(a) The Governor shall appoint a state-wide Independent Living Council, in accordance with Title VII of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 USC 701 et seq., as amended from time to time.

(b) The council shall meet regularly with the Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services and shall perform the following duties: (1) Issue an annual report by January first, with recommendations regarding independent living services and centers, to the Governor and the chairpersons of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to human services, and (2) consult with, advise and make recommendations to the Department of Rehabilitation Services concerning independent living and related policy, management and budgetary issues.

(c) Council members who are consumers shall be reimbursed for expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as council members.

(P.A. 87-563, S. 3, 5; P.A. 89-144, S. 3; 89-354, S. 3, 21; P.A. 90-325, S. 12, 32; P.A. 93-262, S. 1, 87; P.A. 95-355, S. 9; P.A. 11-44, S. 56; June 12 Sp. Sess. P.A. 12-1, S. 68.)

History: P.A. 89-144 amended Subsec. (a) by substituting the office of protection and advocacy for persons with disabilities for the office of protection and advocacy for handicapped and developmentally disabled persons; P.A. 89-354 changed responsibility of section from the director of division of rehabilitation services to the commissioner of human resources, effective July 1, 1990; P.A. 90-325 changed the effective date of P.A. 89-354 from July 1, 1990, to 60 days after the determination by the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services of the U.S. Department of Education that department of human resources meets all applicable federal statutory and regulatory requirements to be designated as sole state agency to administer the state plan for vocational rehabilitation services and that proposed bureau of rehabilitation services within the department meets all applicable federal statutory and regulatory requirements as a vocational rehabilitation organizational unit, i.e. July 1, 1991; Sec. 10-4k transferred to Sec. 17-627 in 1993 and reference to Sec. 10-4i changed to 17-625 to reflect its transfer; P.A. 93-262 authorized substitution of commissioner and department of social services for commissioner and department of human resources, effective July 1, 1993; Sec. 17-627 transferred to Sec. 17b-615 in 1995; P.A. 95-355 replaced the Independent Living Advisory Council with a state-wide Independent Living Council to be appointed by the Governor in accordance with Title VII of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 USC 701 et seq., as amended from time to time; P.A. 11-44 amended Subsec. (b) by replacing “Bureau of Rehabilitation Services” and “department” with “Bureau of Rehabilitative Services”, effective July 1, 2011; June 12 Sp. Sess. P.A. 12-1 amended Subsec. (b) by replacing “director of the Bureau of Rehabilitative Services” with “Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services” and replacing “Bureau of Rehabilitative Services” with “Department of Rehabilitation Services”, effective July 1, 2012.