SRC Bylaws

State Rehabilitation Council Bylaws
State of Iowa
Approved September 19, 2017
 

Table of Contents
Click on the Title

1.0 Name of Organization
2.0 Purpose
3.0 Council Functions
4.0 Appointment
5.0 Member Composition
6.0 Officers
7.0 Terms of Appointment
8.0 Conflict of Interest
9.0 Meetings
10.0 Standing Committees
11.0 Ad Hoc Committees
12.0 Parliamentary Authority
13.0 Amendments

1.0 Name of Organization

This entity shall be known as the Iowa State Rehabilitation Council (Council).

2.0 Purpose

The purpose of the Council is to serve in an advisory capacity to Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services (IVRS) regarding IVRS’s performance under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014.

3.0 Council Functions

3.1       The Council must, after consulting with the state workforce development board:

3.1.1    Review, analyze, and advise IVRS regarding the performance of IVRS’s responsibilities, particularly responsibilities related to –

3.1.2    Eligibility, including order of selection;

3.1.3    The extent, scope, and effectiveness of services provided; and

3.1.4    Functions performed by state agencies that affect or potentially affect the ability of individuals with disabilities in achieving employment outcomes;

3.2       In partnership with IVRS –

3.2.1    Develop, agree to, and review IVRS’s state goals and priorities; and

3.2.2    Evaluate the effectiveness of the vocational rehabilitation program and submit reports of progress to the U.S. Secretary of Education;

3.2.3    Advise IVRS regarding activities carried out under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and assist in the preparation of the vocational rehabilitation services portion of the Unified or Combined State Plan and amendments to the plan, application, reports, needs assessments, and evaluations;

3.3       To the extent feasible, conduct a review and analysis of the effectiveness of, and consumer satisfaction with –

3.3.1    The functions performed by IVRS;

3.3.2    The vocational rehabilitation services provided by state agencies and other public and private entities responsible for providing vocational rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities; and

3.3.3    The employment outcomes achieved by eligible individuals receiving services, including the availability of health and other employment benefits in connection with those employment outcomes;

3.4       Prepare and submit to the Governor and to the U.S. Secretary of Education, no later than 90 days after the end of the federal fiscal year, an annual report on the status of vocational rehabilitation programs operated within the state and make the report available to the public through appropriate modes of communication;

3.5       To avoid duplication of efforts and enhance the number of individuals served, coordinate activities with the activities of other councils within the state, including the Statewide Independent Living Council, the advisory panel established under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Iowa Developmental Disabilities Council, the Iowa mental health planning council, and the state workforce development board, and with the activities of entities carrying out programs under the Assistive Technology Act of 1998;

3.6       Provide for coordination and the establishment of working relationships between IVRS and the Statewide Independent Living Council and centers for independent living within the state; and

3.7       Perform other comparable functions as the Council determines to be appropriate, that are comparable to the other functions performed by the Council.

3.8       Resource plan:

3.8.1    The council, in conjunction with IVRS, must prepare a plan for the provision of resources, including staff and other personnel that may be necessary and sufficient for the Council to carry out its functions.

3.8.2    The resource plan must, to the maximum extent possible, rely on the use of resources in existence during the period of implementation of the plan.

3.8.3    Any disagreements between IVRS and the Council regarding the amount of resources necessary to carry out the functions of the Council must be resolved by the Governor.

3.8.4    The Council must, consistent with state law, supervise and evaluate the staff and personnel that are necessary to carry out its functions.

3.8.5    Those staff and personnel that are assisting the Council in carrying out its functions may not be assigned duties by IVRS or any other agency or office of the state that would create a conflict of interest.

3.9       Financial Functions:

3.9.1    Review and communicate the implications of allocation decisions;

3.9.2    Understand and communicate the state-federal match process;

3.9.3    Understand and communicate the financial process of IVRS as an integrated service component of the state workforce system/service delivery;

3.9.4    Provide education and information to interested parties, including legislators and policy makers on IVRS fiscal issues; and

3.9.5    Provide input on the SRC Resource Plan.

4.0 Appointment

4.1       The members of the Council must be appointed by the Governor.

4.2       The appointing authority must select members of the council after soliciting recommendations from representatives of organizations representing a broad range of individuals with disabilities and organizations interested in individuals with disabilities.

