A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to appropriate funds to enable rural deaf school‑aged children with cochlear implants to maximize their language and educational opportunities.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina the sum of two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000) for the 2006‑2007 fiscal year to fund a project by the East Carolina University Health Sciences Division. The purpose of the project would be to enable deaf children with cochlear implants to maximize their potential to develop spoken language. These funds shall be used to: (i) train teachers and therapists in the eastern region to   work with deaf school‑age children with cochlear implants; (ii) coordinate educational planning between the clinical team and the school system; and (iii) establish an advanced technological communication network to provide expedited access for educators and therapists to informational and training resources.
SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2006.