§ 7.33 Boards of visitors.\n (a) Each hospital in the department shall have a board of visitors\nconsisting of seven members; provided, however, that a hospital at the\nPilgrim psychiatric center and a hospital at the Rochester psychiatric\ncenter shall have a board of visitors consisting of at least seven, but\nnot more than ten members. Members appointed or reappointed after the\neffective date of this chapter shall be appointed by the governor, by\nand with the advice and consent of the senate. Members shall be\nappointed for four year terms to expire on the thirty-first day of\nDecember of the fourth year of the term of office provided however, when\nmore than three terms expire in any one year, members may be appointed\nfor terms of fewer years as designated by the governor so that no more\nthan three members' terms expire in any one year. All terms of office\nshall expire on the thirty-first day of December of the designated year.\nA member whose term has expired shall, however, remain in office until\nsuch member's successor has been appointed and has taken office, or\nuntil such members shall have resigned or have been removed from office\nin the manner hereinafter provided. Should any member resign or be\nremoved from office, the governor shall promptly submit, for senate\nconsent, a successor candidate to fill the remaining term of the vacated\noffice. A visitor may be removed by the governor for cause after notice\nand an opportunity for a hearing on the charges. In making appointments\nto boards of visitors, the governor shall endeavor to ensure that the\nmembership of each such board shall adequately reflect the composition\nof the community or communities served by the facility, that the\nmembership of each such board includes at least three individuals who\nare parents or relatives of patients or of former patients and that the\nremainder includes only those persons, including former patients, who\nshall have expressed an active interest in, or shall have obtained\nprofessional knowledge in the care of the mentally ill or in mental\nhealth endeavors generally.\n (b) No elected state officer or member of the legislature may serve as\na visitor.\n (c) If the hospital serves an area, as established by the regulations\nof the commissioner, the visitors shall reside at the time of\nappointment or reappointment in such area. If no specific area is\ndesignated but mental health regions have been duly established, the\nvisitors shall reside at the time of appointment or reappointment in the\nmental health region in which the department facility is located.\n (d) Each board shall, at the first meeting of each calendar year elect\none member to serve as president of the board and one member to serve as\nsecretary; provided however, that no member may serve for more than two\nconsecutive years as president.\n (e) Visitors shall not receive compensation but shall be reimbursed\nfor their actual expenses in connection with their service as visitors.\n (f) (1) Each board of visitors shall hold six bi-monthly regular\nmeetings annually, but a greater number of regular meetings may be\nscheduled by the board. Each board of visitors shall establish in their\nby-laws or otherwise, in writing, whether these six meetings shall be\nheld during months represented by odd numbers or months represented by\neven numbers. The president of the board shall notify the chairman of\nthe commission on quality of care for the mentally disabled and the\nfacility director of the determination made concerning the designated\nmonths for the six bi-monthly regular meetings. The president of the\nboard, the commissioner, the director, or the members as determined by\nthe rules of the board may call special meetings. The board may require\nthe director to submit a report at each meeting. Each board shall keep a\nrecord of its proceedings and activities. A member of a board of\nvisitors who has failed to attend three consecutive bi-monthly regula
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