HB 1345 2003
1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to the Florida Commission on Deafness;
3	creating the Florida Commission on Deafness; providing
4	membership and organization of the commission; providing
5	role, purpose, powers, duties, and responsibilities of the
6	commission; providing an effective date.
7
8	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
9
10	Section 1. Florida Commission on Deafness.--
11	(1)(a) There is established the Florida Commission on
12	Deafness. The commission is assigned to the Executive Office of
13	the Governor for administrative and fiscal accountability
14	purposes, but it shall otherwise function independently of the
15	control, supervision, and direction of the Executive Office of
16	the Governor.
17	(b) The commission shall consist of 9 members appointed by
18	the Governor, five of whom shall be representatives of and
19	recommended by statewide not-for-profit professional
20	organizations that represent deaf, hard-of-hearing, and late-
21	deafened individuals, three of whom shall be representatives of
22	and recommended by statewide not-for-profit professional or
23	service-provider organizations, and one of whom shall be a
24	representative of the Department of Management Services. Each
25	member shall serve a term of 4 years; however, for the purpose
26	of providing staggered terms, of the initial appointments, four
27	members shall be appointed to a 2-year term and five members
28	shall be appointed to a 4-year term. Any vacancy on the
29	commission shall be filled in the same manner as the original
30	appointment, and any member appointed to fill a vacancy
31	occurring because of death, resignation, or ineligibility for
32	membership shall serve only for the unexpired term of the
33	member's predecessor.
34	(c) The commission shall elect one member to serve as
35	chair of the commission for a term of 1 year. The commission
36	shall meet at least once each quarter. All meetings are subject
37	to the call of the chair. Eight members of the commission shall
38	constitute a quorum.
39	(d) Members of the commission shall serve without
40	compensation but may be reimbursed for per diem and travel
41	expenses pursuant to s. 112.061, Florida Statutes.
42	(e) The commission shall employ and supervise an executive
43	director. The executive director shall report directly to the
44	commission. The executive director shall be responsible for
45	employing and supervising all employees and staff members of the
46	commission.
47	(2) The commission shall have a main office, which shall
48	be centrally located in the state in an area where there are
49	large, active deaf, hard-of-hearing, and late-deafened
50	communities, and shall establish six regional offices throughout
51	the state to provide services to deaf, hard-of-hearing, and
52	late-deafened citizens and to assist local service providers in
53	the delivery of such services.
54	(3)(a) It shall be the role of the commission to address
55	the needs of deaf, hard-of-hearing, and late-deafened
56	individuals by providing technical assistance, advocacy, and
57	education. To that end, the commission shall:
58	1. Provide information and assistance to the Legislature.
59	2. Provide technical assistance to other state agencies.
60	3. Provide information and referral services.
61	4. Promote public and individual advocacy for deaf, hard-
62	of-hearing, and late-deafened citizens.
63	5. Conduct public hearings as needed.
64	(b) It shall be a primary role of the commission to ensure
65	that educational, mental health, medical, legal, social, and
66	vocational services and activities are fully accessible by deaf,
67	hard-of-hearing, and late-deafened citizens. The commission
68	shall initiate recommendations to state agencies regarding
69	compliance with accessibility issues and standards as they
70	relate to services for deaf, hard-of-hearing, and late-deafened
71	individuals and may file deficiency reports with agencies when
72	it has deemed that services are inaccessible to such
73	individuals. It shall be a duty of the commission to ensure
74	compliance by state agencies with equipment and communication
75	accessibility standards in the provision of services to deaf,
76	hard-of-hearing, and late-deafened individuals. The commission
77	shall also exercise oversight and enforcement responsibilities
78	with respect to licensure and accreditation of sign-language
79	interpreters, oral interpreters, and entities providing
80	services, both directly and indirectly, to individuals with
81	hearing loss.
82	(c) The commission shall have the authority to withdraw
83	any contract or agreement it has entered into or to revoke any
84	license issued under the authority of the commission if at any
85	time it determines that the service or services provided by the
86	person or entity with whom the commission has a contract or
87	agreement or to whom a license has been issued are inaccessible
88	to individuals with hearing loss. In instances in which the
89	commission determines that a service or services are
90	inaccessible to individuals with hearing loss and the
91	jurisdiction to take remedial action lies with a state agency,
92	the commission may offer technical assistance, information, and
93	support to the state agency.
94	(d) The commission shall have oversight responsibility in
95	areas related to accessibility to individuals with hearing loss,
96	including, but not limited to, standards for and licensure of
97	sign-language interpreters and providers of Computer-Aided Real-
98	time Translation services (CART) and other service provider
99	accreditation standards for which oversight is not provided by a
100	state agency. In areas in which oversight responsibility resides
101	with a state agency, the commission shall provide technical
102	assistance and information exchange.
103	(e) The commission may:
104	1. Secure assistance from all state departments and
105	agencies in order to avail itself of expertise at minimal cost.
106	2. Procure information and assistance from the state or
107	any political subdivision, municipal corporation, public
108	officer, or governmental department or agency thereof.
109	3. Apply for and accept funds, grants, gifts, and services
110	from local or state government or the Federal Government, or
111	from any of their agencies, or any other public or private
112	source and may use funds derived from these sources to defray
113	administrative costs, implement programs as may be necessary to
114	carry out the commission's charge, and assist agencies,
115	institutions, and individuals in the implementation of programs
116	designed to ensure full accessibility to services by individuals
117	with hearing loss.
118	4. Contract for necessary goods and services.
119	(f) The commission shall provide funding for direct
120	services through the request-for-proposal process, which shall
121	include, but not be limited to, regional core services, local
122	direct services such as one-stop centers that provide services
123	to facilitate communication accessibility among individuals with
124	hearing loss, licensure of sign-language interpreters in the
125	state, accreditation of service providers for individuals with
126	hearing loss, and assistance to state agencies in the
127	enforcement of existing laws to ensure that public-sector and
128	private-sector services are accessible to individuals with
129	hearing loss.
130	(4) All executive branch state agencies are instructed,
131	and all other state agencies are requested, to aid and assist
132	the commission in the accomplishment of its purposes.
133	Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.