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

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

This bill requires the Department of Social Services (DSS) commissioner to implement an “efficient and coordinated response” for children and families to ensure that their basic needs are met. It directs the commissioner to invest in improved and streamlined prevention services to better serve children and families and prevent them from falling into poverty. He must do so no later than 14 days after the bill passes.

The bill directs the commissioner to consult with various entities in implementing the response and requires periodic reporting to the governor and legislative committees.

Finally, the bill directs the Appropriations and Human Services committees, in collaboration with the Office of Policy and Management (OPM), to maximize the use of federal funds for initiatives related to children and families. They must submit a joint report to the governor, Senate president pro tempore, and House speaker no later than 60 days after the bill passes.

The bill states that the efficient and coordinated response must be designed to:

1. promote combined, online, or multiple-site application and enrollment processes for programs that serve children and families;

2. promote cross-enrollment policies, colocation of services, and interdepartmental coordination and consolidation of staff assigned to such programs;

3. effectuate short-term waivers of income garnishment by state agencies in cases where the DSS commissioner deems this appropriate to protect children and families from hardship and keep families together;

4. promote cost-saving measures to prevent homelessness and increase housing stability for children and families;

5. encourage or require homeless shelters to accept every member of a family at the same time or work to find adequate alternative arrangements for a family if lack of capacity prevents a shelter from serving an entire family at once;

6. review program eligibility requirements and other policies to ensure that unaccompanied homeless children have access to critical services that they might otherwise have been prevented from receiving because of their age or lack of a guardian;

7. explore using energy assistance programs authorized under the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Act to maximize and increase monthly food stamp benefits for families who live in subsidized housing; and

8. track the impact of such programs and services on children and families.

The bill directs the commissioner to attempt to meet the prevention goals and recommendations of the Child Poverty and Prevention Council. (Among other things the council must develop and promote the implementation of a plan to reduce the number of children living in poverty by 10% between 2004 and 2014. ) The commissioner must also consult with the chairpersons of the Human Services, Public Health, Appropriations, and Children's committees, the Child Poverty and Prevention Council, and any community action agency or other organization serving children or families when implementing the response program.

For purposes of the bill, “programs that serve children or families” include:

1. HUSKY (state subsidized health insurance),

2. Care4Kids (state subsidized child care),

3. the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly known as Food Stamps),

4. Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (the state component of this federal block grant program is called Temporary Family Assistance),

5. Women, Infants and Children (WIC) supplemental nutrition program,

6. heating and rental assistance,

7. eviction prevention services,

8. subsidized school breakfast and lunch programs,

9. family literacy programs,

10. fatherhood programs,

11. job training,

12. economic security programs,

13. the Food Stamp Employment and Training program, and

14. other poverty reduction strategies as defined in state statute.

The commissioner must submit quarterly status reports to the governor and the Human Services, Public Health, Appropriations, and Children's committees beginning no later than 60 days after the bill passes. Reports must include the progress made to impede family crisis and prevent children and families from falling into poverty. His reporting obligations end on June 30, 2011.

The bill directs the Appropriations and Human Services committees, in collaboration with OPM, to maximize the use of federal funds for any initiatives related to children and families, including child poverty reduction strategies developed by the Child Poverty and Prevention Council and programs with data-driven decision making that serve children and families.

The committee chairpersons and OPM must submit a joint report to the governor, Senate president pro tempore, and House speaker regarding their use of federal funds. They must do so no later than 60 days after the bill passes (the same deadline applicable for the first report on the implementation of the efficient and coordinated response program).

The 21-member council is composed of legislative and executive branch appointees. It is required by law to (1) establish prevention goals and recommendations and (2) measure prevention outcomes. It must also consult with experts and service providers and make budget priority recommendations.