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H. 4630
STATUS INFORMATION
General Bill
Sponsors: Reps. Mack, Harrell, Neilson, Agnew, Anderson, Bailey, Bales, Breeland, Funderburk, Hayes, Hodges, Hosey, Jefferson, Jennings and Scott
Document Path: l:\council\bills\agm\18087mm06.doc
Companion/Similar bill(s): 1186
Introduced in the House on February 9, 2006
Currently residing in the House Committee on Labor, Commerce and Industry
Summary: Telephone service for hearing and speech impaired
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS
Date Body Action Description with journal page number
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2/9/2006 House Introduced and read first time HJ-5
2/9/2006 House Referred to Committee on Labor, Commerce and Industry
HJ-6
View the latest legislative information at the LPITS web site
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
TO AMEND SECTION 58-9-2510, AS AMENDED, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO DEFINITIONS IN CONNECTION WITH TELEPHONE SERVICE FOR HEARING AND SPEECH IMPAIRED PERSONS, SO AS TO DELETE REFERENCES TO A TDD USER; TO AMEND SECTION 58-9-2520, AS AMENDED, RELATING TO A STATEWIDE ACCESS PROGRAM TO SERVICES FOR THOSE PERSONS, SO AS TO PROVIDE FOR REAL-TIME, CLOSED-CAPTION COVERAGE OF THE NEWS IN THE FOUR GEOGRAPHIC AREAS OF THE STATE AND OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, AS WELL AS AN INTERPRETER FOR THOSE PERSONS HAVING BUSINESS BEFORE THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY; AND TO AMEND SECTION 58-9-2540, AS AMENDED, RELATING TO AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE, SO AS TO MAKE THE COMMITTEE MANDATORY AND TO MODIFY THE APPOINTMENTS TO IT.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. Section 58-9-2510(3) of the 1976 Code is amended to read:
"(3) 'Dual party relay system' or 'DPR' means a procedure in which a deaf, hearing, or speech impaired TDD user can communicate with an intermediary party, who then orally or in writing relays the first party's message or request to a third party, or a procedure in which a party who is not deaf or hearing or speech impaired can communicate with an intermediary party who then relays the message or request to a TDD user. hearing impaired person by way of any electronic or mechanical means."
SECTION 2. Section 58-9-2520(B) of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 426 of 1996, is further amended by adding at the end:
"(5) selection of a service provider to provide real-time, closed-caption services of regularly scheduled news broadcasts to a maximum of one station in each of the state's principal media markets: the Upstate, the Midlands, the Pee Dee, and the Lowcountry. Preference must be given stations that are historically the highest rated stations in terms of viewership in the market area and to stations that work with hearing impaired consumer groups to provide this service. The selection of a vendor for this project is exempt from the South Carolina Consolidated Procurement Code because of the unique structure of this project and the fact that only the largest stations in terms of market share are eligible for this project; and
(6) selection of a service provider to provide real-time closed captioning of the proceedings of the General Assembly and to provide sign language interpreters for hearing impaired citizens who may have business before the General Assembly. The respective clerks of the Senate and the House of Representatives jointly shall administer this project."
SECTION 3. Section 58-9-2540 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 396 of 1992, is further amended to read:
"Section 58-9-2540. (A) The commission may shall appoint an advisory committee to monitor the statewide telecommunications relay access service and advise and make recommendations to the commission in pursuing services which that meet the needs of the hearing or speech impaired and others similarly impaired in communicating with other users of telecommunications services. A majority of the members of the committee must be individuals who are hearing impaired, deaf and blind, or speech impaired. Three of the members must be recommended by the South Carolina Association of the Deaf. A state employee may not serve on the committee.
(B) The advisory committee consists of nine members as follows:
(1) one representative from the Spartanburg School for the Deaf;
(2) one representative (1) three representatives from the South Carolina Association of the Deaf, Inc.;
(3) (2) one representative from the South Carolina Telephone Association;
(4) (3) two representatives from the commission staff;
(5) (4) one representative from the provider of the dual party relay service;
(6) (5) one representative from the office Office of the Consumer Advocate Regulatory Staff, serving ex officio; and
(7) one representative from the office of the Division of Information Resource Management, State Budget and Control Board; and
(8) (6) one hearing-impaired person who is an active member of Self-Help for Hard of Hearing People (SHHH).
(C) The advisory committee must be appointed by the commission upon the recommendations of the applicable agency or organization. The commission shall prescribe regulations which that set forth guidelines for the responsibilities, duties, and authority of the committee. Members shall serve at the pleasure of the commission and vacancies must be filled in the manner of the original appointment."
SECTION 4. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.
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