House Bill hb1519e1

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                                      HB 1519, First Engrossed/ntc



  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to disability services;

  3         creating s. 402.74, F.S; creating the

  4         Clearinghouse on Disability Information Office

  5         in the Department of Management Services;

  6         requiring the office to establish a statewide

  7         toll-free disability information and referral

  8         system; creating an advisory council; providing

  9         qualifications for staff of the office;

10         providing for the sharing of information by

11         state agencies; providing for an annual report;

12         providing an effective date.

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14  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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16         Section 1.  Section 402.74, Florida Statutes, is

17  created to read:

18         402.74  Clearinghouse on Disability Information Office;

19  functions; advisory council; staff; collaborations; annual

20  report.--

21         (1)  It is the intent of the Legislature that a

22  statewide system of disability service and resource

23  information be developed whereby individuals with

24  disabilities, family members, professionals assisting

25  individuals with disabilities, and the public can easily

26  ascertain information concerning disability-related services

27  and resources available in the state.

28         (2)  The Clearinghouse on Disability Information Office

29  is created and administratively placed in the Department of

30  Management Services. The Department of Management Services

31  shall provide administrative support to the Clearinghouse on


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                                      HB 1519, First Engrossed/ntc



  1  Disability Information Office, including office space and

  2  assistance with personnel, accounting, and

  3  management-information systems. The Clearinghouse on

  4  Disability Information Office is not subject to control,

  5  supervision, or direction by the Department of Management

  6  Services in the performance of its duties. The Clearinghouse

  7  on Disability Information Office shall annually prepare a

  8  budget request that is not to be changed by the department,

  9  but shall be transmitted to the Governor for transmittal to

10  the Legislature.

11         (3)  The Clearinghouse on Disability Information Office

12  shall develop and maintain a statewide toll-free information

13  and referral system that provides information and referral for

14  all disability-related services, programs, assistance, and

15  resources, as well as generic services and assistance that

16  individuals having disabilities and their families may need.

17  The purpose of this information and referral system is to ease

18  the complexity of systems that individuals having disabilities

19  and their families must identify and navigate in order to

20  secure the assistance needed by providing both information on

21  where to find the service and an understanding of the

22  processes required to access the service. It is recognized

23  that a significant disability-related and generic information

24  and referral infrastructure already exists in this state.

25  Therefore, the Clearinghouse on Disability Information Office

26  is to provide a central point through which a user is directed

27  to existing information and referral systems and, when no such

28  system exists, other disability resources to address the

29  user's questions or needs.

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                                      HB 1519, First Engrossed/ntc



  1         (4)  The toll-free disability information and referral

  2  system operated by the office shall perform the following

  3  functions:

  4         (a)  Provide information pertaining to all disabilities

  5  and all ages of individuals having disabilities.

  6         (b)  Provide information pertaining to all types of

  7  disability-related services, as well as generic services that

  8  individuals having disabilities and their families may need.

  9         (c)  Provide information through both a toll-free

10  telephone and web-site modalities.

11         (d)  Provide sufficient information concerning the

12  available services, eligibility, processes, and expectations

13  to help users to navigate the system.

14         (e)  Direct individuals to existing information

15  systems, targeting the specific disability, age, or services

16  needed, when available, and not duplicate existing

17  disability-related or generic information systems.

18         (f)  Develop and maintain a comprehensive compilation

19  of disability resources that consist of existing

20  disability-related and generic information systems and

21  disability resources from new sources. However, the office may

22  not recollect information already available through existing

23  information systems.

24         (g)  Determine gaps in existing information systems and

25  develop information resources to address this need.

26         (h)  Provide all information and materials in

27  alternative formats upon request. The office will be

28  accessible through Telecommunication Devices for the Deaf.

29         (i)  Develop the capacity to offer information in

30  multiple languages to make this service available to the

31  diverse populations of this state.


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                                      HB 1519, First Engrossed/ntc



  1         (j)  Advertise statewide the availability of the

  2  toll-free information and referral system.

  3         (5)(a)  The Clearinghouse on Disability Information

  4  Office shall establish an advisory council, not to exceed 19

  5  members, to assist the office in planning and developing its

  6  services. The advisory council shall meet at least four times

  7  each year. The office shall rely on the advisory council for

  8  advice and technical assistance in establishing and operating

  9  its delineated functions, including, but not limited to:

10         1.  Collaborating with the disability-related programs,

11  services, and organizations;

12         2.  Using existing information and referral systems,

13  both telephone and web-site based, where available;

14         3.  Creating a system that is accepted and used by the

15  disability community;

16         4.  Providing a forum for exchanging information

17  between the disability community and the office regarding

18  important changes in disability services and systems and

19  information and referral services offered by the office;

20         5.  Developing the services and systems for performing

21  the identified office functions; and

22         6.  Recommending improvements to the services and

23  systems of the office.