4.3       In selecting members, the appointing authority must consider, to the greatest extent practicable, the extent to which minority populations are represented on the Council.

5.0 Member Composition

5.1       The Council must be composed of at least 15 members, including –

5.1.1    At least one representative of the Statewide Independent Living Council, who must be the chairperson or other designee of the Statewide Independent Living Council;

5.1.2    At least one representative of a parent training and information center established pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act;

5.1.3    At least one representative of the Client Assistance Program who must be the director of or other individual recommended by the Client Assistance Program;

5.1.4    At least one qualified vocational rehabilitation counselor with knowledge of and experience with vocational rehabilitation programs who serves as an ex officio, nonvoting member of the Council if employed by IVRS;

5.1.5    At least one representative of community rehabilitation program service providers;

5.1.6    Four representatives of business, industry, and labor;

5.1.7    Representatives of disability groups that include a cross section of –

5.1.7.1    Individuals with physical, cognitive, sensory, and mental disabilities; and

5.1.7.2    Representatives of individuals with disabilities who have difficulty representing themselves or are unable due to their disabilities to represent themselves;

5.1.7.3    Current or former applicants for, or recipients of, vocational rehabilitation services;

5.1.8    At least one representative of the state educational agency responsible for the public education of students with disabilities who are eligible to receive services;

5.1.9    At least one representative of the state workforce development board; and

5.1.10 The Administrator of IVRS as an ex officio, nonvoting member of the Council.

5.2       A majority of the Council members must be individuals with disabilities as defined at 34 C.F.R. § 361.5(c)(28) who are not employed by IVRS.  Employees of IVRS may serve only as nonvoting members of the Council.

6.0 Officers

6.1       The chairperson and vice-chairperson must be selected by the members of the Council from among the voting members of the Council.

6.2       The Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson are elected by the Council from a slate of voting members presented by the Nominating Committee.  The Council will seek volunteers to serve on the Nominating Committee at the state fiscal year third quarter meeting (January – March). The Nominating Committee will create a slate of candidates between the third and fourth quarter meetings.

6.3       The Nominating Committee will present their slate of candidates, and elections for these offices will be held at the state fiscal year fourth quarter (April – June) meeting. Nominations for officers may also be made from the floor at these elections.  Officers assume their duties effective July 1. Terms of office for the Chair and Vice Chair are one year, with a two term limit.

6.4       The chairperson shall be the principal executive officer of the Council.  The chairperson shall preside at all meetings.  The chairperson may sign all instruments as may be authorized by the Council.  The chairperson shall perform all other duties incident to the office of chairperson as prescribed by the Council.

6.5       In the absence of the chairperson, the vice-chairperson shall perform the duties of the chairperson.  The vice-chairperson shall perform such other duties as may be assigned by the chairperson or the Council.

6.6       The Executive Committee shall consist of the Council chairperson, vice-chairperson, chairpersons of standing committees, and the Administrator of IVRS.

7.0 Terms of Appointment

7.1       Each member of the Council must be appointed for a term of no more than three years. Each member of the Council, other than the Client Assistance Program representative, may serve for no more than two consecutive full terms.

7.2       A member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the end of the term for which the predecessor was appointed, must be appointed for the remainder of the predecessor’s term.  Such appointee may only serve one more term following completion of the original partial term.

7.3       The terms of service of the members initially appointed must be, as specified by the Governor, for varied numbers of years to ensure that terms expire on a staggered basis.

7.4       A vacancy in the membership of the Council must be filled in the same manner as the original appointment, except that the Governor may delegate this authority to fill a vacancy to the remaining members of the Council after making the original appointment.

7.4.1    No vacancy affects the power of the remaining members to execute the duties of the Council.

7.5       Absences. Any person appointed by the Governor to any board under the laws of this state shall be deemed to have submitted a resignation from such office if either of the following events occurs:

7.5.1    The person does not attend three or more consecutive regular meetings of such board.  This paragraph does not apply unless the first and last of the consecutive meetings counted for this purpose are at least 30 days apart.

7.5.2    The person attends less than one-half of the regular meetings of such board within any period of 12 calendar months beginning on July 1 or January 1.  This paragraph does not apply unless such board holds at least four regular meetings during such period.  This paragraph applies only to such a period beginning on or after the date when the person takes office as a member of such board.

