2023 New Jersey Revised Statutes
Title 26 - Health and Vital Statistics
Section 26:18-21 - Governing Board, New Jersey Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Authority; duties, responsibilities.

26:18-21 Governing Board, New Jersey Maternal and Infant Health Innovation Authority; duties, responsibilities.

5. a. The authority shall be governed by a board consisting of 15 members as follows:

(1) the Commissioner of Health, the Chief Executive Officer of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, the Commissioner of Human Services, the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance, the Commissioner of Children and Families, the Secretary of Higher Education, and the Commissioner of Labor, or their designees, who shall serve ex officio; and

(2) eight public members to be appointed by the Governor as follows:

(a) one public member appointed upon the recommendation of the Mayor of Trenton;

(b) one public member appointed upon the recommendation of the Senate President in consultation with the New Jersey Black, Latino, and Asian-American Legislative Caucuses;

(c) one public member appointed upon the recommendation of the Speaker of the General Assembly in consultation with the New Jersey Black, Latino, and Asian-American Legislative Caucuses;

(d) five additional public members. Subject to the requirements of subsection d. of section 8 of P.L.2023, c.109 (C.26:18-24), the Governor shall select one of the public members appointed pursuant to this subparagraph to serve as the chairperson of the community advisory committee established pursuant to section 8 of P.L.2023, c.109 (C.26:18-24) and one of the public members appointed pursuant to this subparagraph to serve as the vice-chairperson of the community advisory committee.

b. In appointing public members to the board, the Governor shall seek to ensure that, to the extent possible, a majority of the public members have relevant experience in one or more of the following areas related to maternal, infant, and childhood health care, with the goal of ensuring the board includes representative experience in as many of these areas as is possible: obstetrics; neonatal care; perinatal clinical services; family planning; perinatal workforce development; education; research and innovation; community health work; social services; public health awareness; leadership; doula care; midwifery care; and other relevant experience, including lived experience, related to racial disparities affecting delivery of health care services and mortality and morbidity rates.

In addition, when appointing public members to the board, the Governor shall seek to appoint women and minorities who have been most acutely impacted by maternal and infant health disparities, with a particular focus on Black and Latina women and on women residing in Trenton, and with additional focus on Black and Latina women who have given birth within the last three years.

c. The public members initially appointed to the board shall be appointed no later than 120 days after the effective date of P.L.2023, c.109 (C.26:18-17 et al.). The public members shall serve for a term of five years or until their successors are appointed, except that, of the public members first appointed to the board, two shall serve for one year, three shall serve for two years, and three shall serve for five years. Vacancies in the public membership shall be filled for the duration of the unexpired term. Public members shall be eligible for reappointment to the board. The public members of the board shall receive an annual salary of $20,000. The ex officio members of the board and their designees, if any, shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed for reasonable expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties, within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the authority for this purpose. The public members appointed to serve as chairperson and vice-chairperson of the community advisory committee pursuant to subparagraph (d) of paragraph (2) of subsection a. of this section shall be entitled to receive the stipend authorized pursuant to subsection e. of section 8 of P.L.2023, c.109 (C.26:18-24).

d. Public members appointed by the Governor may be removed from the board by the Governor. Each member, before entering upon the member's duties, shall take and subscribe an oath to perform the duties of the office faithfully, impartially, and justly to the best of the member's ability. A record of these oaths shall be filed in the office of the Secretary of State.

e. The Governor shall annually select a chairperson and vice-chairperson from among the members of the board, at least one of whom shall be the Commissioner of Health, the Commissioner of Human Services, or a designee. The chairperson shall coordinate the activities of the board. In the event that the chairperson position is vacant or the chairperson is absent from a meeting of the board, the vice-chairperson shall act as chairperson of the board.

f. No member of the board, or officer, employee, or agent of the authority, shall take any official action on any matter in which such person has a direct or indirect personal financial interest.

g. A majority of the board members shall constitute a quorum for the purposes of conducting official business. The board may take action upon the affirmative vote of a majority of the members present. No vacancy in the membership of the board shall impair the right of a quorum to exercise all the rights and perform all the duties of the board. A true copy of the minutes of every meeting of the board shall be delivered to the Governor. No action taken at such meeting by the board shall have force or effect until approved by the Governor or until 10 days after such copy of the minutes shall have been delivered. If, in this 10-day period, the Governor returns the copy of the minutes with a veto of any action taken by the board or any member thereof at the meeting, such action shall be null and of no effect. The Governor may approve all or part of the action taken at such meeting prior to the expiration of the 10-day period.

