Section 161.400

Title XI EDUCATION AND LIBRARIES

Chapter 161

Effective - 28 Aug 2002   

  161.400.  Commission for the deaf and hard of hearing created — appointment — qualifications — terms — expenses — chairperson — deaf members to be provided with interpreters, cost for, how paid. — 1.  As used in sections 161.400 to 161.405, the term "commission" means the Missouri commission for the deaf and hard of hearing.

  2.  There is hereby established within the department of elementary and secondary education a commission, to be known as the "Missouri Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing", which shall be composed of nine members.  Each member shall be appointed by the governor for a term of three years, except that, of the members first appointed, three shall be appointed for a term of three years, three for a term of two years and three for a term of one year.  Of the members appointed, two shall be deaf or hard of hearing, one shall be a parent of a deaf or hard of hearing child, one shall be a representative of an organization representing the interests of the deaf or hard of hearing, one shall be a representative of the Missouri School for the Deaf or the department of elementary and secondary education, one shall be an interpreter for the deaf, one shall be a representative of the business community, one shall be a representative of local public school administration and one shall be a professional from one of the following fields:  audiology, psychology, speech pathology, mental health or medicine.  No person shall be eligible to serve more than two successive terms, except that a person appointed to fill a vacancy may serve two additional successive terms.  The members shall receive no compensation for their services on the Missouri commission for the deaf and hard of hearing, but shall be reimbursed for ordinary and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties.  The provisions of this subsection shall not prevent any person serving on the commission on August 28, 1994, from completing the term for which that person was appointed.

  3.  A chairperson shall be selected by the commission from among its members.  The commission shall meet at the call of the chairperson, but not less than four times per year.  Professional interpreting services for the deaf members shall be provided for at every meeting of the commission, with the expense of the services to be borne by the commission.

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(L. 1988 H.B. 1385 § 1, A.L. 1994 H.B. 1044 merged with S.B. 568, A.L. 2002 H.B. 1783)