(a)  It shall be the duty of the committee to work in cooperation with the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities and such other interested federal and state agencies, private organizations, and community groups in promoting the amelioration of mental retardation through the utilization of whatever community and state resources the committee may deem necessary to accomplish this.

(b)  The committee shall consider and advise the governor, through the office of mental retardation, and the department of behavioral healthcare, developmental disabilities and hospitals, on such mental retardation legislation and other retardation matters as its members, the governor, the director of the department of behavioral healthcare, developmental disabilities and hospitals, and the assistant director for mental retardation may request; including, but not being limited to, advising and consulting with the office of mental retardation concerning improving the care, rehabilitation, and the training of mentally retarded persons, purchase of facilities, plans for construction of mental retardation facilities and the administration of programs and facilities (private and public) which receive state funds for the purpose of ameliorating mental retardation and/or otherwise providing services for mentally retarded persons.