General Assembly Raised Bill No. 7237
January Session, 2017 LCO No. 4713
*04713_______HS_*
Referred to Committee on HUMAN SERVICES
Introduced by:
(HS)
General Assembly
Raised Bill No. 7237
January Session, 2017
LCO No. 4713
*04713_______HS_*
Referred to Committee on HUMAN SERVICES
Introduced by:
(HS)
AN ACT CONCERNING AN ADVISORY BOARD FOR PERSONS WHO ARE DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 46a-27 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
The [Commission on the Deaf and Hearing Impaired] Advisory Board for Persons who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing is hereby created to advocate, strengthen and advise the [Department of Rehabilitation Services] Governor and the General Assembly concerning state policies affecting deaf and [hearing impaired] hard of hearing individuals and their relationship to the public, industry, health care and educational opportunity. The board shall:
(1) Monitor services for deaf or hard of hearing persons;
(2) Periodically meet with the Commissioners of Public Health, Social Services, Mental Health and Addiction Services, Education, Developmental Services, and Children and Families and the Labor Commissioner, or the commissioners' designees, to discuss best practices and gaps in services for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing;
(3) Monitor complaints concerning the qualification and registration of interpreters for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing pursuant to section 46a-33a, and forward any such complaints received by the board to the entity chosen to review such complaints pursuant to section 46a-10a, as amended by this act;
(4) Make recommendations to the Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services concerning the qualification and registration of interpreters pursuant to section 46a-33a; and
(5) Report not later than January fifteenth annually in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a to the Governor and the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to human services on recommendations for (A) technical assistance and resources for state agencies in order to serve persons who are deaf or hard of hearing, and (B) public policy and legislative changes needed to address gaps in services.
Sec. 2. Section 46a-28 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
(a) The [Commission on the Deaf and Hearing Impaired] Advisory Board for Persons who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing shall consist of [twenty-one] fifteen members appointed by the Governor: [, three of whom shall be ex officio. The ex-officio members shall consist of the following individuals:] The consultant appointed by the State Board of Education in accordance with section 10-316a, the president of the Connecticut Council of Organizations Serving the Deaf, the president of the Connecticut Association of the Deaf, the president of the Connecticut Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, the Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services, the Governor's liaison to the disability community and the superintendent of the American School for the Deaf, [. The following members shall be voting members: The Commissioners of Public Health, Social Services, Mental Health, Education, Developmental Services, and Children and Families and the Labor Commissioner or their designees and eleven members appointed by the Governor. Of the members appointed by the Governor one shall be a physician licensed to practice medicine in this state and specializing in otolaryngology; one a parent of a student in a predominantly oral education program, one a parent of a student at the American School for the Deaf and one a parent of a student in a public school hearing impaired program, and seven deaf persons, one of whom shall be a parent] or their designees, a person who is deaf, a person who is hard of hearing, a person who is deaf and blind, a parent of a child who is deaf or hard of hearing, an interpreting professional, a professional who is deaf, an interpreter trainer and an educator who works with children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Chairpersons shall be the Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services, the Governor's liaison to the disability community and a board member chosen by the majority of the board.
(b) The [commission] advisory board shall meet at least quarterly or more often at the call of the chairperson or a majority of the members. A majority of [the voting] members in office but not less than [seven] eight voting members shall constitute a quorum.
(c) Any appointed member who fails to attend three consecutive meetings or who fails to attend fifty per cent of all meetings held during any calendar year shall be deemed to have resigned. Vacancies occurring otherwise than by expiration of term in the membership of the [commission] advisory board shall be filled by the [officer authorized to make the original appointments] Governor.
[(d) The members of the commission shall be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties.]
Sec. 3. Subsection (b) of section 46a-10a of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
(b) The Connecticut protection and advocacy system shall provide the following:
(1) Protection and advocacy services for people with disabilities, as provided under the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000, 42 USC 15001, as amended from time to time; [and]
(2) A client assistance program, as provided under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, 29 USC 732, as amended from time to time; [.] and
(3) (A) Oversight of complaints concerning persons who fail to comply with the provisions of section 46a-33a, and (B) annual reports not later than January fifteenth on the resolution of such complaints to the board established pursuant to section 46a-27, as amended by this act.
Sec. 4. Subsection (g) of section 2c-2h of the general statutes is amended by adding subdivision (5) as follows (Effective from passage):
(NEW) (5) Oversight Council for Issues Concerning Persons Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing established pursuant to this act.
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1 from passage 46a-27
Sec. 2 from passage 46a-28
Sec. 3 from passage 46a-10a(b)
Sec. 4 from passage 2c-2h(g)
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1
from passage
46a-27
Sec. 2
from passage
46a-28
Sec. 3
from passage
46a-10a(b)
Sec. 4
from passage
2c-2h(g)
Statement of Purpose:
To rename, reconstitute and revise the mission of an advisory board on issues concerning deaf and hard of hearing persons and establish oversight of complaints concerning interpreters.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]