GA HB1521

Transfers the Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS) from the Georgia Department of Labor to the Department of Community Affairs, effective July 1, 2010, including the disability adjudication section, business enterprise program, services for the blind, and the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation

All officers, employees, agents, records, equipment, funds (state, federal, and private), contracts, and administrative orders associated with DORS transfer to the Department of Community Affairs, with employee compensation, benefits, retirement rights, and accrued leave preserved

Designates the transferred division as the state unit for both the vocational rehabilitation program and the independent living program, authorized to provide services to persons with disabilities including vocational training, deaf-blind services, vending facility licensing on state and federal property, and operation of rehabilitation centers and workshops

Repeals Chapter 15 of Title 34 (which originally placed DORS under the Department of Labor) and establishes a new Article 10 under Title 50, Chapter 8, with updated definitions, administrative structure, and a director appointed by the commissioner of community affairs

Justifies the transfer on the grounds that the Department of Community Affairs is better positioned to ensure equal local and regional access to rehabilitative services, leverage technology to reduce administrative costs, and expand service delivery without additional cost to the state