GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2007
SESSION LAW 2007-149
SENATE BILL 834
AN ACT TO CLARIFY THE DIVISION OF SERVICES FOR THE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING COMMUNICATION SERVICES PROGRAM and to update the language in the statute to conform to THE terminology used in the AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1. G.S. 143B-216.34 reads as rewritten:
"§
143B-216.34. Division of Services for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing - communication
servicestemporary loan program established.
(a) There is established a
communications services an assistive equipment loan program for the
deaf, hard of hearing, and speech impaired to be developed, administered, and
implemented by the Division of Services for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing.
The assistive equipment loan program supplements the telecommunications
equipment distribution program established pursuant to G.S. 62-157.
(b) The Division shall
develop rules to implement a schedule for the purchase and distribution of
the telecommunications devices and for the distribution of the
communications and alerting equipment necessary to implement the
communications services program.and shall determine performance
standards. The Division shall establish by rule performance standards
for TDDs, ring signaling devices, and volume control handsets. The Division
shall select equipment to be purchased for distribution to qualifying recipients.
The equipment discussed in this section shall be subleased leased
at no cost to qualifying recipients for a period of time not exceeding five
years.up to and not exceeding two years. Nothing herein shall be
construed to prevent the renewal of any lease previously executed with a
qualified recipient. In addition, the Division shall provide consultative
services and training to those individuals and organizations utilizing
communications and alerting equipment pursuant to this section.
(c) The central
communications office of each county sheriff's department shall purchase and
continually operate at least one TDD.telecommunications device that
is functionally equivalent in providing equal access to services for
individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind, and speech impaired.
The central communications office of each police department
and firefighting agency in municipalities with a population of 25,000 to
250,000 shall purchase and continually operate at least one TDD.such
device.
The central communications office of each police department
and firefighting agency in municipalities with a population exceeding 250,000
persons shall purchase and continually operate at least two TDDs.such
devices.
At least one hospital in each county shall purchase and
continually operate at least one TDD.
Each 911 emergency number system and each agency receiving
automatically routed calls through a 911 emergency system shall purchase and
continually operate at least one TDD.
(d) Each public safety
office, health care provider, and 911 emergency number system required to
obtain a TDD pursuant to this section shall continually operate and staff such
equipment on a 24-hour basis as follows:
(1) Offices and
organizations required to purchase TDDs pursuant to this section may buy such
equipment from the Division, or from private vendors who can supply devices
identical to or compatible with those selected by the Division at a lower price
than the Division offers.
(2) The purchase
price imposed on such offices and organizations by the Division shall not
exceed the actual per unit cost including shipping and storage charges."
Each public safety office, health care facility (including hospitals and urgent care facilities), and the 911 emergency number system is required to obtain a telecommunications device that is functionally equivalent in providing equal access to services for individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, and speech impaired pursuant to this section and shall continually operate and staff the equipment during hours of operation, including up to 24 hours."
SECTION 2. This act is effective when it becomes law.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 21st day of June, 2007.
s/ Beverly E. Perdue
President of the Senate
s/ Joe Hackney
Speaker of the House of Representatives
s/ Michael F. Easley
Governor
Approved 2:18 p.m. this 29th day of June, 2007