(a) For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:
(1) “SIDS” means sudden infant death syndrome.
(2) “SIDS Advisory Council” or “advisory council” means the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Advisory Council established pursuant to subdivision (b).
(b) The department shall establish a Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Advisory Council. The advisory council shall consist of nine members who shall be chosen by the director in consultation with regional SIDS parent advisory councils. At least one-third of the members of the advisory council chosen by the director shall be representatives of SIDS parents’ groups. The membership of the advisory council shall also include, but not be limited to, a coroner, a medical examiner, a public health nurse, a physician and surgeon with expertise in SIDS, and a representative from a police or fire department.
(c) The SIDS Advisory Council shall do all of the following:
(1) Provide guidance to the state department in the development of training, educational, and research programs regarding SIDS.
(2) Provide ongoing guidance to the Governor and the Legislature regarding the need for specific programs regarding SIDS for specific targeted groups of persons.
(3) In conjunction with the state department or a person with whom the state department contracts to provide SIDS education, convene a statewide conference annually to examine the progress in discovering the cause of SIDS, explore the progress of newly established programs and services related to SIDS, identify future needs for legislation and program development regarding SIDS, and make recommendations on the needs of programs regarding SIDS. Conference participants shall include professionals and service providers in the area of SIDS, family members of SIDS victims, and the staff of members of the Legislature and departments of the state.
(d) The members of the advisory council shall serve at the pleasure of the director. The members of the advisory council shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for necessary and travel expenses incurred in the performance of the duties of the advisory council.
(e) The requirements contained in this section shall be subject to the annual Budget Act and shall be operative only to the extent that funds are appropriated for the purposes of this section.
(Added by Stats. 1995, Ch. 415, Sec. 8. Effective January 1, 1996.)