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HOUSE BILL NO. 236

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Daily Data Tracking History

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H0236......................................................by STATE AFFAIRS
TELECOMMUNICATIONS - RELAY SERVICES - Amends existing law to provide that
the Public Utilities Commission shall establish a fund for the provision of
relay services, including customer premises equipment for the deaf and hard
of hearing; and to delete language providing that no funds derived from
charges billed and collected pursuant to another statute may be used for
the acquisition of end-user telephones.

02/12    House intro - 1st rdg - to printing
02/15    Rpt prt - to St Aff

Bill Text

H0236


                                                                        
 ||||              LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO             ||||
Fifty-fifth Legislature                 First Regular Session - 1999
                                                                        

                             IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                                    HOUSE BILL NO. 236

                                BY STATE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

 1                                        AN ACT
 2    RELATING TO TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES FOR THE  DEAF  AND  HARD  OF  HEARING;
 3        AMENDING SECTION 61-1304, IDAHO CODE, TO PROVIDE THAT THE PUBLIC UTILITIES
 4        COMMISSION  SHALL  ESTABLISH  A  FUND  FOR THE PROVISION OF RELAY SERVICES
 5        INCLUDING CUSTOMER PREMISES EQUIPMENT FOR THE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING, TO
 6        MAKE A TECHNICAL CORRECTION AND TO DELETE LANGUAGE PROVIDING THAT NO FUNDS
 7        DERIVED FROM CHARGES BILLED AND COLLECTED PURSUANT TO ANOTHER STATUTE  MAY
 8        BE  USED  FOR  THE  ACQUISITION  OF END USER TELEPHONES; AND TO PROVIDE AN
 9        EFFECTIVE DATE.

10    Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:

11        SECTION 1.  That Section 61-1304, Idaho Code, be, and the same  is  hereby
12    amended to read as follows:

13        61-1304.  TELECOMMUNICATIONS  RELAY  SERVICES  FUND. (1) The administrator
14    shall establish a fund for the provision of relay services under this chapter,
15     not  including customer premises equipment, to be known and desig-
16    nated as the Idaho telecommunications relay services fund, in such  depository
17    and  under such  regulations   rules  as shall be estab-
18    lished by the commission, to which shall be credited:
19        (a)  All monetary contributions, gifts and grants received by the adminis-
20        trator;
21        (b)  All charges billed and collected pursuant to section  61-1305,  Idaho
22        Code.
23        (2)    No funds derived from charges billed and collected pursuant to
24    section 61-1305, Idaho Code, shall be used for the  acquisition  of  end  user
25    text telephones.
26        (3)    All  moneys  deposited  in  the telecommunications relay fund
27    shall be expended for the purpose of defraying the expenses, debts  and  costs
28    incurred  in  carrying  out  the provisions of this chapter, and for defraying
29    administrative expenses of the administrator, including necessary expenses for
30    consultants to the administrator, expenses for travel, supplies and  equipment
31    and  other  expenses  of the administrator necessary for the implementation of
32    the provisions of this chapter. All moneys credited to the  telecommunications
33    relay  services fund may be expended by the administrator at such times and in
34    such manner as may be authorized by the commission.

35        SECTION 2.  This act shall be in full force and effect on and after  Janu-
36    ary 1, 2000.

Statement of Purpose / Fiscal Impact

                      STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

                            RS 08730

This legislation would remove the prohibition against using funds in the telecommunications
relay service fund for customer premise equipment. It would allow the Idaho Public Utilities
Commission to work with the Idaho Council on Deaf amd Hard of Hearing to consider
setting up an equipment distribution program. The PUC could place income limits on those
eligible to receive the equipment and an outside contractor could be used to handle the
equipment distribution.

As many as 25 per cent of the Idaho adult population have a hearing loss (250,000) and at
least 10 per cent have trouble hearing normal communication (lOO,000). Approximately
5,000 are deaf. Many of these aren't able to use regular telephone service. Phones which have
volume and tone controls for people who are hard of hearing usually cost more than $100.
Telecommunications devices for the deaf (TDD or TTY) begin at $220 and go up to $600,
dependmg on the features.

Forty one other states currently have a program, including Oregon, Washington, Wyoming,
Montana, Utah and Nevada.





                          FISCAL NOTE

It could cost $90,000 per year, based on what Montana is spending. Phone companies
currently pay four cents ($.04) per access line per month and $.0007 per intrastate
MTS/WATS minute to the telecommunications relay service fund. This would require an
increase of about 17 per cent, (to $.045 per access line and $.0008 per minute).


Contact: Raymond Lockary
           Call Idaho Relay Service 1-800-377-1363 amd ask the communications assistant to call 
              (208) 342-7481. (The CA will relay your conversation.)


                                                STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/FISCAL NOTE    H 236