ENROLLED
ACT No. 240
2024 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 829
BY REPRESENTATIVE LYONS
1 AN ACT
2 To 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.
10 Be 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
12 follows:
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
21 may serve as the chairperson of the council. At least twenty percent of the members
22 shall be parents of infants or toddlers with disabilities or children with disabilities
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1 age twelve or younger, with knowledge of or experience with programs for infants
2 and toddlers with disabilities; and at least twenty percent of the members shall be
3 public or private providers of early intervention services.
4 * * *
5 D.(1) Subject to the approval of the governor secretary of the Louisiana
6 Department of Health, the council may prepare and approve a budget using funds
7 provided pursuant to the provisions of this Chapter to conduct hearings and forums;
8 to reimburse members of the council for reasonable and necessary expenses,
9 including child care for parent representatives, for attending council meetings, and
10 performing council duties; and to pay compensation to a member of the council if
11 the member is not employed or must forfeit wages from other employment when
12 performing official council business.
13 (2) The council shall use funds provided pursuant to this Chapter to hire an
14 executive director who shall be responsible to and report directly to the council and
15 the governor or his designee secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health to
16 carry out its functions pursuant to this Chapter. The executive director shall be hired
17 as an unclassified employee of the office of the governor Louisiana Department of
18 Health, office for citizens with developmental disabilities. The cost of maintaining
19 the functions of the executive director and council shall be specified by an
20 interagency agreement between the department and the office of the governor. The
21 executive director shall provide administrative support to the state interagency
22 council and shall act as a resource to the state interagency coordinating council
23 regarding the EarlySteps Program. The council may also use funds provided
24 pursuant to this Chapter to obtain the services of other such professional, technical,
25 and clerical personnel as may be necessary to carry out its functions as provided in
26 this Chapter.
27 * * *
28 Section 2. R.S. 36:259(D)(9) is hereby enacted to read as follows:
29 §259. Transfer of agencies and functions to Louisiana Department of Health
30 * * *
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1 D. The following agencies are placed within the Louisiana Department of
2 Health and shall exercise and perform their powers, duties, functions, and
3 responsibilities in accordance with the provisions of R.S. 36:802:
4 * * *
5 (9) Louisiana State Interagency Coordinating Council for EarlySteps:
6 Louisiana's Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities
7 and Their Families (R.S. 28:470), except that it shall have any other powers, duties,
8 functions, and responsibilities specifically provided in R.S. 28:470.
9 * * *
10 Section 3. R.S. 36:4(B)(30) is hereby repealed in its entirety.
11 Section 4. This Act shall become effective upon signature by the governor or, if not
12 signed by the governor, upon expiration of the time for bills to become law without signature
13 by the governor, as provided by Article III, Section 18 of the Constitution of Louisiana. If
14 vetoed by the governor and subsequently approved by the legislature, this Act shall become
15 effective on the day following such approval.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED:
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