24         (b)  Members of the advisory council shall include

25  representatives of state agency disability services and

26  programs, statewide organizations providing disability-related

27  information and referral systems, statewide organizations

28  representing disability populations or disability services,

29  and statewide organizations representing the generic

30  information and referral systems. At least one-third of the

31  advisory council members must be individuals having


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                                      HB 1519, First Engrossed/ntc



  1  disabilities or family members of individuals having

  2  disabilities. Representatives of state agencies may not

  3  comprise more than one-third of the advisory council. Members

  4  of the advisory council must reflect the diversity of the

  5  population and disabilities found in the state. Appointments

  6  to the advisory council shall be made in the following manner:

  7  two members by the Secretary of Children and Family Services,

  8  two members by the Commissioner of Education, two members by

  9  the Secretary of Elderly Affairs, two members by the Secretary

10  of Health, one member by the Secretary of Management Services,

11  one member by the Secretary of Transportation, and one member

12  by the head of the Agency for Health Care Administration. The

13  specified appointees shall identify the remaining members of

14  the advisory council. Advisory council members shall serve

15  without compensation, but are entitled to reimbursement for

16  per diem and travel expenses as provided in s. 112.061.

17  Reimbursement for travel expenses includes personal assistance

18  services for individuals with disabilities who require such

19  services.

20         (6)  Staff to the Clearinghouse on Disability

21  Information Office shall consist of a director, information

22  specialist, and support staff, at a minimum, who will be

23  dedicated solely to performing the functions of this office.

24  Those staff that will be working directly with information and

25  referral system users must have experience in the disability

26  field. Strong consideration must be given to individuals

27  having a disability or family members of individuals having a

28  disability. The director must have a minimum of 5 years of

29  experience in the disability field and, preferably, experience

30  with information and referral services. The Department of

31  Management Services shall select the director from three


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                                      HB 1519, First Engrossed/ntc



  1  candidates recommended by the advisory council, each of whom

  2  must meet the state requirements for the position. The

  3  candidates for the first director selected shall be

  4  recommended by a selection committee composed of the President

  5  of The ABLE Trust, the Executive Director of the Family

  6  Network on Disabilities, Inc., a member of the Board of

  7  Directors of the Florida Alliance of Information and Referral

  8  Services, the Bureau Chief of the Department of Health, Brain,

  9  and Spinal Cord Injury Program, the Executive Administrator

10  for the Governor's Working Group on the Americans with

11  Disabilities Act, and an individual having a developmental

12  disability or a parent of an individual having a developmental

13  disability to be appointed by the Secretary of Children and

14  Family Services. The director of the office shall select the

15  remaining staff for the office, each of whom must meet the

16  state requirements for the positions.

17         (7)  The state agencies providing services for

18  individuals having disabilities or their families shall

19  collaborate with the Clearinghouse on Disability Information

20  Office in the sharing of information necessary to establish

21  and maintain the statewide information and referral system.

22         (8)  To the extent possible, the Clearinghouse on

23  Disability Information Office will adopt professional

24  standards of information and referral that will facilitate

25  common data-sharing and quality assurance. The office shall

26  collaborate with the Florida Alliance of Information and

27  Referral Services to assist with the goal of forming a

28  statewide information and 211 network.

29         (9)  All components of the program and delivery of

30  services must fully comply with the Americans with

31  Disabilities Act.


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                                      HB 1519, First Engrossed/ntc



  1         (10)  Initially, the toll-free statewide information

  2  and referral system established by the Clearinghouse on

  3  Disability Information Office shall consist of a base of

  4  state-level resources and services, including the federal

  5  social security disability income program and supplemental

  6  security income program. The state-level resources and

  7  services shall include state agencies providing services for

  8  individuals having disabilities, statewide disability-specific

  9  information and referral systems, statewide disability

10  organizations having resources to assist with

11  disability-related issues, and statewide generic information

12  and referral systems. Once a base of state-level resources and

13  services has been established, the office, with the assistance

14  of the advisory council, will examine and determine how to

15  capture and provide linkages to local community-based

16  services, both disability-specific and generic, without

17  duplicating existing information and referral systems. The

18  capturing and providing of linkages to local community-based

19  services must use existing state and local information and

20  referral and service systems, where available. When gaps in

21  disability information are identified at the local level,

22  local information and referral and service systems should be

23  used to the fullest extent possible to secure the information.

24         (11)  The Clearinghouse on Disability Information

25  Office shall annually prepare a report describing the services

26  provided by the office and submit the report by December 31 to

27  the Governor, to the President of the Senate, to the Speaker

28  of the House of Representatives, and to each state agency

29  offering services for individuals having disabilities. This

30  report must include, but is not limited to, a description of

31  the resources contained in and types of services offered


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                                      HB 1519, First Engrossed/ntc



  1  through the information and referral system, data concerning

  2  the requests received, activities of the advisory council, an

  3  explanation of the office's compliance with the delineated

  4  functions, and improvements made to the system.

  5         (12)  The provisions of this section shall be

  6  implemented to the extent of available appropriations

  7  contained in the annual General Appropriations Act for such

  8  purpose.

  9         Section 2.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

10  law.

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