§ 17a-836 — (Formerly Sec. 46a-27). Advisory Board for Persons Who are Deaf, Deafblind or Hard of Hearing. Duties. Reporting.

Connecticut § 17a-836

• Jurisdiction: Connecticut
• Title 17a: Social and Human Services and Resources
• Ch. 319l: Department of Aging and Disability Services

Text

The Advisory Board for Persons Who are Deaf, Deafblind or Hard of Hearing is hereby created to advocate, strengthen and advise the Governor and the General Assembly concerning state policies affecting persons who are deaf, deafblind or hard of hearing and their relationship to the public, industry, health care and educational opportunity. The board shall: (1) Monitor services for persons who are deaf, deafblind or hard of hearing; (2) Establish an annual leadership roundtable meeting with the Board of Regents for Higher Education, the Commissioners of Aging and Disability Services, Public Health, Social Services, Mental Health and Addiction Services, Education, Developmental Services, Children and Families, Early Childhood, Economic and Community Development, Emergency Services and Public Protection, Correction, Housing and Higher Education and the Labor Commissioner, or their designees, to discuss best practices to serve persons who are deaf, deafblind or hard of hearing, identify gaps in such services and make recommendations to rectify such gaps; (3) Refer persons with complaints concerning the qualification and registration of interpreters for persons who are deaf, deafblind or hard of hearing to the entity designated pursuant to section 46a-10b ; (4) Make recommendations for (A) technical assistance and resources for state agencies in order to serve persons who are deaf, deafblind or hard of hearing; (B) public policy and legislative changes needed to address gaps in services; and (C) the qualifications and registration of interpreters pursuant to section 17a-838 . The advisory board shall submit a report on such recommendations and the activities of the Bureau of Services for Persons Who are Deaf, Deafblind or Hard of Hearing in the previous calendar year, in accordance with section 11-4a , not later than January 1, 2025, and annually thereafter, to the Governor and the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to appropriations, aging, commerce, education, higher education, housing, human services, the judiciary, labor, public health and public safety. See Sec. 46a-34 re definitions of “deaf”, “hard of hearing” and “deafblind”.

Legislative History

(P.A. 74-252, S. 1, 11; P.A. 77-614, S. 538, 587, 610; P.A. 78-303, S. 85, 136; P.A. 84-361, S. 2, 7; P.A. 86-50, S. 1; P.A. 93-262, S. 1, 87; P.A. 98-252, S. 76, 80; P.A. 11-44, S. 35; June 12 Sp. Sess. P.A. 12-1, S. 89; P.A. 17-30, S. 1; P.A. 18-55, S. 9; P.A. 21-72, S. 4; P.A. 24-81, S. 66, 91.) History: P.A. 77-614 and P.A. 78-303 placed commission within department of human resources for administrative purposes, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 84-361 authorized provision of necessary services including nonreimbursable interpreter services and authorized adoption of regulations to define the formula to be used to determine the amount to be charged for reimbursable interpreter services and the conditions under which nonreimbursable interpreter services shall be provided; P.A. 86-50 authorized provision of message relay services for persons using telecommunication devices for the deaf; Sec. 17-137 l transferred to Sec. 46a-27 in 1991; P.A. 93-262 authorized substitution of commissioner and department of social services for commissioner and department of human resources, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 98-252 deleted provision on regulations for setting charges for interpreter services since a similar provision is in Sec. 46a-33b, effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 11-44 replaced provision designating commission as coordinating agency with provision designating commission as advisor to the Bureau of Rehabilitative Services, and deleted provisions re commission being within Department of Social Services and providing services to deaf and hearing impaired persons, effective July 1, 2011; June 12 Sp. Sess. P.A. 12-1 replaced “Bureau of Rehabilitative Services” with “Department of Rehabilitation Services”, effective July 1, 2012; P.A. 17-30 replaced “Commission on the Deaf and Hearing Impaired” with “Advisory Board for Persons Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing”, replaced “Department of Rehabilitation Services” with “Governor and the General Assembly”, replaced “and hearing impaired” with “or hard of hearing”, added Subdivs. (1) to (4) re board duties, added provision re board to submit recommendations to human services committee, and made technical changes, effective June 6, 2017; P.A. 18-55 made technical changes; P.A. 21-72 changed name of board from Advisory Board for Persons Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing to Advisory Board for Persons Who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing or Deafblind and changed references from deaf or hard of hearing to deaf, hard of hearing or deafblind, effective July 1, 2021; Sec. 46a-27 transferred to Sec. 17a-836 in 2023; pursuant to P.A. 24-81, a reference to executive director of the Office of Higher Education was changed editorially by the Revisors to a reference to Commissioner of Higher Education in Subdiv. (2), effective May 30, 2024, and P.A. 24-81 changed title of board from the “Advisory Board for Persons Who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing or Deafblind” to “Advisory Board for Persons Who are Deaf, Deafblind or Hard of Hearing”, changed references to “deaf, hard of hearing or deafblind” throughout to “deaf, deafblind or hard of hearing”, amended Subdiv. (2) by changing periodic meeting requirement to establishment of annual leadership roundtable and to include Board of Regents for Higher Education, commissioners of Aging and Disability Services, Early Childhood, Economic and Community Development, Emergency Services and Public Protection, Correction, Housing and executive director of the Office of Higher Education and adding recommendations requirement, and amended Subdiv. (4) by adding reporting requirement and expanding from human services the number of committees to receive report, effective October 1, 2024.