THE SENATE |
S.B. NO. |
2049 |
TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2010 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
relating to vocational rehabilitation.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. Section 348-3, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:
"(a) [Except as may be otherwise
provided with respect to the blind, the] There is established the
vocational rehabilitation division within the department of human services
[shall be the state agency] to supervise and administer [the]
vocational rehabilitation services, including services for persons who are blind
or deaf that are not included under chapter 348F, and services authorized
by this chapter under the state plan formulated in conformance with the Federal
Vocational Rehabilitation Act, as amended, except for that part as may be
administered by a local agency of a political subdivision in the State, and the
department of human services shall be the agency to supervise the local agency
in the administration of that part.
For purposes of this subsection, "services for deaf persons" means development and monitoring of vocational rehabilitation services for persons who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, or deaf-blind."
SECTION 2. (a) The department of human services shall develop a strategic plan to provide services to persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, or deaf-blind through a comprehensive service center.
(b) The strategic plan to establish a comprehensive service center for vocational rehabilitation services to persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, or deaf-blind shall include:
(1) Philosophy, purpose, and goals of the center;
(2) Identification and integration of services to be provided at the center;
(3) Location, facilities, and equipment necessary to make the center accessible;
(4) Qualification, recruitment, training, and retention of the personnel necessary to provide services at the center;
(5) Restructuring operations, partnering with contractors, and entering interagency agreements to eliminate any duplication of services and maximizing available state, federal, and grant funding;
(6) Provisions to ensure that the plan is effectively communicated to all stakeholders and its implementation monitored, including progress reports; and
(7) A method of funding the center, including funds from the federal government and private sources, that does not rely on general fund appropriations.
(c) The department of human services shall consult, through existing peer-to-peer relationships, with recognized authorities in the provision of vocational rehabilitation services to persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, or deaf-blind in developing the strategic plan required by this section. Consumers in different categories of hearing loss shall be consulted including the deaf and hard of hearing advisory board, the disability and communication access board, the Hawaii school for the deaf and the blind, the Kapiolani deaf center, and Gallaudet University regional center.
SECTION 3. The department of human services shall prepare a report to be submitted to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2011 that presents the results of the review and strategic plan required by this Act.
SECTION 4. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.
SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
INTRODUCED BY: |
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Report Title:
Vocational Rehabilitation; Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Description:
Establishes a vocational rehabilitation division within the department of human services. Places services for blind persons and deaf services under the vocational rehabilitation division. Clarifies services for the deaf. Requires the department of human services to develop a strategic plan to restructure services to the deaf, hard of hearing, or deaf-blind through a comprehensive service center.
The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.