Bill Text: IL HB4926 | 2015-2016 | 99th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Amends the Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning residential schools for children with visual and hearing disabilities.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-04-08 - Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee [HB4926 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2015-HB4926-Introduced.html
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1 | AN ACT concerning State government.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 5. The Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities | |||||||||||||||||||
5 | Act is amended by changing Section 10 as follows:
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6 | (20 ILCS 2405/10) (from Ch. 23, par. 3441)
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7 | Sec. 10. Residential schools; visual and hearing | |||||||||||||||||||
8 | disabilities.
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9 | (a) The Department of Human Services shall operate
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10 | residential schools for the the education of children with | |||||||||||||||||||
11 | visual and hearing
disabilities who are unable to take | |||||||||||||||||||
12 | advantage of the regular educational
facilities provided in the | |||||||||||||||||||
13 | community, and shall provide in connection
therewith such | |||||||||||||||||||
14 | academic, vocational, and related services as may be
required. | |||||||||||||||||||
15 | Children shall be eligible for admission to these schools only
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16 | after proper diagnosis and evaluation, in accordance with | |||||||||||||||||||
17 | procedures
prescribed by the Department.
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18 | (a-5) The Superintendent of the Illinois School for the | |||||||||||||||||||
19 | Deaf shall be the chief executive officer of, and shall be | |||||||||||||||||||
20 | responsible for the day to day operations of, the School, and | |||||||||||||||||||
21 | shall obtain educational and professional employees who are | |||||||||||||||||||
22 | certified by the Illinois State Board of Education or licensed | |||||||||||||||||||
23 | by the appropriate agency or entity to which licensing |
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1 | authority has been delegated, as well as all other employees of | ||||||
2 | the School, subject to the provisions of the Personnel Code and | ||||||
3 | any applicable collective bargaining agreement. The | ||||||
4 | Superintendent shall be appointed by the Governor, by and with | ||||||
5 | the advice and consent of the Senate. In the case of a vacancy | ||||||
6 | in the office of Superintendent during the recess of the | ||||||
7 | Senate, the Governor shall make a temporary appointment until | ||||||
8 | the next meeting of the Senate, when the Governor shall | ||||||
9 | nominate some person to fill the office, and any person so | ||||||
10 | nominated who is confirmed by the Senate shall hold office | ||||||
11 | during the remainder of the term and until his or her successor | ||||||
12 | is appointed and qualified. The Superintendent shall hold | ||||||
13 | office (i) for a term expiring on June 30 of 2015, and every 4 | ||||||
14 | years thereafter and (ii) until the Superintendent's successor | ||||||
15 | is appointed and qualified. The Superintendent shall devote his | ||||||
16 | or her full time to the duties of the office, shall not serve | ||||||
17 | in any other capacity during his or her term of office, and | ||||||
18 | shall receive such compensation as the Governor shall | ||||||
19 | determine. The Superintendent shall have an administrative | ||||||
20 | certificate with a superintendent endorsement as provided for | ||||||
21 | under Section 21-7.1 of the School Code, and shall have degrees | ||||||
22 | in both educational administration and deaf education, | ||||||
23 | together with at least 15 years of experience in either deaf | ||||||
24 | education, the administration of deaf education, or a | ||||||
25 | combination of the 2. | ||||||
26 | (a-10) The Superintendent of the Illinois School for the |
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1 | Visually Impaired shall be the chief executive officer of, and | ||||||
2 | shall be responsible for the day to day operations of, the | ||||||
3 | School, and shall obtain educational and professional | ||||||
4 | employees who are certified by the Illinois State Board of | ||||||
5 | Education or licensed by the appropriate agency or entity to | ||||||
6 | which licensing authority has been delegated, as well as all | ||||||
7 | other employees of the School, subject to the provisions of the | ||||||
