GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1993

H	1 

HOUSE BILL 723*

Short Title:  Equal Access for Deaf/Funds.	(Public)
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Sponsors: Representatives Green; Barnhill, J. Brown, Cole, Cunningham, Fitch, Fussell, Hall, Joye, Luebke, Mavretic, Nichols, Russell, Smith, Stamey, Stewart, and Wainwright.
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Referred to:  Appropriations.
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April 5, 1993

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS TO HELP PROVIDE EQUAL ACCESS AND QUALITY HUMAN SERVICES DELIVERY FOR THE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING.
Whereas, the 600,000 deaf and hard of hearing citizens of North Carolina do not have equal access to any area of human service delivery; and
Whereas, the Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and its six Regional Resource Centers have never been staffed to serve the needs of the deaf and hard of hearing; and
Whereas, the 1992 Task Force on Quality Assurance for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing provided the Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing with a comprehensive cradle to grave plan for the deaf and hard of hearing which addresses the needs of both constituency groups; and
Whereas, the Americans with Disabilities Act requires the provision of equal access for deaf and hard of hearing individuals through qualified interpreters and/or assistive listening devices/systems; Now, therefore,
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Department of Human Resources, the sum of one million seventeen thousand seventy-nine dollars ($1,017,079) for the 1993-94 fiscal year and the sum of one million two hundred sixty-nine thousand seven hundred seventy-five dollars ($1,269,775) for the 1994-95 fiscal year, for the Regional Resource Centers for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, to help provide equal access and quality human services delivery for the deaf and hard of hearing.
Sec. 2.  This act becomes effective July 1, 1993.