COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS

By His Excellency

FRANCIS W. SARGENT

Governor

EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 91

    WHEREAS, the Commonwealth is committed to provide a better
quality of life for all its citizens, and toward that end has
demonstrated unprecedented leadership among the states in
forging new and innovative social programs to meet the needs of
its people; and

    WHEREAS, in furthering that commitment and in the spirit
of its great tradition for leadership in shaping social policy,
the Commonwealth has embarked upon a new course for providing
care and treatment in the areas of adult and juvenile correction,
mental health, retardation, and other areas of special needs
and human services; and

    WHEREAS, these new policies and efforts are directed toward
replacing existing programs of custodial care in isolated
institutions with more effective programs of community based
treatment; and

    WHEREAS, the Commonwealth is uniquely blessed with signifi-
cant numbers of skilled and dedicated citizens who contribute
their talents through voluntary participation in social service
programs and many more have expressed a desire to contribute
their skills and supportive assistance as well; and

    WHEREAS, the success of our public service endeavors, and
more particularly our new efforts to provide community based
treatment programs, will greatly depend on private and public
voluntary efforts and participation of citizens and imaginative
leadership in expanding and integrating such participation; and

    WHEREAS, there should be a central focus in the Commonwealth
to effectively integrate and coordinate these citizen resources
with the Commonwealth's total social service effort;

    NOW, THEREFORE, I, FRANCIS W. SARGENT, Governor of the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, acting under the provisions of 
all authority conferred upon me by law, do hereby issue the
following order to promote the general welfare of the Commonwealth.

SECTION 1.  There shall be established a Governor's Commission on
Citizen Participation.  Said Commission shall receive technical
assistance from the Secretaries of the Excecutive Office of
Communities and Development and the Executive Office of Human
Services.

SECTION 2.  The Governor's Commission of Citizen Participation
shall consist of not more than sixty members appointed by the
Governor representing many segments of the community including
various private and public volunteer groups now in existence.
The Governor shall select Co-Chairmen, and one Deputy Chairman
and shall fill any vacancies that may occur.

SECTION 3.  The Commission shall appoint among its members an
Executive Committee of not more than fifteen members including
the Co-Chairmen and Deputy Chairman.  The Executive Committee
shall administer the affairs of the Commission and its staff
and shall, with the approval of the Commission, promulgate rules
and procedures for the Commision's activities.

SECTION 4.  The Commission shall be charged with the responsi-
bility for: 
   1) reviewing the Commonwealth's plans and programs for
      providing social services to its citizens; 
   2) identifying specific needs for citizen participation
      and volunteer efforts to further such programs;  in
      carrying out this responsibility the Commission shall
      develop an inventory of existing citizen participation
      programs including the development of a clearinghouse
      for existing volunteer programs;
   3) identifying existing public and private volunteer efforts
      and exploring ways and means of increasing the public
      awareness of and participation in such volunteer efforts;
      and
   4) making specific recommendations for effective co-ordina-
      tion, integration and expansion of citizen participation
      and voluntary service in the total effort by the Common-
      wealth to promote the well-being of its citizens, and such
      other recommendations as the Commission deems appropriate.

In preparing its recommendations said Commission shall consider
in part the desirability of establishing a permanent office of
Citizen Participation or some other permanent or ongoing body
to provide a focus and mechanism for the continual co-ordination
of the citizen participatory effort.  The Commission shall also
consider the use of science and technology in co-ordinating 
volunteers with public service needs. 

SECTION 5.  The Commission shall make its final report to the
Governor, not later than May l, 1973.  To meet its responsibil-
ities, the Commission shall be authorized to create such Task
Forces as it deems necessary.

SECTION 6.  The Commission shall meet at regular intervals in 
public or executive session and may hold public hearings and 
seminars in various parts of the Commonwealth as deemed advisable.

SECTION 7.  I hereby instruct that all agencies of the Common-
wealth give full support and assistance to the efforts of the
Commission on Citizen Participaton.

Given at the Executive Chamber in Boston
this twenty third day of May in the year
of Our Lord, one thousand nine hundred
and seventy-two and of the Independence
of the United States the one hundred
and ninety-sixth.

FRANCIS W. SARGENT

Governor

Commonwealth of Massachusetts

JOHN F. X. DAVOREN

Secretary of the Commonwealth

GOD SAVE THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS