| 1 | The Health & Families Council recommends the following: |
| 2 |
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| 3 | Council/Committee Substitute |
| 4 | Remove the entire bill and insert: |
| 5 | A bill to be entitled |
| 6 | An act relating to assistive technology devices; creating |
| 7 | s. 1003.571, F.S.; providing legislative findings; |
| 8 | requiring interagency agreements to ensure that assistive |
| 9 | technology devices issued to young persons with |
| 10 | disabilities remain with the individuals through certain |
| 11 | transitions; establishing requirements for interagency |
| 12 | agreements; providing an effective date. |
| 13 |
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| 14 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 15 |
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| 16 | Section 1. Section 1003.571, Florida Statutes, is created |
| 17 | to read: |
| 18 | 1003.571 Assistive technology devices; findings; |
| 19 | interagency agreements.-- |
| 20 | (1) The Legislature finds that accessibility, utilization, |
| 21 | and coordination of appropriate assistive technology devices and |
| 22 | services are essential as a young person with disabilities moves |
| 23 | from early intervention to preschool, from preschool to school, |
| 24 | from one school to another, and from school to employment or |
| 25 | independent living. |
| 26 | (2) To ensure that an assistive technology device issued |
| 27 | to a young person as part of his or her individualized family |
| 28 | support plan, individual support plan, or individual education |
| 29 | plan remains with the individual through such transitions, the |
| 30 | following agencies shall enter into interagency agreements, as |
| 31 | appropriate, to ensure the transition of assistive technology |
| 32 | devices: |
| 33 | (a) The Florida Infants and Toddlers Early Intervention |
| 34 | Program in the Division of Children's Medical Services of the |
| 35 | Department of Health. |
| 36 | (b) The Division of Blind Services, the Bureau of |
| 37 | Exceptional Education and Student Services, and the Division of |
| 38 | Vocational Rehabilitation of the Department of Education. |
| 39 | (c) The Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program |
| 40 | administered by the Department of Education and the Agency for |
| 41 | Workforce Innovation. |
| 42 | (3) Interagency agreements entered into pursuant to this |
| 43 | section shall: |
| 44 | (a) Provide a framework for ensuring that young persons |
| 45 | with disabilities and their families, educators, and employers |
| 46 | are informed about the utilization and coordination of assistive |
| 47 | technology devices and services that may assist in meeting |
| 48 | transition needs. |
| 49 | (b) Establish a mechanism by which a young person or his |
| 50 | or her parent may request that an assistive technology device |
| 51 | remain with the young person as he or she moves through the |
| 52 | continuum from home to school to postschool. |
| 53 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2005. |