|
THE SENATE |
S.B. NO. |
2049 |
|
TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2010 |
S.D. 1 |
|
|
STATE OF HAWAII |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
||
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 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. New statutory material is underscored.
SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
Report Title:
Vocational Rehabilitation; Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing
Description:
Enables the department of human services to provide vocational rehabilitation and other services to the deaf or blind. Requires the department of human services to establish a strategic plan to restructure its services to the deaf, hard‑of‑hearing, and deaf-blind community through a comprehensive service center. (SD1)
The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.