(1) The cabinet shall establish an advisory committee of sixteen (16) members to advise the Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities of the need for particular services for persons who are deaf or hard-of- hearing.
(a) At least eight (8) members shall be deaf or hard-of-hearing and shall be appointed by the secretary. Four (4) deaf or hard-of-hearing members, representing one (1) of each of the following organizations, shall be appointed from a list of at least two (2) nominees submitted from each of the following organizations:

Terms Used In Kentucky Statutes 210.031

  • Cabinet: means the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. See Kentucky Statutes 210.005
  • Deaf or hard-of-hearing: means having a hearing impairment so that a person cannot hear and understand speech clearly through the ear alone, irrespective of the use of any hearing aid device. See Kentucky Statutes 210.005
  • Joint committee: Committees including membership from both houses of teh legislature. Joint committees are usually established with narrow jurisdictions and normally lack authority to report legislation.
  • Secretary: means the secretary of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. See Kentucky Statutes 210.005
  • Year: means calendar year. See Kentucky Statutes 446.010

1. The Kentucky Association of the Deaf;
2. The A.G. Bell Association;
3. The Kentucky School for the Deaf Alumni Association; and
4. Self Help for the Hard of Hearing.
The remaining four (4) deaf or hard-of-hearing members shall be appointed by the secretary from a list of at least eight (8) nominees submitted by the Kentucky Commission on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
(b) One (1) member shall be a family member of a deaf or hard-of-hearing consumer of mental health services and shall be appointed by the secretary from a list of nominees accepted from any source.
(c) The head of each of the following entities shall appoint one (1) member to the advisory committee:
1. The Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Department for Behavioral
Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities;
2. The Education and Labor Cabinet, Office of Vocational Rehabilitation;
3. The Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Department for Aging and
Independent Living;
4. The Education and Labor Cabinet, Commission on the Deaf and Hard of
Hearing;
5. The Kentucky Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf; and
6. A Kentucky School for the Deaf staff person involved in education.
(d) The remaining member shall be a representative of a regional board for mental health or individuals with an intellectual disability, appointed by the commissioner of the Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities from a list composed of two (2) names submitted by each regional board for mental health or individuals with an intellectual disability.
(2) Of the members defined in subsection (1)(a) and (b) of this section, three (3) shall be appointed for a one (1) year term, three (3) shall be appointed for a two (2) year term, and three (3) shall be appointed for a three (3) year term; thereafter, they shall be appointed for three (3) year terms. The members defined under subsection (1)(c) and (d) of this section shall serve with no fixed term of office.
(3) The members defined under subsection (1)(a) and (b) of this section shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses; the members defined under subsection (1)(c) and (d) of this section shall serve without compensation or reimbursement of any kind.
(4) The Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities shall make available personnel to serve as staff to the advisory committee.
(5) The advisory committee shall meet quarterly at a location determined by the committee chair.
(6) (a) The advisory committee shall prepare a biennial report which:
1. Describes the accommodations and the mental health, intellectual disability, development disability, and substance abuse services made accessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing persons;
2. Reports the number of deaf or hard-of-hearing persons served;
3. Identifies additional service needs for the deaf and hard-of-hearing; and
4. Identifies a plan to address unmet service needs.
(b) The report shall be submitted to the secretary, the commissioner of the Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities, and the Interim Joint Committee on Health Services by July 1 of every odd-numbered year.
Effective: June 29, 2023
History: Amended 2023 Ky. Acts ch. 25, sec. 16, effective June 29, 2023. — Amended
2022 Ky. Acts ch. 236, sec. 103, effective July 1, 2022. — Amended 2012 Ky. Acts ch. 146, sec. 68, effective July 12, 2012; and ch. 158, sec. 35, effective July 12,
2012. — Amended 2009 Ky. Acts ch. 11, sec. 63, effective June 25, 2009. — Amended 2007 Ky. Acts ch. 24, sec. 18, effective June 26, 2007. — Amended 2006
Ky. Acts ch. 211, sec. 123, effective July 12, 2006. — Amended 2005 Ky. Acts ch.
99, sec. 300, effective June 20, 2005. — Amended 2000 Ky. Acts ch. 6, sec. 28, effective July 14, 2000. — Amended 1998 Ky. Acts ch. 426, sec. 245, effective July
15, 1998. — Amended 1994 Ky. Acts ch. 209, sec. 19, effective July 15, 1994. –
Created 1992 Ky. Acts ch. 340, sec. 1, effective July 14, 1992.