HB 5241 — AN ACT ESTABLISHING A BUREAU COORDINATING SERVICES FOR DEAF, HARD OF HEARING OR DEAFBLIND PERSONS.

The board shall submit such recommendations, in accordance with section 11-4a, not later than January 15, 2025, and annually thereafter, to the Governor and the joint standing [committee] committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to appropriations, aging, human services and public health.

Sec.

3.

Section 17a-836a of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2024):

(a) The Advisory Board for Persons Who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing or Deafblind shall consist of the following members:

(1) The consultant appointed by the State Board of Education in accordance with section 10-316a, or the consultant's designee;

(2) the president of the Connecticut Council of Organizations Serving the Deaf, or the president's designee;

(3) the president of the Connecticut Association of theDeaf,orthepresident'sdesignee;(4)thepresidentoftheConnecticut Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, or the president's designee;

(5) the [Commissioner] human services advocate for the Department of Aging and Disability Services;

[, or the commissioner's designee;] (6) the executive director of the American School for the Deaf, or the executive director'sdesignee;

(7) thedirector oftheConnecticut Chapter ofWe the Deaf People;

[and] (8) the executive director of the Bureau of Services for Persons Who Are Deaf, Hard of Hearing or Deafblind, appointed pursuant to section 1 of this act;

(9) a representative of an organization representing interpreters for persons who are deaf, hard of hearing or deafblind, appointed by the executive director of the Bureau of Services for Persons Who Are Deaf, Hard of Hearing or Deafblind;

(10) a representative of the nonprofit entity designated by the Governor pursuant to section 46a-10b to serve as the Connecticut protection and advocacy system for persons with disabilities, appointed by the Governor;

(11) a representative of an organization representing Connecticut hospitals, appointed by the speaker of the House of sHB5241 / File No.

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269 Representatives;

(12) a representative of the Connecticut Tech Act Project within the Department of Aging and Disability Services and authorized pursuant to 29 USC 3001, as amended from time to time, appointed by the Connecticut Tech Act Project Advisory Council;

(13) the executive director of the Office of Health Strategy, or the executive director's designee;

(14) the chairperson of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, or the chairperson's designee;

(15) a representative of a telecommunication relay service program for deaf, hard ofhearing or deafblindpersons,appointedby theentity contracted with the state to provide telecommunication relay services;

and (16) eight membersappointedby theGovernor asfollows:(A)A personwho is deaf;

(B) a person who is hard of hearing;

(C) a person who is deafblind;

(D) an interpreting professional who serves deaf, hard of hearing or deafblind persons;

(E) a healthcare professional who works with persons who are deaf, hard of hearing or deafblind;

(F) a parent of a student in a predominantly oral education program;

(G) an educator who works with children who are deaf, hard of hearing or deafblind;

and (H) a parent of a student at the American School for the Deaf.

[The members of the advisory board shall elect two chairpersons of the advisory board from among the members of the advisory board.] On and after October 1, 2024, the chairpersons of the advisory board shall be the executive director of the Bureau of Services for Persons Who Are Deaf,HardofHearing orDeafblindandamember oftheadvisoryboard elected by the members of the advisory board.

(b) The advisory board shall meet at least quarterly or more often at the call of the chairpersons or a majority of the members.

A majority of members in office but not less than [nine] thirteen voting members shall constitute a quorum.

(c) Any appointed member who fails to attend three consecutive meetings or who fails to attend fifty per cent of all meetings held during any calendar year shall be deemed to have resigned.

Vacancies occurring otherwise thanby expirationofterminthemembershipofthe advisory board shall be filled by the Governor or the appointing authority, as the case may be.

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269 Sec.

4.

(NEW) (Effective October 1, 2024) (a) As used in this section, "state agency" has the same meaning as provided in section 1-79 of the general statutes.

(b) Each state agency shall appoint an employee to serve as a point of contact for concerns related to persons who are deaf, hard of hearing or deafblind and require such employee to collaborate with the executive director of the Bureau of Services for Persons Who Are Deaf, Hard of Hearing or Deafblind, appointed pursuant to section 1 of this act, to resolve such concerns.

