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PUBLIC LAWS OF MAINE
Second Special Session of the 121st

CHAPTER 553
S.P. 667 - L.D. 1819

An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Study Group To Examine an Emergency Alert Notification System for Deaf and Hard-of-hearing Individuals

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:

PART A

     Sec. A-1. 26 MRSA §1419, sub-§1, ¶B-2, as amended by PL 2001, c. 377, §1, is further amended to read:

     Sec. A-2. 26 MRSA §1419, sub-§2, as amended by PL 1997, c. 751, Pt. A, §3, is further amended to read:

     2. Specialized customer communications equipment system. The department shall consult with appropriate agencies and organizations serving deaf, hard-of-hearing or speech-impaired persons and persons with disabilities concerning the needs of the specialized customer telecommunications communications equipment system. To the extent that funds are available, the department shall take steps necessary to preserve and maintain a viable specialized customer telecommunications communications equipment system for use by deaf, hard-of-hearing or speech-impaired persons and persons with disabilities in this State, including, but not limited to, providing for repair services and equipment for loaning to persons whose specialized customer telecommunications communications equipment is being repaired. The department may also use available funds to provide training in the use of specialized customer communications equipment.

     Sec. A-3. 26 MRSA §1419-A, as amended by PL 1999, c. 227, §§1 and 2, is further amended to read:

§1419-A.    Specialized customer communications equipment for persons with disabilities

     1. Money for specialized customer telecommunications equipment. The Bureau of Rehabilitation Services within the department, pursuant to appropriation of money to the bureau for specialized customer telecommunications equipment for deaf, hard-of-hearing and speech-impaired persons and persons with disabilities, shall, upon request, provide up to 50% of the cost of specialized customer telecommunications equipment to an organization or municipality that makes available the remaining funds for this equipment in a manner satisfactory to the Director of the Bureau of Rehabilitation Services.

     2. Communications Equipment Fund. There is established the Telecommunications Communications Equipment Fund to be used by the Division of Deafness within the Bureau of Rehabilitation Services. The fund is nonlapsing. The fund receives money transferred by the Public Utilities Commission from the universal service fund pursuant to Title 35-A, section 7104. The Division of Deafness may accept gifts or grants, including, but not limited to, federal grants, for the purposes of this section. These Funds transferred from the universal service fund pursuant to Title 35-A, section 7104 and all gifts and grants and authorized appropriations must be deposited in the Telecommunications Communications Equipment Fund and disbursed in accordance with this section. The Telecommunications Communications Equipment Fund may be used for purchase, lease, distribution, upgrading, installation, maintenance and repair of specialized customer telecommunications communications equipment for deaf, hard-of-hearing or speech-impaired persons and persons with disabilities and for training in the use of such equipment. The Division of Deafness may draw on the Telecommunications Communications Equipment Fund in accordance with the telecommunications communications equipment plan required under subsection 3.

     3. Communications equipment plan. The Division of Deafness shall develop a plan to make specialized customer telecommunications communications equipment available to deaf, hard-of-hearing or speech-impaired persons and persons with disabilities and to distribute money from the Telecommunications Communications Equipment Fund. The plan must be developed by the Division of Deafness annually, not later than January 1st, in accordance with the rule-making procedures in Title 5, chapter 375. The plan must provide for the expenditure of money from the Telecommunications Communications Equipment Fund for the benefit of deaf, hard-of-hearing or speech-impaired persons and persons with disabilities for the purchase, lease, distribution, upgrading, installation, maintenance and repair of specialized customer telecommunications communications equipment capable of serving their needs and may provide for expenditures for training in the use of such equipment. Persons who are profoundly deaf or speech impaired speech-impaired or who have a disability so that they are unable to use the telephone for expressive or receptive communications, as verified by a written report from an otologist, an audiologist or a physician, are eligible for assistance from the Telecommunications Communications Equipment Fund. The plan must ensure that persons with disabilities have access to appropriate specialized customer telecommunications communications equipment to meet their individual needs. The plan must include specific criteria that govern the priorities assigned to various persons who need this equipment. The criteria must take into account household income, degree of impairment, need for emergency communications, living arrangements and other factors determined relevant by the Division of Deafness. In developing the criteria, the Division of Deafness shall consult with the advisory council established in section 1413-C and other advisory councils representing the interests of persons with disabilities.

     4. Specialized customer communications equipment needs in the public school system. The Department of Education, in consultation with the Governor Baxter School for the Deaf and advocacy groups for deaf and hard-of-hearing persons and for the information technology interests of consumers, shall conduct an annual survey of all public schools in the State for the purpose of assessing the need for specialized customer telecommunications communications equipment in the school system and report its findings to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over labor matters. The report must include: the number of deaf and hard-of-hearing students and their needs for specialized customer telecommunications communications equipment; the availability of specialized customer telecommunications communications equipment; the number of requests for specialized customer telecommunications communications equipment; and the status of training for teachers and other school personnel in the use of specialized customer telecommunications communications equipment.

     5. Assessment on telecommunications carriers. The Bureau of Rehabilitation Services, beginning in fiscal year 1999-2000, shall assess annually telecommunications carriers in accordance with this subsection and deposit the funds collected in the Telecommunications Equipment Fund. The bureau shall assess telecommunications carriers in accordance with a schedule established by the Public Utilities Commission in accordance with this subsection.

     Sec. A-4. 35-A MRSA §7104, sub-§5 is enacted to read:

     5. Funds for Communication Equipment Fund. The commission shall annually transfer $85,000 from a state universal service fund established pursuant to this section to the Communications Equipment Fund established under Title 26, section 1419-A. In addition to its authority under subsection 3, the commission may require contributions to the state universal service fund in an amount sufficient to collect the $85,000.

If the Department of Labor, Bureau of Rehabilitation Services does not receive from federal or other sources funds in addition to the $85,000 sufficient to carry out the purposes of Title 26, section 1419-A, the commission, at the request of the Department of Labor, Bureau of Rehabilitation Services, may transfer from the state universal service fund to the Communications Equipment Fund additional amounts as long as:

     Sec. A-5. Application for funds; report. The Department of Labor, Bureau of Rehabilitation Services shall apply for federal homeland security funds administered by the Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management, Maine Emergency Management Agency to support the purposes of the Communications Equipment Fund and this Act. The Maine Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Labor, Bureau of Rehabilitation Services shall provide a report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over utilities and energy matters by January 1, 2005 detailing the amount of homeland security funding that has been provided for these purposes and for supporting access to emergency alert and news services for persons who are blind.

     Sec. A-6. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and allocations are made.

LABOR, DEPARTMENT OF
Communications Equipment Fund 0799
Initiative: Provides funds to establish a base allocation in the event federal grant funds are secured to provide emergency alert notification equipment and other services for deaf and hard-of-hearing persons.
Federal Expenditures Fund 2003-04 2004-05

PART B

     Sec. B-1. 35-A MRSA §7101, sub-§5 is enacted to read:

     5. Homeland security and emergency alerts. The Legislature further finds that seamless, integrated, robust and redundant means of communication, including, but not limited to, voice and alphanumeric pagers, landline telephones, wireless telephones, text radio and wireless e-mail, create a robust communication system that enables rapid contact with first responders, ensures emergency alert notification to all affected persons in the State, including at-risk populations such as the hearing or visually impaired, and enhances homeland security. It is the policy of the State to encourage the deployment of the infrastructure necessary to support such a communications system.

Effective July 30, 2004, unless otherwise indicated.

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