HLS 24RS-1213 ORIGINAL
2024 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 829
BY REPRESENTATIVE LYONS
HEALTH/LDH: Provides relative to the Louisiana State Interagency Coordinating Council
for EarlySteps: Louisiana's Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers with
Disabilities and Their Families
1 AN ACT
2To amend and reenact R.S. 28:470(A) and (D), to enact R.S. 36:259(D)(9), and to repeal
3 R.S. 36:4(B)(30), relative to the Louisiana State Agency Interagency Coordinating
4 Council for EarlySteps: Louisiana's Early Intervention Program for Infants and
5 Toddlers with Disabilities and Their Families; to transfer the powers, duties,
6 functions, and responsibilities of the EarlySteps Program to the Louisiana
7 Department of Health; to transfer the EarlySteps Program to the Louisiana
8 Department of Health; to assign certain duties to the administrator of the program;
9 to provide for an effective date; and to provide for related matters.
10Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
11 Section 1. R.S. 28:470(A) and (D) are hereby amended and reenacted to read as
12follows:
13 §470. Louisiana State Interagency Coordinating Council for EarlySteps: Louisiana's
14 Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities and
15 Their Families
16 A. The Louisiana State Interagency Coordinating Council for EarlySteps:
17 Louisiana's Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities
18 and Their Families is hereby created within the Louisiana Department of Health. All
19 council members shall be appointed by the governor who shall also appoint the
20 chairperson. No member of the council who is a representative of the department
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1 may serve as the chairperson of the council. At least twenty percent of the members
2 shall be parents of infants or toddlers with disabilities or children with disabilities
3 age twelve or younger, with knowledge of or experience with programs for infants
4 and toddlers with disabilities; and at least twenty percent of the members shall be
5 public or private providers of early intervention services.
6 * * *
7 D.(1) Subject to the approval of the governor secretary of the Louisiana
8 Department of Health, the council may prepare and approve a budget using funds
9 provided pursuant to the provisions of this Chapter to conduct hearings and forums;
10 to reimburse members of the council for reasonable and necessary expenses,
11 including child care for parent representatives, for attending council meetings, and
12 performing council duties; and to pay compensation to a member of the council if
13 the member is not employed or must forfeit wages from other employment when
14 performing official council business.
15 (2) The council shall use funds provided pursuant to this Chapter to hire an
16 executive director who shall be responsible to and report directly to the council and
17 the governor or his designee secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health to
18 carry out its functions pursuant to this Chapter. The executive director shall be hired
19 as an unclassified employee of the office of the governor Louisiana Department of
20 Health, office for citizens with developmental disabilities. The cost of maintaining
21 the functions of the executive director and council shall be specified by an
22 interagency agreement between the department and the office of the governor. The
23 executive director shall provide administrative support to the state interagency
24 council and shall act as a resource to the state interagency coordinating council
25 regarding the EarlySteps Program. The council may also use funds provided
26 pursuant to this Chapter to obtain the services of other such professional, technical,
27 and clerical personnel as may be necessary to carry out its functions as provided in
28 this Chapter.
29 * * *
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HB NO. 829
1 Section 2. R.S. 36:259(D)(9) is hereby enacted to read as follows:
2 §259. Transfer of agencies and functions to Louisiana Department of Health
3 * * *
4 D. The following agencies are placed within the Louisiana Department of
5 Health and shall exercise and perform their powers, duties, functions, and
6 responsibilities in accordance with the provisions of R.S. 36:802:
7 * * *
8 (9) Louisiana State Interagency Coordinating Council for EarlySteps:
9 Louisiana's Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities
10 and Their Families (R.S. 28:470), except that it shall have any other powers, duties,
11 functions, and responsibilities specifically provided in R.S. 28:470.
12 * * *
13 Section 3. R.S. 36:4(B)(30) is hereby repealed in its entirety.
14 Section 4. This Act shall become effective upon signature by the governor or, if not
15signed by the governor, upon expiration of the time for bills to become law without signature
16by the governor, as provided by Article III, Section 18 of the Constitution of Louisiana. If
17vetoed by the governor and subsequently approved by the legislature, this Act shall become
18effective on the day following such approval.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HB 829 Original 2024 Regular Session Lyons
Abstract: Designates the La. Dept. of Health (LDH) as the lead agency for the Louisiana
State Interagency Coordinating Council for EarlySteps: Louisiana's Early
Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities and Their Families.
Proposed law creates the Louisiana State Interagency Coordinating Council for EarlySteps:
Louisiana's Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities and Their
Families (the EarlySteps program) within LDH.
Present law tasks budget approval and staffing to the governor or his designee. Proposed
law redesignates all duties to the secretary of LDH.
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HB NO. 829
Proposed law requires the executive director described in present law to be hired as an
unclassified employee of the office of LDH, office for citizens with developmental
disabilities.
Present law provides that the cost of maintaining the functions of the executive director and
council shall be specified by an interagency agreement between LDH and the office of the
governor. Proposed law removes present law provision.
Proposed law requires the executive director to provide administrative support to the state
interagency council and act as a resource to the state interagency coordinating council
regarding the EarlySteps Program.
Proposed law repeals the present law provision that transfers the Louisiana State Interagency
Coordinating Council for EarlySteps: Louisiana's Early Intervention Program for Infants and
Toddlers with Disabilities and Their Families and its powers, duties, functions, and
responsibilities to the office of the governor.
Proposed law retains present law and transfers the EarlySteps program to LDH. Proposed
law provides that the EarlySteps program shall exercise and perform its powers, duties,
functions, and responsibilities in accordance with the provisions of present law.
Effective upon signature of governor or lapse of time for gubernatorial action.
(Amends R.S. 28:470(A) and (D); Adds R.S. 36:259(D)(9); Repeals R.S. 36:4(B)(30))
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