7.6       Resignations. If the member is no longer interested in or unable to continue participation on the Council, the Executive Committee will advise them to submit a letter of resignation to the Council Chair or IVRS Administrator so that a replacement may be requested for appointment from the Governor's Office.

8.0 Conflict of Interest

8.1       No member of the Council may cast a vote on any matter that would provide direct financial benefit to the member or the member’s organization or otherwise give the appearance of a conflict of interest under state law.

9.0 Meetings

The Council must –

9.1       Convene at least four meetings a year in locations determined by the Council to be necessary to conduct Council business.  The meetings must be publicly announced, open, and accessible to the general public, including individuals with disabilities, unless there is a valid reason for an executive session; and

9.2       Conduct forums or hearings as appropriate that are publicly announced, open, and accessible to the public, including individuals with disabilities.

9.3       Quorum: In order to conduct business, no less than two-thirds of the eligible voting members must be present to constitute a quorum.

9.4       Compensation: The Council may use funds allocated to the Council by IVRS under Title I of the Act, (except for funds appropriated to carry out the client assistance program under section 112 and funds reserved for section 121), to compensate and reimburse Council members for reasonable and necessary expenses of attending Council meetings and performing Council duties.

10.0 Standing Committees

10.1     Council members shall serve on a standing committee. The committees are:

10.2     Outreach Committee – Responsible for gathering input and recommendations on the State Plan and annual State Plan amendments, the legislative reception, position papers, and talking points as it relates to the State Plan implementation.  Specific duties are:

10.2.1  Conduct a comprehensive needs assessment as required by the State Plan.

10.2.2  Create an informative legislative reception that produces support from legislators regarding IVRS services and initiatives, serves as an educational information session, and increases the visibility of service delivery efforts of IVRS.

10.2.2.1  Develop protocol for the reception to disseminate information and maintain the identity of the reception as an SRC activity.

10.2.2.2  Develop information that tells the story of IVRS specific to statewide and/or local districts.

10.2.3  Increase SRC involvement and recruitment of new members who can leverage public support in advocating for persons with disabilities.

10.2.4  Implement conversations with external parties regarding IVRS involvement to include: community organizations, past recipients of services, business, Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) representation, and other state/public workforce system partners.

10.3     VR Service Delivery Committee – Responsible for customer satisfaction survey, SRC Annual Report, and reviewing and making recommendations regarding agency policy issues.  Specific duties are:

10.3.1  Develop and coordinate distribution of job candidate satisfaction survey.

10.3.2  Review and recommend changes based upon the results of the satisfaction survey.

10.3.3  Identify strategies to improve satisfaction and program service experience through analysis of results.

10.3.4  Complete SRC Annual Report to the Governor.

10.3.5  Review proposals and make recommendations regarding agency policy issues.

10.3.6  Review and become knowledgeable of Agency Policy.

10.3.7  Review and understand quality control indicators reflecting program standards and compliance with federal and state regulations.

10.3.8  Recommend strategies to move beyond compliance and enhance quality from service delivery efforts.

10.3.9  Increase SRC involvement and recruitment of new members who can leverage public support in advocating for persons with disabilities.

10.3.10 Implement conversations with external parties regarding IVRS involvement to include: community organizations, past recipients of services, business, SHRM representation, and other state/public workforce system partners.

10.4     Committee chairs shall be selected by each committee, with a length of term that will be the respective member’s Council membership term.

10.5     Committee expenditures may only occur with approval of the Executive Committee and IVRS Administrator.

10.6     The IVRS Administrator may appoint agency staff for support services as necessary for Committee work.

11.0 Ad Hoc Committees

11.1     Ad hoc committees may be appointed by the Council Chairperson based on the recommendation of any member. 

11.2     Appointments to such committees shall have a pre-determined purpose and term length, which can be reviewed and extended by recommendation of the Council Chairperson and a majority vote of eligible Council members.

12.0 Parliamentary Authority

Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern Council meetings.

13.0 Amendments

13.1     These Bylaws may be amended with a quorum present and the approval of two-thirds of votes cast, when presented to members at least 30 days prior to the vote.

13.2     Amendments to these Bylaws will be effective immediately upon approval.