Sec. 10-293. Board of Education and Services for the Blind. Membership. Duties. Annual report.
Sec. 10-293. Board of Education and Services for the Blind. Membership. Duties. Annual report. (a) There is established a Board of Education and Services for the
Blind that shall serve as the central policy making authority in providing services to the
blind and visually impaired in the state. Prior to January 4, 2007, the Board of Education
and Services for the Blind shall consist of seven members, six of whom shall be appointed
by the Governor and shall be residents of this state. The Commissioner of Social Services
shall be a member, ex officio. One of the members appointed by the Governor shall be
the parent of a child who receives services provided by the board, and not less than two
of the members appointed by the Governor shall be blind persons. One of the members
appointed by the Governor shall be designated by the Governor as the chairperson of
the board. The Governor may, for reasonable cause, remove any appointed member and
appoint another person to fill the vacancy for the unexpired portion of the term. The
board shall meet annually in the month of September and may meet at any other time
upon the call of its chairperson; and the chairperson shall call a meeting at the request
of two members. Any appointed member who fails to attend three consecutive meetings
or fifty per cent of all meetings held during any calendar year shall be deemed to have
resigned. A majority of the members in office shall constitute a quorum. The terms of
the members of the board serving on June 2, 2006, shall expire on January 3, 2007.
(b) (1) On and after January 4, 2007, the Board of Education and Services for the
Blind shall consist of members appointed as follows: Six appointed by the Governor,
one appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, one appointed by the speaker
of the House of Representatives, one appointed by the majority leader of the Senate,
one appointed by the minority leader of the Senate, one appointed by the majority leader
of the House of Representatives and one appointed by the minority leader of the House
of Representatives and all shall be residents of the state. The Commissioner of Social
Services shall be a member, ex officio. One of the members appointed by the Governor
shall be the parent of a child who receives services provided by the board, and not less
than two of the members appointed by the Governor shall be blind persons.
(2) Three members appointed by the Governor shall serve a term of four years.
Three members appointed by the Governor shall serve a term of two years. The three
members appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, the majority leader of
the Senate and the minority leader of the Senate shall serve a term of four years. The
three members appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives, the majority
leader of the House of Representatives, and the minority leader of the House of Representatives shall serve a term of two years. Thereafter, all members shall be appointed for
a term of four years, commencing on January fourth of the year of the appointment.
(3) One of the members appointed by the Governor shall be designated by the Governor as the chairperson of the board. The board shall meet annually in the month of
September and may meet at any other time upon the call of its chairperson; and the
chairperson shall call a meeting at the request of two members. Any appointed member
who fails to attend three consecutive meetings or fifty per cent of all meetings held
during any calendar year shall be deemed to have resigned. A majority of the members
in office shall constitute a quorum. The appointing authority may, for reasonable cause,
remove any appointed member and appoint another person to fill the vacancy for the
unexpired portion of the term. Any vacancy in the Board of Education and Services for
the Blind shall be filled by the appointing authority for the unexpired portion of the term.
(c) Members appointed to the Board of Education and Services for the Blind shall
monitor the activities of the agency in carrying out its mission to provide educational
and rehabilitative services to all state residents who are legally blind or visually impaired.
Members shall also monitor the activities of the Board of Education and Services for
the Blind regarding the agency's compliance with the benchmarks and recommendations
set by the monitoring council established pursuant to section 3 of public act 03-217*
and offer recommended adjustments to the benchmarks when deemed necessary. Not
later than January 1, 2008, and annually thereafter, the members of the Board of Education and Services for the Blind shall report in accordance with section 11-4a, to the
Governor, the Office of Policy and Management and to the joint standing committees
of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to human services and
education on the agency's compliance with the benchmarks established by said monitoring council and on the activities of the agency in fulfilling its mission to provide educational and rehabilitative services to state residents who are legally blind or visually
impaired.
(d) The Board of Education and Services for the Blind shall be within the Department of Social Services for administrative purposes only.
(1949 Rev., S. 1608; 1957, P.A. 249; September, 1957, P.A. 13, S. 7; 1961, P.A. 539, S. 2; 1963, P.A. 386, S. 1; 1967,
P.A. 582, S. 1; P.A. 74-150, S. 1; P.A. 77-614, S. 536, 610; P.A. 84-361, S. 1, 7; P.A. 88-156, S. 6; P.A. 93-262, S. 1, 87;
P.A. 04-90, S. 1; P.A. 05-156, S. 3; P.A. 06-124, S. 1.)
*Note: Section 3 of public act 03-217 is special in nature and therefore has not been codified but remains in full force
and effect according to its terms.
History: 1961 act allowed governor to appoint staff member in his place and changed secretary of board to executive
secretary; 1963 act changed name of board and made executive secretary its director; 1967 act changed membership
requirements for board by adding an additional member who shall be a blind person for a total of eight members, two of
whom shall be blind; P.A. 74-150 deleted requirement that one member be a woman; P.A. 77-614 removed governor and
chief justice of supreme court as members, installed commissioner of human resources as member, decreased number of
members to seven and added Subsec. (b) placing board within human resources department for administrative purposes,
effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 84-361 amended Subsec. (a) by adding provisions re attendance requirements for retaining
membership and re members needed for quorum; P.A. 88-156 deleted language re four-year term of office; P.A. 93-262
authorized substitution of commissioner and department of social services for commissioner and department of human
resources, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 04-90 amended Subsec. (a) to require that one member be the parent of a child who
receives services provided by the board and not less than two members be blind persons and to make conforming and
technical changes; P.A. 05-156 amended Subsec. (a) to specify that a board member appointed by the Governor shall be
designated as board chairperson, substitute "chairperson" for "director" re calling of board meetings and delete provision
re board adopting rules for its own action and regulations for determining persons who receive benefits; P.A. 06-124
amended Subsec. (a) by specifying that board is to serve as the central policy making authority in providing services to
the blind and visually impaired in the state and by adding that the terms of the current board members shall expire on
January 3, 2007, added new Subsec. (b) re composition of the board on and after January 4, 2007, added Subsec. (c) re
duties of and report from the board, and redesignated existing Subsec. (b) as Subsec. (d), effective June 2, 2006.
See title 2c re termination under "Sunset Law".
See Sec. 4-38f for definition of "administrative purposes only".