AB 959: Developmental services: regional centers.

Under existing law, the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act, the State Department of Developmental Services is authorized to contract with regional centers to provide services and supports to individuals with developmental disabilities. Existing law requires a regional center to include specified information on its Internet Web site for the purpose of promoting transparency and access to public information, including, among other things, reports on all prior fiscal year expenditures from the regional center operations budget for all administrative services.

This bill would require the State Department of Developmental Services to establish and maintain a page on its Internet Web site that includes a list of services purchased or provided to consumers by regional centers and descriptions of those services. The bill would require a regional center to also include on its Internet Web site a link to that page on the departments Internet Web site.

Existing law states the right of individuals with developmental disabilities to make choices in their own lives, and requires public or private agencies that receive state funds to serve persons with developmental disabilities to respect the choices made by consumers and provide consumers with understandable information to aid in their choices. Existing law also grants these rights to consumers parents, legal guardians, or conservators.

This bill would extend the right to make choices and have those choices respected to consumers authorized representatives. The bill would require regional centers to provide information to a consumer or his or her parents, legal guardian, conservator, or authorized representative in a manner that is culturally and linguistically appropriate, as specified.