AN ACT CONCERNING STATE INVESTMENT IN PREVENTION AND CHILD POVERTY REDUCTION.

AN ACT CONCERNING STATE INVESTMENT IN PREVENTION AND CHILD POVERTY REDUCTION.

This bill merges the state's Child Poverty and Prevention councils to create a new Child Poverty and Prevention Council. It imposes new reporting requirements on the governor, executive branch agencies, and the council. It ties prevention services to others included in the Child Poverty Council's plan to reduce child poverty by 50% by June 30, 2014.

The new council terminates on June 30, 2015, as does the Child Poverty Council under current law.

*House Amendment “A” replaces the file. It (1) shortens the duration of agency and gubernatorial reporting requirements and makes all reporting subject to available funds, (2) modifies the council's duties, and (3) eliminates public hearing provisions.

All current members of the Prevention and Child Poverty councils are designated under the bill as members of the Child Poverty and Prevention Council. These are:

1. the Office of Policy and Management secretary, who serves as chairperson;

2. the Senate president, House speaker, and minority leaders of both chambers;

3. the commissioners of the departments of Children and Families, Social Services, Correction, Mental Retardation, Mental Health and Addiction Services, Transportation, Public Health, Education, Economic and Community Development, and Labor;

4. the chief court administrator;

5. the chairmen of the Board of Governors for Higher Education and Children's Trust Fund;

6. the child advocate; and

7. the executive directors of the commissions on Children and Human Rights and Opportunities.

In addition to the duties of the predecessor councils, the bill directs the Child Poverty and Prevention Council to promote the implementation of its 10-year plan to reduce child poverty. In order to promote the health and well-being of children and families, it must, within available appropriations:

Prevention services under the bill are the same as those currently recognized by the Prevention Council. These are policies and programs that promote healthy, safe, and productive lives and reduce the likelihood of crime, violence, substance abuse, illness, academic failure, and other socially destructive behaviors. Research-based programs are those vigorously evaluated and found to be effective or represent best practices.

The bill requires, within appropriations, the Governor's budget document for FYs 2007-2009, to include a prevention report that:

1. presents in detail, for each fiscal year, the governor's recommendations for appropriations for prevention services for children, youth, and families, broken down by agency;

2. indicates the state's progress toward meeting the goal that 2020, at least 10% of total recommended appropriations for those agencies be allocated for prevention services;

3. lists agency programs and summarizes agency prevention programs, prevention expenditures during the previous biennium, and estimated expenditures for FY 2007; and

4. identifies research-based prevention programs and the total for prevention services included in the budget.

With the exception of progress reports on prevention service allocations, the governor was required by law to include this information in her budget document for the 2003-05 biennium.

By November first of 2006 and 2007, the bill requires each budgeted state agency that provides prevention services to children (those the bill makes council members), within appropriations, to submit a report to the council. They must report on at least two prevention services in each report, but cannot exceed the actual number of prevention services it provides.

For each service, the reports must include: (1) the number of children and families served and (2) a description of the preventive purposes of the service.

1. long-term goals, strategies, and outcomes to promote the health and wellbeing of children and families;

2. overall findings on the effectiveness of the agency's prevention programs,

3. whether it uses any methods to reduce disparities in child performance and outcomes by race, income level, and gender; and if so, what they are; and

4. other information the agency head deems relevant to demonstrate the preventive value of its services.

The 2007 report must include a description of performance-based standards in its relevant contracts and any performance-based vendor accountability protocols.

Long-term Agency Goals. The bill specifies that health goals for prevention services may include increasing the number of (1) healthy pregnant women and newborns, (2) youth who adopt healthy behaviors, and (3) children and families that have access to health care.

Goals for education include increasing the number of children who (1) are ready for school at an appropriate age, (2) learn to read by grade three, (3) succeed in school, and (4) graduate from high school and successfully get and keep jobs as adults.

Safety goals include decreasing (1) the rate of child neglect and abuse, (2) the number of children unsupervised after school; (3) the incidence of child and youth suicide, and (4) the incidence of juvenile crime.

The bill requires the council, by January 1, 2007 of each year, to report, within appropriations, to the governor and Appropriations, Education, Human Services, Public Health, and Children's committees. The report must include:

1. a description of the state's progress in prioritizing agency expenditures in order to fund prevention services,

2. a summary of measurable gains made toward the child poverty and prevention goals,

3. each agency's 2006 and 2007 report on prevention services,

4. examples of successful interagency collaborations, and

5. after consulting with experts and service providers, recommendations for prevention investments and budget priorities.

It is unclear how the council's January 1, 2007 reports could include each agency's 2007 prevention services report, as the date for filing latter is November 1, 2007, 11 months later.

Yea

Nay

(03/09/2006)

Yea

Nay

(03/21/2006)

Yea

Nay

(03/31/2006)

Yea

Nay

(04/26/2006)