GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 2005

S                                                                                                                                                    D

SENATE DRS65205-LE-169  (3/14)

Short Title:     Funds to Help Children with Cochlear Implants.		(Public)
Sponsors:	Senator Rand.
Referred to:

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT to appropriate funds to enable deaf children with cochlear implants to maximize their potential to develop spoken language.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina the sum of three hundred twenty-seven thousand dollars ($327,000) for the 2005-2006 fiscal year and the sum of three hundred twenty-seven thousand dollars ($327,000) for the 2006-2007 fiscal year to fund CASTLE (Center for the Acquisition of Spoken Language Through Listening Enrichment), which is operated by the Carolina Children's Communicative Disorders Program of The University of North Carolina Health Care System. The purpose of CASTLE is to enable deaf children with cochlear implants to maximize their potential to develop spoken language.

CASTLE shall use these funds to:  (i) train teachers and therapists across the State to work with deaf preschool-age children with cochlear implants; and (ii) provide oral preschool classes to these children.

SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2005.