Section 184A Forensic sciences advisory board - Massachusetts Statutes

Section 184A. There shall be in the executive office of public safety a forensic sciences advisory board, hereinafter called the board, which shall advise the secretary on all aspects of the administration and delivery of criminal forensic sciences in the commonwealth. The board shall consist of the undersecretary of public safety for forensic sciences, who shall also serve as chairperson of the board, the attorney general, the colonel of the state police, the president of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, the president of the Massachusetts Urban Chiefs Association, the president of the Massachusetts District Attorney’s Association, a district attorney designated by the Massachusetts District Attorney’s Association and the commissioner of the department of public health or their respective designees. The members shall serve without compensation. The board shall meet no less than quarterly and as otherwise convened by the undersecretary. The board shall coordinate its responsibilities with the medico-legal investigation commission and shall not infringe upon the commission’s authority as established in section 184 of this chapter.

At the direction of the board, the undersecretary for forensic sciences shall advise the board on the administration and delivery of forensic services in the commonwealth. The undersecretary shall include in his report information as the board requests, including but not limited to the volume of forensic services required for each county, including costs and the length of time from submission for testing or procedures and return of results; the capacity of the commonwealth’s forensic services and funding requirements; the accreditation of forensic facilities and training of personnel; facilities expansion, including location and funding for a new state police crime lab; and partnerships with other public and private forensic services. The undersecretary shall make recommendations for the allocation of resources and expansion of services, and on an annual basis, submit budget recommendations to the secretary of public safety and the board.