(a) There is established the Community Involvement Advisory Council. (b) The Community Involvement Advisory Council shall serve in an advisory capacity to the Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and shall consider such matters as the relationships and interactions between the Department and local communities throughout the State, communication and information flow between the Department and these communities, public participation in the decision-making processes of the Department, ensuring, to the extent practicable, that no community in the State is disparately affected by environmental impacts, matters related to addressing adverse environmental impacts on communities and other such matters as may be referred to it by the Governor or the Secretary. The Council may also study, research, plan and advise the Secretary on matters it deems appropriate to enable the Department to relate to and interact with communities in the best manner possible. (c) The Community Involvement Advisory Council shall be composed of 11 members who shall be appointed by the Governor as follows: (1) Four members shall be appointed for 3-year terms. (2) Four members shall be appointed for initial 2-year terms. (3) Three members shall be appointed for initial 1-year terms. (4) Thereafter, all new appointees shall serve for a term of 3 years. (d) Council membership shall include representatives from communities, community-based nonprofit organizations, environmental organizations, health-care providers, local government, academic institutions and business/industry. Community representation shall include representatives of communities that potentially may be adversely impacted by environmental factors or conditions. (e) Members of the Council shall serve without compensation, except that they may be reimbursed for reasonable and necessary expenses incidental to their duties as members of the Council. (f) A Chairperson of the Council shall be chosen by the members of the Council from among its members and shall serve in that capacity for a term of 1 year and shall be eligible for reelection. (g) Any replacement appointment to the Council to fill a vacancy prior to the expiration of a term shall be filled for the remainder of the term. (h) The Department shall establish a position of Community Ombudsperson to serve as a liaison between the Department and communities statewide. The Department may establish Community Assistance Providers as may be appropriated by the General Assembly. The Community Ombudsperson and Community Assistance Providers shall engage communities in identifying and understanding environmental issues and addressing or resolving environmental problems, advocate for communities, assist communities in obtaining information on environmental issues, and serve as a point of contact for the Department with communities and community organizations. The Secretary shall provide to the General Assembly annually a summary of the activities and an assessment of the effectiveness of the Community Ombudsperson program.
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