Federal legislation for infants and toddlers with handicapping conditions and their families (Part H of Public Law 99-457) calls for a statewide system of coordinated, comprehensive early intervention services. The legislation calls for an Interagency Coordinating Council (ICC) to be appointed by the Governor of each state, to participate in the development of the service system. The ICC is to be independent, multidisciplinary, and multiconstituency in nature. The ICC is authorized to advise and assist in several functions. The level of authority of each state's ICC seems to fall on a continuum that ranges from a purely reactive role, in which the ICC provides advice only on the topics brought to it by the Lead Agency, to actually acting more as a board of directors with policy-making authority. One of the tasks of the ICC is to determine, in conjunction with the Lead Agency, the nature of its role and tasks in the various policy stages. A table is presented listing roles and tasks that may be performed by the ICC during the various stages of policy development, approval, and implementation. The active participation of the ICC throughout the process is critical if states are to create a truly comprehensive, well-coordinated interagency system of early intervention services. (JDD)