PRINTER'S NO. 1735
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No.
1155
Session of
2018
INTRODUCED BY COSTA, FONTANA, BREWSTER, FARNESE, HUGHES,
SCHWANK, RAFFERTY, VULAKOVICH AND MENSCH, MAY 7, 2018
REFERRED TO LABOR AND INDUSTRY, MAY 7, 2018
AN ACT
Amending the act of December 12, 1994 (P.L.1023, No.139),
entitled "An act establishing the Statewide Independent
Living Council; providing for the powers and duties of the
council; providing for a State plan for the provision of
services to people with disabilities; providing for grants
and funding for establishment of centers for independent
living; and requiring centers for independent living to
maintain certain standards and give certain assurances in
order to qualify for assistance," further providing for
definitions and for grants and funding.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 3 of the act of December 12, 1994
(P.L.1023, No.139), known as the Independent Living Services
Act, is amended by adding definitions to read:
Section 3. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
* * *
"Individual who is deafblind." An individual:
(1) Who has a central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in
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the better eye with corrective lenses or a field defect such
that the peripheral diameter of visual field subtends an
angular distance no greater than 20 degrees or a progressive
visual loss having a prognosis leading to one or both
conditions.
(2) Who has a chronic hearing impairment so severe that
most speech cannot be understood with optimum amplification
or a progressive hearing loss having a prognosis leading to
this condition.
(3) For whom the combination of impairments described
under paragraphs (1) and (2) causes extreme difficulty in
attaining independence in daily life activities, achieving
psychosocial adjustment or obtaining a vocation.
(4) Who despite the inability to be measured accurately
for hearing and vision loss due to cognitive or behavioral
constraints, or both, can be determined through functional
and performance assessment to have severe hearing and visual
disabilities that cause extreme difficulty in attaining
independence in daily life activities, achieving psychosocial
adjustment or obtaining vocation objectives.
* * *
"Support service provider." An individual trained by a
center for independent living to link an individual who is
deafblind to their environment by:
(1) Guiding an individual who is deafblind.
(2) Facilitating communication between an individual who
is deafblind and other individuals.
(3) Providing information to an individual who is
deafblind about their surroundings.
Section 2. Section 8 of the act is amended by adding a
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subsection to read:
Section 8. Grants and funding.
* * *
(f) Existing centers for independent living.--
(1) The Department of Labor and Industry shall provide
grants to:
(i) Centers for independent living that provide
services to individuals who are deafblind. Grants shall
be used to provide assistance to an individual who is
deafblind who is working toward establishing and
maintaining independence.
(ii) Centers for independent living that train
support service providers. Grants shall be used to
provide the necessary training to become a support
service provider in this Commonwealth.
(2) A grant under this subsection shall be in the amount
of at least $250,000. Beginning on the effective date of this
subsection and annually thereafter, the minimum grant amount
listed in this paragraph shall increase at the rate of
inflation as outlined in the Consumer Price Index for All
Urban Consumers in the Northeast Region for the most recent
12-month period for which the figures have been reported by
the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor
Statistics. If the rate of inflation does not increase, the
minimum grant amount shall remain the same as it was for the
previous year.
Section 3. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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