Each state agency shall identify the name and contact information of such person in a prominent place on such agency's Internet web site.

2 JulyOctober 1, 2024 New17a-836 sectionSec. Statement of Purpose:

To3 establishOctober a1, bureau2024 to17a-836a coordinateSec. services and information for persons who are deaf, hard of hearing or deafblind.

that4 whenOctober the1, entire2024 textNew of a bill or resolution or a section Statement of aLegislative billCommissioners: or resolution is new, it is not underlined.] LCO No.

1729In 4Section 1(c)(1), "department" was changed to "Department of 4Aging and Disability Services'" for clarity;

in Section 1(c)(5), "Department of Aging and Disability Services" was changed to "department" for consistency;

and in Section 1(c)(10), "regarding services" was changed to "concerning services" for clarity.

HS Joint Favorable Subst.

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269 The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose.

In general, fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional knowledge.

Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.

OFA Fiscal Note State Impact:

Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 25 $ FY 26 $ Aging and Disability Services, GF - Cost 328,156 323,956 Dept.

State Comptroller - Fringe GF - Cost 119,162 119,162 Benefits Note:

GF=General Fund Municipal Impact:

None Explanation The bill establishes a Bureau of Services for Persons Who Are Deaf, Hard of Hearing or Deafblind within the Department of Aging and Disability Services (ADS).

It is anticipated that ADS will incur costs of $316,156 beginning in FY 25, to hire an executive director, an administrative assistant for the director, and two interpreters for the deaf and hard of hearing (one full-time position and one part-time position) to carry out the provisions contained in the bill.

The Office of the State Comptroller will also incur costs of $119,162 in fringe benefits related to the new positions.

There is an estimated cost to ADS of $12,000 associated with equipment and other expenses related to the Bureau and its operations.

This includes a one-time cost of $4,200, and ongoing costs of $7,800.

The bill also creates an Advisory Board for Persons Who Are Deaf, The fringe benefit costs for most state employees are budgeted centrally in accounts administered by the Comptroller.

The estimated active employee fringe benefit cost associated with most personnel changes is 41.25% of payroll in FY 25.

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269 Hard of Hearing or Deafblind.

There are no costs associated with the creation of this board.

The Out Years The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would continue into the future subject to inflation.

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269 OLR Bill Analysis sHB 5241 AN ACT ESTABLISHING A BUREAU COORDINATING SERVICES FOR DEAF, HARD OF HEARING OR DEAFBLIND PERSONS.

SUMMARY This bill establishes the Bureau of Services for Persons who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or Deafblind as an independent office, that is within the Department of Aging and Disability Services (ADS) for administrative purposes only.

The bill requires the ADS commissioner to hire an executive director and an assistant and charges the executive director with various duties.

It requires the executive director to report annually, starting by July 1, 2025, to the Appropriations, Aging, Human Services, and Public Health committees on the bureau’s activities and recommendations to improve services.

The bill also adds eight members to the Advisory Board for Persons who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or Deafblind, changes the board’s leadership, and increases its reporting requirements.

It requires the board to hold an annual leadership roundtable meeting with various executive branch agency leaders, replacing a current requirement to periodically meet with them for this purpose.

Lastly, the bill requires each state agency to appoint an employee to act as a contact point for concerns related to people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or deafblind.

The agencies must (1) require this person to collaborate with the bureau’s executive director to resolve concerns and (2) publish the person’s name and contact information in a prominent place on the agency’s website.

This requirement applies to any office, department, board, council, commission, institution, constituent unit of the state higher education system, technical education and career school, and other agency in the executive, legislative, or judicial branch (CGS § 1-79(20)).

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269 EFFECTIVE DATE:

October 1, 2024, except provisions establishing the bureau are effective July 1, 2024.

BUREAU EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Appointment The bill requires the ADS commissioner, in consultation with the advisory board, to appoint the bureau’s executive director by October 1, 2024.

The executive director must have the following qualifications:

1.

professional experience in serving the needs of deaf, hard of hearing, or deafblind people;

2.

ability to communicate in American Sign Language;

and 3.

familiarity with effective interpretation methods to help deafblind people.

