(1) There is hereby created in the office the health equity commission. The purpose of the commission is to serve as an advisor to the office on health equity issues, specifically focusing on alignment, education, and capacity-building for state and local health programs and community-based organizations. The commission shall be dedicated to promoting health equity and eliminating health disparities. (2) (a) The commission consists of the following twenty-three members, who are as follows: (I) The speaker of the house of representatives shall appoint one member of the house of representatives; (II) The president of the senate shall appoint one member of the senate; (III) The executive director of the department shall appoint ten members who represent, to the extent practical, Colorado's diverse ethnic, racial, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, aging population, socioeconomic, and geographic backgrounds. Each individual appointed to the commission must have demonstrated expertise in at least one, and preferably two, of the following areas: (A) African-American, Black, Asian-American, Pacific Islander, Native American, Hispanic, Latino, aging population, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, disabled, low socioeconomic status, and geographic community health issues; (B) Data collection, aggregation, or dissemination; (C) Education; (D) Housing; (E) Healthy community design; (F) Community engagement; (G) Local public health; (H) Nonprofits, foundation, or grant-making; (I) Environmental health; (J) Behavioral health; (J.5) Midwifery; or (K) The provision of health-care services. (IV) The executive director of the department, or the executive director's designee, shall serve as an ex officio member of the commission; (V) The executive director of the department of human services, or the executive director's designee; (VI) The executive director of the department of health care policy and financing, or the executive director's designee; (VII) The executive director of the department of labor and employment, or the executive director's designee; (VIII) The executive director of the department of local affairs, or the executive director's designee; (IX) The executive director of the department of transportation, or the executive director's designee; (X) The executive director of the department of public safety, or the executive director's designee; (XI) The commissioner of education of the department of education, or the commissioner's designee; (XII) The executive director of the department of corrections, or the executive director's designee; (XIII) The executive director of the department of higher education, or the executive director's designee; (XIV) The executive director of the department of early childhood, or the executive director's designee; and (XV) The commissioner of the behavioral health administration in the department of human services, or the commissioner's designee. (b) The members of the commission shall serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority. Except as otherwise provided in section 2-2-326, C.R.S., the members of the commission shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed by the department for their actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties pursuant to this part 22. (c) The members of the commission shall elect a chair and vice-chair from among its membership. (3) The commission has the following powers and duties: (a) Providing a formal mechanism for the public to give input to the office; (b) Advising the department through the office on: (I) Determining innovative data collection and dissemination strategies; (II) Aligning the department's health equity efforts and the health disparities and community grant program created in section 25-4-2203; (III) Strengthening collaborative partnerships with communities impacted by health disparities to identify and promote health equity strategies; and (IV) Promoting workforce diversity; (c) Repealed. (d) Making recommendations to the office and the department on the health disparities and community grant program created in section 25-4-2203, regarding financial support for local and statewide initiatives that address prevention, early detection, needs assessment, and treatment of cancer, cardiovascular disease, including diabetes, and pulmonary disease in minority populations. (4) (a) The office shall provide staff to the commission. (b) In addition to any other duties, under the direction of the commission, commission staff shall determine, in accordance with applicable federal and state data privacy laws, rules, and regulations and federal contracts, the scope of data and the manner of data sharing for purposes of required reporting concerning health disparities and inequities pursuant to section 25-4-2205 (2.5), in order to minimize duplication and to protect sensitive or personally identifying information. (5) This section is repealed, effective September 1, 2029. Prior to the repeal of this section, the commission is subject to review as provided in section 2-3-1203.
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