RESOLVED, That a special house commission be and the same is hereby created consisting of thirteen (13) members: one (1) of whom shall be from the House of Representatives, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House; one (1) of whom shall be the Commissioner of Education, or designee; one (1) of whom shall be the Director of Human Services, or designee; one (1) of whom shall be the director of the Rhode Island School for the Deaf, or his/her designee; one (1) of whom shall be a School for the Deaf vision educator specialist, to be appointed by the Speaker; one (1) of whom shall be a public school system representative, to be appointed by the Speaker; one (1) of whom shall be a representative from INSIGHT, to be appointed by the president of INSIGHT; one (1) of whom shall be a representative from the Governor's Commission on disabilities, to be appointed by the commission chair, one (1) of whom shall be an ophthalmologist, appointed by the Rhode Island Medical Society; one (1) of whom shall be an optometrist appointed by the Rhode Island Optometrist Association; and two (2) of whom shall be parents of visually impaired children, to be appointed by the Speaker.

The purpose of said commission shall be to promote and develop a comprehensive system of education for visually impaired children that includes early child screening, development, and as well as K-12 instruction.

Forthwith upon passage of this resolution, the members of the commission shall meet at the call of the Speaker of the House and organize and shall appoint the member from the House of Representatives as the chair. Vacancies in said commission shall be filled in like manner as the original appointment.

The membership of said commission shall receive no compensation for their services.

All departments and agencies of the state shall furnish such advice and information, documentary and otherwise, to said commission and its agents as is deemed necessary or desirable by the commission to facilitate the purposes of this resolution.

The Speaker of the House is hereby authorized and directed to provided suitable quarters for said commission; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the commission shall report its findings and recommendations to the House of Representatives on or before March 18, 2003 and said commission shall expire on May 18, 2003.