Responsibilities Under the bill, the bureau’s executive director has the following duties:

1.

oversee ADS employees who provide counseling, interpreting, and other assistance to people who are deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind, but not federally funded vocational rehabilitation employees;

2.

annually update and publish aresourceguide for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or deafblind on the ADS website;

3.

maintain a list of registered interpreters, provided by the Connecticut Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, categorized by the setting in which they are qualified to work, and publish it on ADS’s website;

4.

helpeachstate agencyappoint anemployeewho willbeacontact point for concerns related to people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or deafblind and coordinate with these employees to resolve these concerns;

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269 5.

coordinate ADS’s efforts to give information and referral services to people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or deafblind, such as working with the ADS commissioner to establish an accessible website for ADS and bureau services;

6.

help the ADS commissioner administer the department unit that registers interpreters and issues identification cards for them;

7.

coordinate responses to consumer concerns, requests for assistance, and referrals to resources;

8.

collaborate with interpreting services providers and training organizations to increase opportunities for mentorships, internships, apprenticeships, and specialized training in interpreting services for deafblind people;

9.

partner with civic and community organizations serving deaf, hard of hearing, or deafblind people on workshops and information sessions about new laws, regulations, or developments on services, programs, or health care needs;

10.

raise public awareness of available programs and services;

11.

help the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) implement telecommunication relay services (TRS) programs that use TRS and other assistive devices (e.g., telephone captioning);

12.

work with the governor and Connecticut television stations on ways to increase accessibility of television broadcasts to people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or deaf blind;

and 13.

in consultation with the advisory board, identify needs and address policy changes to better serve this population.

The bill also requires the executive director to coordinate education and training initiatives.

These include working with local and state public safety and public health officials, and first responders on best sHB5241 / File No.

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269 practices for serving and communicating with deaf, hard of hearing, or deafblind people.

The initiatives also include working with interpreters (sign language interpreters, oral interpreters, and interpreters trained to interpret for deafblind people) to maintain or enhance their skills in various settings.

ADVISORY BOARD Membership and Leadership The bill adds eight members to the current 15-member advisory board, as shown in the table below.

It also replaces the ADS commissioner or her designee as a board member with ADS’s human services advocate.

Under current law, the board elects two chairpersons from among its members.

Starting October 1, 2024, the bill instead makes the bureau executive director one chairperson and the other elected by the board from among its members.

Table:

New Advisory Board Members Member Appointing Authority Bureau of Services for Persons who areNone Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or Deafblind executive director Interpreter organization representativBureau of Services for Persons who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or Deafblind executive director Nonprofit Protection and Advocacy Governor System (i.e., Disability Rights Connecticut) representative Connecticut hospital organization House speaker representative Connecticut Tech Act Project Connecticut Tech Act Project Advisory representative Council Office of Health Strategy executive None director or designee PURA chairperson or designee None State contracted TRS entity State contracted TRS entity representative Annual Leadership Roundtable Meeting The bill requires the advisory board to hold an annual leadership sHB5241 / File No.

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269 roundtable meeting with various executive branch agencies to discuss best practices and gaps in services for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or deafblind.

The meeting includes the following participants or their designees:

1.

commissioners of public health, social services, mental health and addition services, education, developmental services, childrenandfamilies,early childhood,economicandcommunity development, and labor;

and 2.

the Board of Regents for Higher Education.

The bill eliminates a similar requirement that the advisory board meet periodically with many of the same agencies for the same purpose.

Reporting Requirement Current law requires the advisory board to make recommendations on the following topics and report them to the governor and the Human Services Committee:

1.

technical assistance and resources for state agencies to serve people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or deafblind;

2.

public policy and legislative changes needed to address gaps in services;

and 3.

interpreter qualifications and registration.

The bill makes this report annual, with the next report due January 15, 2025.

It additionally requires the board to submit the report to the Appropriations, Aging, and Public Health committees.

COMMITTEE ACTION Human Services Committee Joint Favorable Substitute Yea 22 Nay 0 (03/19/2024) sHB5241 / File No.

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