8 | Personnel Code and any applicable collective bargaining | ||||||
9 | agreement. The Superintendent shall be appointed by the | ||||||
10 | Governor, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. In | ||||||
11 | the case of a vacancy in the office of Superintendent during | ||||||
12 | the recess of the Senate, the Governor shall make a temporary | ||||||
13 | appointment until the next meeting of the Senate, when the | ||||||
14 | Governor shall nominate some person to fill the office, and any | ||||||
15 | person so nominated who is confirmed by the Senate shall hold | ||||||
16 | office during the remainder of the term and until his or her | ||||||
17 | successor is appointed and qualified. The Superintendent shall | ||||||
18 | hold office (i) for a term expiring on June 30 of 2015, and | ||||||
19 | every 4 years thereafter and (ii) until the Superintendent's | ||||||
20 | successor is appointed and qualified. The Superintendent shall | ||||||
21 | devote his or her full time to the duties of the office, shall | ||||||
22 | not serve in any other capacity during his or her term of | ||||||
23 | office, and shall receive such compensation as the Governor | ||||||
24 | shall determine. The Superintendent shall have an | ||||||
25 | administrative certificate with a superintendent endorsement | ||||||
26 | as provided for under Section 21-7.1 of the School Code, and |
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1 | shall have degrees in both educational administration and blind | ||||||
2 | or visually impaired education, together with at least 15 years | ||||||
3 | of experience in either blind or visually impaired education, | ||||||
4 | the administration of blind or visually impaired education, or | ||||||
5 | a combination of the 2. | ||||||
6 | (b) In administering the Illinois School for the Deaf, the | ||||||
7 | Department
shall adopt an admission policy which permits day or | ||||||
8 | residential
enrollment, when resources are sufficient, of | ||||||
9 | children with hearing
disabilities who are able to take | ||||||
10 | advantage of the regular educational
facilities provided in the | ||||||
11 | community and thus unqualified for admission
under subsection | ||||||
12 | (a). In doing so, the Department shall establish an
annual | ||||||
13 | deadline by which shall be completed the enrollment of children
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14 | qualified under subsection (a) for admission to the Illinois | ||||||
15 | School for the
Deaf. After the deadline, the Illinois School | ||||||
16 | for the Deaf may enroll
other children with hearing | ||||||
17 | disabilities at the request of their parents or
guardians if | ||||||
18 | the Department determines there are sufficient resources to
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19 | meet their needs as well as the needs of children enrolled | ||||||
20 | before the
deadline and children qualified under subsection (a) | ||||||
21 | who may be enrolled
after the deadline on an emergency basis. | ||||||
22 | The Department shall adopt any
rules and regulations necessary | ||||||
23 | for the implementation of this subsection.
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24 | (c) In administering the Illinois School for the Visually | ||||||
25 | Impaired, the
Department shall adopt an admission policy that | ||||||
26 | permits day or residential
enrollment, when resources are |
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1 | sufficient, of children with visual
disabilities who are able | ||||||
2 | to take advantage of the regular educational
facilities | ||||||
3 | provided in the community and thus unqualified for admission
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4 | under subsection (a). In doing so, the Department shall | ||||||
5 | establish an
annual deadline by which the enrollment of | ||||||
6 | children qualified under subsection
(a) for admission to the | ||||||
7 | Illinois School for the Visually Impaired shall be
completed. | ||||||
8 | After the deadline, the Illinois School for the Visually | ||||||
9 | Impaired
may enroll other children with visual disabilities at | ||||||
10 | the request of their parents
or guardians if the Department | ||||||
11 | determines there are sufficient resources to
meet their needs | ||||||
12 | as well as the needs of children enrolled before the deadline
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13 | and children qualified under subsection (a) who may be enrolled | ||||||
14 | after the
deadline on an emergency basis. The Department shall | ||||||
15 | adopt any rules and
regulations necessary for the | ||||||
16 | implementation of this subsection.
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17 | (Source: P.A. 99-143, eff. 7-27-15.)
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