SENATE DOCKET, NO. 380        FILED ON: 1/13/2023

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 73

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Julian Cyr

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act establishing a low vision registry.

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PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 380        FILED ON: 1/13/2023

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 73

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 94 OF 2021-2022.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)

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An Act establishing a low vision registry.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Chapter 6 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after section 135 the following section:-

Section 135A. The Commissioner, in consultation with the department of public health and the executive office of elder affairs, shall create a registry list of persons whose visual acuity is found to be with correction 20/60 or less in the better eye, or the peripheral field of vision to have contracted to the ten degrees radius or less regardless of visual acuity. Said register shall be used to aid the commission in efforts to measure the numbers of likely future registrants to the Commonwealth Registry of the Blind.  Such persons shall not be eligible for services from the Commission until the standard of legal blindness is met.

The reporting requirements contained in section 136 of this chapter shall apply to this section.