House File 2228

                                       HOUSE FILE       
                                       BY  CARROLL and RAECKER


    Passed House, Date                Passed Senate,  Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act to establish a newsline for the blind program within the
  2    department for the blind and to establish telephone utility
  3    assessments.
  4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  5 TLSB 5316HH 80
  6 kk/sh/8

PAG LIN

  1  1    Section 1.  Section 216B.3, Code Supplement 2003, is
  1  2 amended by adding the following new subsection:
  1  3    NEW SUBSECTION.  18.  Plan, establish, administer, and
  1  4 promote a statewide newsline for the blind program to provide
  1  5 audio news and information services to blind or visually
  1  6 impaired persons residing in this state.
  1  7    a.  The commission may enter into necessary contracts and
  1  8 arrangements with the national federation for the blind to
  1  9 provide for the delivery of newspapers over the telephone,
  1 10 furnished by the national federation for the blind.
  1 11    b.  The commission shall annually submit a budget for the
  1 12 program to the Iowa utilities board, which may approve or
  1 13 disapprove the budget in part or in whole.
  1 14    Sec. 2.  Section 216B.4, unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2003,
  1 15 is amended to read as follows:
  1 16    The director may accept financial aid from the government
  1 17 of the United States for carrying out rehabilitation and
  1 18 physical restoration of the blind and for providing library,
  1 19 news, and information services to persons who are blind and
  1 20 persons with physical disabilities.
  1 21    Sec. 3.  Section 477C.6, Code 2003, is amended to read as
  1 22 follows:
  1 23    477C.6  BUDGET.
  1 24    The board shall review and approve the proposed annual
  1 25 budget of the relay service program authorized in section
  1 26 477C.3, and the equipment distribution program authorized in
  1 27 section 477C.4, and the newsline for the blind program
  1 28 authorized in section 216B.3, subsection 18.
  1 29    Sec. 4.  Section 477C.7, unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2003,
  1 30 is amended to read as follows:
  1 31    The board shall impose an annual assessment to fund the
  1 32 programs established in this chapter and in section 216B.3,
  1 33 subsection 18, upon all telephone utilities providing service
  1 34 in the state as follows:
  1 35    Sec. 5.  Section 477C.7, subsection 3, Code 2003, is
  2  1 amended to read as follows:
  2  2    3.  The telephone utilities shall remit the assessed
  2  3 amounts quarterly to a special fund, as defined under section
  2  4 8.2, subsection 9.  The moneys in the fund are appropriated
  2  5 solely to plan, establish, administer, and promote the relay
  2  6 service and equipment distribution programs and the newsline
  2  7 for the blind program.
  2  8                           EXPLANATION
  2  9    This bill establishes a program within the department for
  2 10 the blind to provide news and information services by
  2 11 telephone access to blind and visually impaired persons who
  2 12 reside in this state.
  2 13    The bill grants administrative authority over the program
  2 14 to the commission for the blind.  The commission may enter
  2 15 into an agreement to access the existing newsline services of
  2 16 the national federation for the blind.  The commission must
  2 17 submit an annual budget for the program for review and
  2 18 approval by the Iowa utilities board.  The program shall be
  2 19 funded in the form of annual assessments upon all telephone
  2 20 utilities providing service in Iowa in the same manner as
  2 21 currently assessed to support dual=party relay services for
  2 22 the deaf.
  2 23 LSB 5316HH 80
  2 24 kk/sh/8