1. (a) There is a permanent Hearing Aid and Language and Communication Video Loan Bank in the Department.

2. (b) The Program shall provide and maintain:

   1. (1) A pool of hearing aids in the Loan Bank to lend to a parent or legal guardian of an eligible individual who has no immediate access to a hearing aid;
   2. (2) Testing and programming equipment for hearing aids in the Loan Bank;
   3. (3) Supplies for repair and reconditioning of hearing aids in the Loan Bank; and

   4. (4) Language and communication videos to be loaned to a parent or legal guardian of an eligible individual and resources that may be downloaded from a website that provide:

      1. (i) Unbiased information about language and communication options to use with a deaf or hard of hearing child; and
      2. (ii) Instruction on learning the language or communication options in item (i) of this item.

3. (c)

   1. (1) The Governor shall include in the State budget an appropriation to the Program of:

      1. (i) $5,000 in fiscal year 2021; and
      2. (ii) $300 in fiscal year 2022 and each fiscal year thereafter.
   2. (2) The appropriation in paragraph (1) of this subsection shall be used to satisfy the requirement in subsection (b)(4) of this section.

Added by Acts 2011, c. 539, § 1, eff. June 30, 2011; Acts 2011, c. 540, § 1, eff. June 30, 2011. Amended by Acts 2016, c. 40, § 1, eff. July 1, 2016; Acts 2019, c. 741, § 1, eff. Oct. 1, 2019; Acts 2019, c. 742, § 1, eff. Oct. 1, 2019; Acts 2020, c. 628, § 1, eff. May 8, 2020.