Kansas 2023-2024 Regular Session

Kansas Senate Bill SB284 Compare Versions

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1	1	Session of 2023
2	2	SENATE BILL No. 284
3	3	By Committee on Ways and Means
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5	5	AN ACT concerning disability services; relating to telecommunications
6	6	and information access services; establishing the blind information
7	7	access act; requiring the state librarian to contract with an organization
8	8	to provide on-demand information access services to persons who are
9	9	blind, visually impaired, deafblind or print disabled; establishing the
10	10	blind information access fund; requiring the transfer of moneys from
11	11	the Kansas universal service fund to provide for such services;
12	12	amending K.S.A. 66-2010 and repealing the existing section.
13	13	Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas:
14	14	New Section 1. (a) This act shall be known and may be cited as the
15	15	blind information access act.
16	16	(b) The state librarian shall estimate the cost of entering into a
17	17	contract with an organization that delivers on-demand information access
18	18	services to persons who are blind, visually impaired, deafblind, print
19	19	disabled or who have another disability. Such services shall provide access
20	20	to digital content through audio, electronic text and braille reading
21	21	technologies and other related services, including, but not limited to,
22	22	Kansas specific publications, national publications, international
23	23	publications, breaking news sources and localized emergency weather
24	24	alerts. Such on-demand information access services shall be provided
25	25	using telecommunication services or internet services.
26	26	(c) On or before January 8, 2024, the state librarian shall submit a
27	27	report to the legislature that specifies the estimate of the cost to enter into a
28	28	contract to provide such on-demand information access services.
29	29	(d) On March 15, 2024, and on March 15 each year thereafter, the
30	30	state librarian shall certify the cost to enter into or renew such contract to
31	31	the director of accounts and reports and the administrator of the Kansas
32	32	universal service fund. Upon receipt of such certification, the amount
33	33	certified shall be transferred by the administrator of the Kansas universal
34	34	service fund from the Kansas universal service fund to the state treasurer
35	35	who shall credit such amount to the blind information access fund.
36	36	(e) Upon receipt of the amount certified pursuant to subsection (d),
37	37	the state librarian shall enter into or renew the contract required pursuant
38	38	to this section.
39	39	(f) There is hereby created in the state treasury the blind information
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76	76	access fund. All moneys credited to the blind information access fund shall
77	77	be used by the state librarian to implement the provisions of this section.
78	78	All expenditures from the blind information access fund shall be made in
79	79	accordance with appropriation acts upon warrants of the director of
80	80	accounts and reports issued pursuant to vouchers approved by the state
81	81	librarian or the state librarian's designee.
82	82	(g) The state librarian shall promote the information access services
83	83	to persons who may be eligible for such services.
84	84	Sec. 2. K.S.A. 66-2010 is hereby amended to read as follows: 66-
85	85	2010. (a) The commission shall utilize a competitive bidding process to
86	86	select a neutral, competent and bonded third party to administer the KUSF.
87	87	(b) The administrator shall be responsible for: (1) Collecting and
88	88	auditing all relevant information from all qualifying telecommunications
89	89	public utilities, telecommunications carriers or wireless
90	90	telecommunications service providers receiving funds from or providing
91	91	funds to the KUSF; (2) verifying, based on the calculations of each
92	92	qualifying telecommunications carrier, telecommunications public utility
93	93	or wireless telecommunications service provider, the obligation of each
94	94	such qualifying carrier, utility or provider to generate the funds required by
95	95	the KUSF; (3) collecting all moneys due to the KUSF from all
96	96	telecommunications public utilities, telecommunications carriers and
97	97	wireless telecommunications service providers in the state; and (4)
98	98	distributing amounts on a monthly basis due to qualifying
99	99	telecommunications public utilities, wireless telecommunications service
100	100	providers and telecommunications carriers receiving KUSF funding.
101	101	(c) Any information made available or received by the administrator
102	102	from carriers, utilities or providers receiving funds from or providing
103	103	funds to the KUSF shall not be subject to any provisions of the Kansas
104	104	open records act and shall be considered confidential and proprietary.
105	105	(d) The administrator shall be authorized to maintain an action to
106	106	collect any funds owed by any telecommunications carrier, public utility or
107	107	wireless telecommunications provider in the district court in the county of
108	108	the registered office of such carrier, utility or provider or, if such carrier,
109	109	utility or provider does not have a registered office in the state, such an
110	110	action may be maintained in the county where such carrier's, utility's or
111	111	provider's principal office is located. If such carrier, utility or provider has
112	112	no principal office in the state, such an action may be maintained in the
113	113	district court of any county in which such carrier, utility or provider
114	114	provides service.
115	115	(e) (1) The KUSF administrator shall be responsible to ensure that
116	116	funds do not fall below the level necessary to pay all amounts collectively
117	117	owed to all qualifying telecommunications public utilities, wireless
118	118	telecommunications service providers and, telecommunications carriers
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162	162	and the information access services contracted for pursuant to section 1,
163	163	and amendments thereto. The administrator shall have the authority to
164	164	retain and invest in a prudent and reasonable manner any excess funds
165	165	collected in any period to help ensure that adequate funds are available to
166	166	cover amounts payable in other periods.
167	167	(2) Subject to the provisions of appropriations acts, for fiscal year
168	168	2013, the KUSF administrator may transfer moneys from the KUSF to the
169	169	state treasurer. Upon the receipt of any payment, the state treasurer shall
170	170	deposit the entire amount in the state treasury and credit it to the KAN-ED
171	171	fund. Any such payments shall be made after all payments required by
172	172	K.S.A. 66-2008, and amendments thereto, for the month are made from
173	173	the KUSF.
174	174	(2) Upon receipt of the certification from the state librarian issued
175	175	pursuant to section 1, and amendments thereto, the KUSF administrator
176	176	shall transfer the amount of moneys certified by the state librarian from
177	177	the KUSF to the state treasurer. Upon receipt of such payment, the state
178	178	treasurer shall deposit such amount in the state treasury and credit it to
179	179	the blind information access fund.
180	180	Sec. 3. K.S.A. 66-2010 is hereby repealed.
181	181	Sec. 4. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
182	182	publication in the statute book.
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