BP BHEAD INT S [atlas:bill]

AN ACT Relating to assistive technology; and adding a new chapter to Title 74 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that providing meaningful access to appropriate assistive technology for senior citizens and children and adults with disabilities is a matter of public interest. Access to such technology can play a vital role in maximizing individual potential. Investments in assistive technology also are cost-effective because they reduce the risk of secondary injuries, make it possible for people to live at home rather than in long-term care, and provide a foundation for success in education and employment, thereby reducing the high levels of unemployment experienced by people with disabilities. The legislature further finds that current public and private funding sources are inadequate, or not suited to meet the assistive technology needs of many sectors of the population, or both, and that it is necessary for the state to establish a program that will facilitate the development of alternative financing arrangements to help individuals with disabilities acquire the assistive technology they need for education, employment, health care, independent living, transportation, and recreation.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter, unless the context clearly requires otherwise.

(1) "Assistive technology" means any item, piece of equipment, or device that enables an individual with a disability to improve his or her functional capabilities, independence, or quality of life, and any service that directly assists an individual with a disability in the selection, acquisition, or use of an assistive technology device.

(2) "Fund" means the Washington assistive technology access fund.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. The Washington assistive technology access fund is hereby established. The fund shall consist of such moneys as may be appropriated by the legislature, gifts, bequests, endowments, or grants from the United States government, its agencies, and instrumentalities, receipts by the fund associated with loans made by it, all income from the investment of moneys held in the fund, and any other available source of funds, public or private. Unexpended moneys contained in the fund at the end of the fiscal year shall be carried forward from year to year. Interest and income earned from the investment of such funds shall remain in the fund and be credited to it.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. The fund shall be administered by the state treasurer. Programs and activities sponsored through the fund shall be administered by the Washington assistive technology alliance within the division of vocational rehabilitation. The Washington assistive technology alliance is authorized and directed to solicit matching federal and private sector dollars, to contract with other public and private entities, to establish policies and regulations concerning program eligibility and procedures, and to undertake all other activities necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. (1) The fund may be used for the following purposes:

(a) The creation of a loan guarantee and interest buy-down program to assist qualified borrowers in financing purchases of assistive technology devices and services through loans from private lending institutions; and

(b) Resources permitting, the creation of other alternative assistive technology financing arrangements including, without limitation, grant programs for low-income individuals and families who do not qualify for loans or other public and private sources of assistive technology funding and assistive technology equipment loan programs to serve individuals who need access to such equipment on a short-term basis, and whose needs cannot be met through other means.

(2) Income from the fund also may be used for related support and administrative activities including, without limitation, program development and administration, assistance to individuals in identifying and applying for private bank loans and other public assistive technology funding sources such as vocational rehabilitation, public education, private insurance, medicaid, and medicare, and public and private sector fund development activities.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. (1) The director of the division of vocational rehabilitation shall appoint an assistive technology access fund committee, to be composed of at least seven members as follows:

(a) One or more representatives of the banking industry experienced with consumer lending;

(b) One or more professionals with assistive technology expertise;

(d) Four public members with a knowledge of assistive technology representing a range of disabilities.

(2) Members of the assistive technology access fund committee shall serve without compensation but may be reimbursed for actual expenses as provided in RCW 43.03.050 and 43.03.060. The director of the Washington assistive technology alliance, or the director's designee, shall serve as an ex officio member of the assistive technology access fund committee.

(3) The assistive technology access fund committee shall:

(a) Advise the Washington assistive technology alliance on the development and implementation of alternative assistive technology financing programs under this chapter; and

(b) Make annual reports and recommendations to the legislature on the operation of programs established under this chapter.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. This chapter may be known and cited as the Washington assistive technology access act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 8. Sections 1 through 7 of this act constitute a new chapter in Title 74 RCW.