HB 18-1108

House Bill 18-1108, which has been signed into law, updates and expands services for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or deafblind in Colorado. The bill changes the name of a state commission to include "deafblind" and adds new responsibilities such as creating programs to help this community navigate systems and access services more easily. It also establishes an advisory council specifically for deafblind citizens and requires the commission to run a pilot program to test auxiliary services provided by executive agencies, with results reported back to the governor and state legislature. This bill affects individuals who are part of these communities and aims to improve their quality of life through better support systems and resources.

Official Summary

The bill changes the name of the 'Colorado commission for the deaf and hard of hearing' to the 'Colorado commission for the deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind'. The bill expands the commission's duties to include establishing a community access program for one-on-one system navigation and changes the membership on the committee reviewing grant applications under the act. The bill creates the deafblind citizens council to advise the commission on assisting the deafblind community. The commission must also establish a pilot program to provide auxiliary services to executive agencies. The pilot program must be evaluated by an independent contractor and the evaluation must be provided to the governor and general assembly. Currently the laws of the state refer to 'deaf or hard of hearing'. The bill updates the references to 'deaf, hard of hearing, or deafblind'. (Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.) , Read More

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