Substitute House Bill No. 6657
Substitute House Bill No. 6657
PUBLIC ACT NO. 97-249
AN ACT CONCERNING THE DELIVERY OF HUMAN SERVICES
IN NORTHEASTERN CONNECTICUT.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of
Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) As used in this act:
(1) "Northeastern region" means the towns of
Brooklyn, Canterbury, Eastford, Killingly,
Plainfield, Pomfret, Putnam, Sterling, Thompson
and Woodstock;
(2) "Human services" means services provided
to persons or families experiencing difficulty in
meeting their basic human needs for (A) physical
survival, including their need for food, shelter,
clothing and maintenance of minimum income, (B)
preparing for and sustaining employment, (C) job
readiness, including employment and training
programs and child care programs, (D) social
support and interaction, especially in time of
personal or family crisis, (E) assistance in
addressing specific pathologies, such as health,
mental health and substance abuse, and (F) access
to available appropriate services, such as
education, transportation, information and
referral services and includes remedial and
preventative services targeted to low and moderate
income individuals and families, by age group or
by specific need;
(3) "Negotiated investment strategy" means a
mediated negotiation process to solve problems,
resolve conflicts, develop plans for joint action
and to implement those plans by involving all
affected interests and which requires (A) an
implementation plan to establish coherent,
coordinated strategies to guide and target the
investment of time and resources by all public and
private interests and (B) a written agreement that
sets forth each party's roles and commitments and
provides for subsequent monitoring to assure the
commitments are carried out; and
(4) "State agency" means each state board,
authority, commissioner, department, office,
institution, council or other agency of the state,
including, but not limited to, each constituent
unit and each public institution of higher
education.
Sec. 2. (NEW) (a) There is established for the
Northeastern region a pilot program to address the
human services needs of such region. The pilot
program shall allow local governments in
partnership with public and private providers of
human services and human service users, educators,
business and other appropriate individuals or
groups to establish a program to address the human
services needs of the Northeastern region. The
goals of the pilot program shall be to (1)
implement a regional partnership strategy that
allows the Northeastern region to coordinate
programs and carry out the complex, sensitive and
lengthy process of community-based planning based
on a unified vision that results in strengthening
the community; (2) nurture human development; (3)
achieve opportunities for all persons in the
community and (4) incorporate the principles of
caring, prevention and healing.
(b) Decisions in the development and
implementation of the five-year strategic plan
developed under section 4 of this act shall be
made through a negotiated investment strategy as
provided in section 3 of this act.
(c) The pilot program shall include the
establishment of a regional human services
negotiating council made up of five sectors: (1)
Local, state and federal elected officials
servicing the Northeastern region; (2) public and
private human service providers from the
Northeastern region; (3) users of human services;
(4) persons who shall include, but not be limited
to, educators and representatives of labor and of
business; and (5) state and federal agencies
involved in human services. The negotiating
council shall prepare the plan required under
section 4 of this act.
(d) Each sector identified in subsection (c)
of this section shall designate five persons to
serve as the negotiating team for such sector. The
process for selecting the team shall be determined
by each sector. Sectors and teams shall establish
a schedule and procedures. Each team shall have
one vote in the decisions of the negotiating
council. The five-year strategic plan developed
under section 4 of this act shall not be effective
unless unanimously approved by the negotiating
council.
Sec. 3. (NEW) (a) The Institute of Public
Service at The University of Connecticut shall
organize the negotiating council and call the
first meeting of the negotiating council on or
before August 1, 1997. The negotiating council
shall, with the assistance of such Institute for
Public Service, prepare and issue a request for
proposals for a qualified mediator to coordinate,
organize, facilitate and mediate the negotiated
investment strategy process. Prior to securing the
services of a mediator, the negotiating council
shall acquire the funds necessary to obtain such
services including funds to support the operation
of the negotiating council and participation by
each sector.
