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|
SPONSOR: |
Taylor, J.P. |
DATE TYPED: |
|
HB |
675a/HGUAC |
||
|
SHORT TITLE: |
Commission for Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Persons |
SB |
|
||||
|
|
ANALYST: |
Weber |
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APPROPRIATION
|
Appropriation
Contained |
Estimated
Additional Impact |
Recurring or
Non-Rec |
Fund Affected |
||
|
FY03 |
FY04 |
FY03 |
FY04 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
(485.7) |
Recurring |
General
Fund |
|
|
|
|
485.7 |
Recurring |
OSF |
(Parenthesis
( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
Responses
Received From
Department
of Finance and Administration
Commission
for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
No
Response Received From
General
Services Department
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Amendment
On
page 10, line 3 after “ACT” insert “and for carrying out the duties and
responsibilities of the commission”.
This provides that funds can be used for administrative expenses.
Synopsis
of Original Bill
House
Bill 675 transfers
the duties and powers of the Telecommunication Access Act from the General
Services Department to the Commission for Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Persons. The duties and responsibilities
were previously shared by the two agencies.
Significant
Issues
The
General Services Department (GSD) has administered the Telecommunications Access
Act in conjunction with the Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
(Commission). The current statute
requires GSD, in consultation with the Commission, to establish and administer
a telecommunications relay system that enables impaired individuals to
communicate with unimpaired individuals.
The State Budget Division of the Department of Finance of Administration
may approve an expenditure of not more than 10% of the amount deposited in the
Telecommunication Access Fund during any fiscal year for administrative
expenses.
HB
675 moves the Telecommunications Access Act responsibilities and the associated
fund to the Commission. The Commission
reports that over
the past 10 years it has increasingly performed most of the duties of the Telecommunications
Act. The Commission has 5.5 FTE administering
and performing service functions in conjunction with a contractor with over 100
employees plus a state-wide equipment distribution program. The Commission has
been providing most of the service with the exception of the following: issuing
one warrant to pay one contractor, once a month; issuing warrants for equipment
purchases during an order period which may be once every other year; and;
recording deposits to the fund. These tasks would be simple to assume.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
House Bill 675 would
consolidate the allowed administrative fee in the Commission rather than
splitting it with GSD. This would reduce
the Commission’s General Fund need by $485,700 that would be drawn from the Telecommunications
Access Fund.
OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES
The amended language
in Section 7 reads.
The Commission may
request the state budget division of the department of finance an administration
to approve the expenditure of funds deposited in the telecommunications access
fund for the purpose of defraying salary and other necessary expenses incurred
by the commission in the Telecommunications Access Act.
Consideration should
be given to a language change making the Legislature responsible for the appropriation
of administrative expenses rather than the Department of Administration.
MW/njw:sb