the need, planning, running, funding, and use of mental health and related support services; adults with a serious mental illness who are or were getting mental health services; and the families of those adults, or families of children with an emotional disturbance. (2) Certain requirements. The share of council members who are parents of children with a serious emotional disturbance must be high enough to fairly represent those children in the council's discussions. And at least 50 percent of the council's members can't be State employees or providers of mental health services. (d) "Council" defined — In this section, "Council" means the State mental health planning council.