(b) Prior to or at the first joint meeting of
the negotiating council, the members may request
and exchange information about issues related to
the formation of the five-year strategic plan. On
or before the first meeting or between the first
two meetings of the negotiating council, the
members shall prepare preliminary positions on
issues related to a five-year strategic plan. At
the first meeting of the negotiating council, each
of the five members shall agree in writing to a
set of rules of procedure consistent with the
negotiated investment strategy process.
(c) Following the initial exchange of
information, the members of the negotiating
council shall negotiate their differences. Between
meetings, members shall continue to work towards
the resolution of differences and may establish
subcommittees to facilitate such efforts. Written
position papers shall be prepared and exchanged
through the mediator. The mediator shall summarize
points of agreement and disagreement. Unanimous
agreement on issues shall result in a written
memorandum of understanding which will then be
circulated by the mediator. The members of the
negotiating council shall determine when to meet
jointly and shall establish formal and informal
deadlines for the work of the negotiating council.
After each meeting elements of the final agreement
shall be incorporated into the final agreement by
the mediator. After agreement has been obtained on
all outstanding issues, such agreements shall be
incorporated into one document and signed by all
participants in the process and adopted by all
agencies and authorities represented in the
negotiations. The council may be called back at
the call of any one of the council members to
review or discuss issues as they deem necessary.
(d) All meetings of the negotiating council,
except caucuses of members initiated during a
joint meeting of the council, shall be public
meetings and advertised to the general public.
Meetings shall be held in facilities that permit
the observation by members of the general public.
The negotiating council shall hold a public
hearing in the Northeastern region upon the
completion of the five-year strategic plan
prepared pursuant to section 4 of this act and
prior to the adoption of the plan by the
negotiating council.
Sec. 4. (NEW) (a) On or before October 1,
1998, the regional negotiating council shall
develop a five-year strategic plan that addresses
the human services needs of the Northeastern
region. Such plan shall be submitted to the
legislative body of each town constituting the
Northeastern region, the United States Congress,
the Secretary of the Office of Policy and
Management and the joint standing committee of the
General Assembly having cognizance of matters
relating to appropriations.
(b) The five-year strategic plan shall be
developed by means of a negotiated investment
strategy and shall set forth goals to meet basic
human needs for the Northeastern region and
establish benchmarks to measure progress towards
achieving such goals. The plan shall identify
regional issues and needs and resources and
address efficiency and effectiveness of service
delivery. The plan shall be consistent with the
planning and policy objectives of the state that
are implemented in the state budget and shall
comply with state and federal law. The plan shall
include a project component relating specific
regional and local proposals to state planning
goals and a component which describes the
administration and fund distribution process. The
project component shall be updated annually. The
plan shall include a description of the planning
process used to identify needs and set priorities
for the region, a description of the programs to
be funded, a description of any eligibility
standards to be used, an implementation schedule
and a budget detailing the specific use of funds
available under the regional human services pilot
program and related funds. The plan shall identify
opportunities for state agencies to award grants
on a regional basis and shall identify state,
local and federal funding sources and make
recommendations for legislation to implement the
plan for the biennium beginning July 1, 1999. The
plan shall include an analysis of the fiscal and
administrative impact on the state and
municipalities outside of the pilot region. If the
plan recommends continuation of the negotiating
council, the negotiating council shall continue.
(c) The five-year plan developed under this
section shall not impact existing state, local or
federal funds received by human service providers
or the existing programs of Northeastern region
human service providers. Any realignment of
existing human service programs shall be done by
an affirmative action of the governing body of the
program and be consistent with the five-year
strategic plan.
Sec. 5. (NEW) (a) In preparing budget
proposals for the biennium beginning July 1, 1999,
the Secretary of the Office of Policy and
Management and the joint standing committee of the
General Assembly having cognizance of matters
relating to appropriations and the budgets of
state agencies shall consider the five-year
strategic plan developed pursuant to section 4 of
this act.
(b) In preparing their budgets for the fiscal
year beginning July 1, 1999, the towns in the
Northeastern region shall consider the five-year
strategic plan developed pursuant to section 4 of
this act.
Sec. 6. This act shall take effect from its
passage.
Approved June 27, 1997