§ 143B-216.32. Council for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing membership; quorum; compensation.
§ 143B‑216.32. Council for the Deaf and theHard of Hearing membership; quorum; compensation.
(a) The Council for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing shallconsist of 28 members. Twenty members shall be members appointed by theGovernor. Three members appointed by the Governor shall be persons who are deafand three members shall be persons who are hard of hearing. One appointmentshall be an educator who trains deaf education teachers and one appointmentshall be an audiologist licensed under Article 22 of Chapter 90 of the GeneralStatutes. Three appointments shall be parents of deaf or hard of hearingchildren including one parent of a student in a residential school; one parentof a student in a preschool program; and one parent of a student in a mainstreameducation program, with at least one parent coming from each region of theNorth Carolina schools for the deaf regions. One member appointed by theGovernor shall be recommended by the President of the North CarolinaAssociation of the Deaf; one member shall be recommended by the President ofthe North Carolina Deaf‑Blind Associates; one member shall be recommendedby the North Carolina Chapter of Self Help for the Hard of Hearing (SHHH); onemember shall be recommended by the North Carolina Black Deaf Advocates (NCBDA);one member shall be a representative from a facility that performs cochlearimplants; one member shall be recommended by the President of the NorthCarolina Pediatric Society; one member shall be recommended by the President ofthe North Carolina Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf; one member shall berecommended by a local education agency; and one member shall be recommended bythe Superintendent of Public Instruction. Two members shall be appointed fromthe House of Representatives by the Speaker of the House of Representatives andtwo members shall be appointed from the Senate by the President Pro Tempore ofthe Senate. The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall appoint fourmembers as follows: one from the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, onefrom the Division of Aging, one from the Division of Mental Health,Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services, and one from theDivision of Social Services.
(b) The terms of the initial members of the Council shall commenceJuly 1, 1989. In his initial appointments, the Governor shall designate fourmembers who shall serve terms of five years, four who shall serve terms of fouryears, four who shall serve terms of three years, and three who shall serveterms of two years. After the initial appointees' terms have expired, allmembers shall be appointed for a term of four years. No member shall serve morethan two successive terms unless the member is an employee of the Department ofHealth and Human Services or the Department of Public Instruction representinghis or her agency as a specialist in the field of service.
Any appointment to fill a vacancy on the Council created by theresignation, dismissal, death, or disability of a member shall be for thebalance of the unexpired term.
(c) The chairman of the Council shall be designated by theSecretary of the Department of Health and Human Services from the Councilmembers. The chairman shall hold this office for not more than four years.
(d) The Council shall meet quarterly and at other times at thecall of the chairman. A majority of the Council shall constitute a quorum.
(e) Council members shall be reimbursed for expenses incurred inthe performance of their duties in accordance with G.S. 138‑5.
(f) The Secretary of the Department of Health and HumanServices shall provide clerical and other assistance as needed. (1989, c. 533, s. 2; 1993, c. 551, s. 1; 1997‑443, s. 11A.118(a);2001‑424, s. 21.81(d); 2001‑486, s. 2.14; 2003‑343, s. 2.)