h. The board shall meet on a monthly basis and at the call of the chair, and shall additionally meet on a quarterly basis with the community advisory committee established pursuant to section 8 of P.L.2023, c.109 (C.26:18-24) for the purpose of receiving guidance and feedback related to the purposes of the authority and this act.

i. The board shall have the power to:

(1) engage with, collaborate, and coordinate efforts among maternal and infant health care stakeholders, including, but not limited to, State and federal agencies and public and private organizations, to advance the purposes of the authority and any of its programs and services, foster collective action, and review progress on improving health outcomes;

(2) promote, support, and fund perinatal workforce development, trainings, certifications, education, research, and innovation efforts, including, but not limited to, issuing requests for proposals or requests for qualifications for projects that advance the purposes of P.L.2023, c.109 (C.26:18-17 et al.); providing grants or extending credit, including, but not limited to, loans, to private companies, private and public organizations, or individuals for projects that advance the purposes of P.L.2023, c.109 (C.26:18-17 et al.); entering into agreements and contracts; and establishing a workforce hub to host research, trainings, and guidance;

(3) commission, publish, and collaborate on research studies within the State, national, and international maternal and infant health communities;

(4) collect, analyze, and disseminate data related to maternal and infant health, in collaboration with the New Jersey Maternal Data Center in the Department of Health, with a particular focus on racial disparities in outcomes, perinatal workforce needs, and development of resources;

(5) provide grants or competition prizes and host an innovation incubation space to encourage the development of solutions to problems facing the maternal and infant health care services industry;

(6) enter into the membership of other organizations or coalitions;

(7) oversee the community advisory committee established pursuant to section 8 of P.L.2023, c.109 (C.26:18-24) and to establish and oversee any other committees, which may include, but shall not be limited to, an executive committee or a nominating committee, as the board deems necessary;

(8) adopt, amend, and repeal bylaws for the regulation of its affairs and the conduct of its business, including, but not limited to, protections against undue influence or quid pro quo transactions relating to the receipt of contributions from private sources;

(9) adopt rules and regulations pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), to effectuate the provisions of P.L.2023, c.109 (C.26:18-17 et al.);

(10) adopt and have a seal and alter the same at its pleasure;

(11) sue and be sued;

(12) conduct meetings and public hearings in connection with the purposes of P.L.2023, c.109 (C.26:18-17 et al.);

(13) enter into contracts upon those terms and conditions as the authority determines to be reasonable to effectuate the purposes of P.L.2023, c.109 (C.26:18-17 et al.);

(14) hire staff as necessary to support the authority's operations;

(15) employ consultants, contractors and specialists in the perinatal workforce development, education, research, and innovation, and other fields as may be required in the judgment of the board to effectuate the purposes of P.L.2023, c.109 (C.26:18-17 et al.), and to fix and pay their compensation from funds available therefor, all without regard to the provisions of Title 11A of the New Jersey Statutes;

(16) contract for and to accept any gifts or grants or loans of funds or property or financial or other aid in any form from the United States of America or any agency or instrumentality thereof, or from the State or any agency, instrumentality, or political subdivision thereof, or from any beneficiary of a State or federal grant, or from any other public or private source, including private companies and individuals, and to comply with the terms and conditions thereof;

(17) solicit contributions from public and private entities for any of its corporate purposes;

(18) maintain an office located in the City of Trenton for the operations of the center, and any other satellite offices at such places within the State as the board may designate;

(19) acquire, purchase, develop, manage and operate, handle, and dispose of real and personal property or interests therein, acquire an equity interest in any corporation, and take assignments of rentals and leases and make and enter into all contracts, leases, agreements and arrangements necessary or incidental to the performance of its duties, including, but not limited to, the leasing of premises to tenants within the center's offices to licensed health care facilities and providers that offer maternal, infant and pediatric health care services, childbirth education, lactation education and support services, parenting and early childhood education institutions, county colleges, independent New Jersey-based public-mission institutions that receive State operating aid, food and nutrition consultants and support programs, family planning services, behavioral health and other social service providers, and such other entities as the board deems appropriate;

(20) procure insurance against any losses in connection with its property, operations, or assets in such amounts and from such insurers as it deems desirable;

(21) enter into any agreements necessary to provide for its establishment, operation, and financial support, including memoranda of understanding with other State entities;

(22) establish or assume control over a nonprofit entity as authorized under section 9 of P.L.2023, c.109 (C.26:18-25); and

(23) do any and all things necessary or convenient to carry out its purposes and exercise the powers granted in P.L.2023, c.109 (C.26:18-17 et al.).

L.2023, c.109, s.5.