§29-34-3. Authority of State Recovery and Hope Office and State Recovery and Hope Officer.

The State Recovery and Hope Office will coordinate the state’s efforts to assist those experiencing substance use disorder in their recovery and transition into the workforce. The State Recovery and Hope Officer shall serve as the primary representative of the Governor, and the agencies and departments of the state shall provide assistance, information, data, and/or resources to the State Recovery and Hope Office as may be requested from time to time. The State Recovery and Hope Officer will assist and advise the Governor on all recovery and workforce training issues for this population, and will serve as a liaison between the Governor’s office and all other parties, whether state, federal, local, or private to further the purposes of this article. The State Recovery and Hope Officer will:

(1) Coordinate all planning and implementation efforts relating to substance use disorder treatment, recovery, and transition into the workforce;

(2) Coordinate an annual review of plans relating to substance use disorder treatment, recovery, and transition into the workforce;

(3) Recommend legislation to better facilitate the implementation of recovery efforts;

(4) Report to legislative committees, as called upon to do so;

(5) Establish and facilitate regular communication between federal, state, local, and private sector agencies and organizations to further recovery efforts;

(6) Receive resources, monetary or otherwise, from any other governmental entity or private source and disburse those resources to effectuate the purposes of this article;

(7) Execute cooperative agreements, where appropriate;

(8) Contract, where appropriate, on behalf of the State Recovery and Hope Office, with the federal government, its instrumentalities and agencies, any state, territory, or the District of Columbia, and its agencies and instrumentalities, municipalities, public bodies, private corporations, partnerships, associations, and individuals;

(9) Hire necessary employees at an appropriate salary equivalent to a competitive wage rate;

(10) Enroll appropriate employees in the Public Employees Retirement System, the Public Employees Insurance Agency, and workers’ compensation and unemployment programs, or their equivalents: Provided, That the State Recovery and Hope Office, through the receipt of federal or state funds, or both, pays the required employer contributions;

(11) Have the ability to secure all other bonding, insurance, or other liability protections necessary for its employees to fulfill their duties and responsibilities;

(12) Utilize the personnel and resources of the Department of Health and Human Resources to the greatest extent practicable, and have the ability to draw upon other departments, divisions, agencies, and all other subdivisions of the state for research and input in fulfilling the requirements of this article, or to facilitate the implementation of the purposes of this article, and its requests are to have priority over other such requests;

(13) Participate in the interdepartmental transfer of permanent state employees, as if he or she were a department secretary, under the provisions of §5F-2-7 of this code;

(14) Notwithstanding any other provision of this code to the contrary, acquire legal services that are necessary, including representation of the office, its employees, and officers before any court or administrative body from the Office of the Attorney General, who shall provide such legal assistance and representation;

(15) Take all other actions necessary and proper to effectuate the purposes of this article; and

(16) The office shall have any other additional authority, duties, and responsibilities as prescribed by the Governor to effectuate the purposes of this article. Due to the at-will employment relationship with the office, its employees may not avail themselves of the state grievance procedure as set forth in §6C-2-1 et seq. of this code.