H. B. 3021
(By Delegates Douglas, Collins, Varner, Stalnaker, Willison,
Flanigan and Perdue)
(Originating in the Committee on Government Organization)
[March 1, 1999]
A BILL to amend and reenact section three, article fourteen,
chapter five of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine
hundred thirty-one, as amended, relating to the West
Virginia commission for the deaf and hard-of-hearing;
establishing authority over the commission to the department
of health and human resources.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That section three, article fourteen, chapter five of the code
of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended,
be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 14. WEST VIRGINIA COMMISSION FOR THE DEAF AND
HARD-OF-HEARING.
§5-14-3. Continuation of commission; membership.
The West Virginia commission for the deaf and hard of hearing
There is hereby continued within the executive department the "West
Virginia Commission for the Hearing Impaired department of health and human resources which shall be known as the "West Virginia
Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing" consisting of fifteen
persons, eight of whom shall serve ex officio. ,to be The remaining
members are appointed by the governor within sixty days after the
effective date of this article by and with the advice and consent
of the Senate. The commission shall meet no less than four times
annually. All meetings and activities held by the commission shall
be attended by at least two qualified interpreters who shall be
hired at the commission's expense or provided free of charge by
agencies, organizations or individuals willing to volunteer
qualified interpreters. The members are:
(a) (1) The commissioner secretary, or his or her designee, of
the bureau department of health and human resources; the
commissioner, or his or her designee, of the division of labor; the
director, or his or her designee, of the bureau of public division
of health; the state superintendent of schools, or his or her
designee, of the state board of education; the director, or his or
her designee, of the division of rehabilitation; the director, or
his or her designee, of the division of handicapped children's
services in the division of human services; the chairman, or his or
her designee, of the advisory council for the education of
exceptional children; and the superintendent, or his or her
designee, of the West Virginia School for the deaf, all of whom
shall serve ex officio; and
(b) (2)Seven persons appointed by the governor, at least three of whom are deaf or hard-of-hearing, one of whom is the parent of
a deaf child, one of whom is a certified teacher of the
hearing-impaired, one audiologist and one otolaryngologist. Of the
three deaf people, at least two shall be selected from a list of
four people recommended by the board of the West Virginia
association of the deaf.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be
stricken from the present law, and underscoring indicates new
language that would be added.