Substitute House Bill No. 6002
Substitute House Bill No. 6002
PUBLIC ACT NO. 97-288
AN ACT IMPLEMENTING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE
HEALTHY FAMILIES TASK FORCE AND DESIGNATING FAMILY
DAY.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of
Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (a) There is established a
Healthy Families Advisory Commission to monitor
the state-wide system for Healthy Families
Connecticut developed pursuant to section 17a-56
of the general statutes, as amended by section 2
of this act. The commission shall consist of: (1)
One member appointed by the speaker of the House
of Representatives and one member appointed by the
president pro tempore of the Senate, who shall be
members of the General Assembly; (2) one member
appointed by the minority leader of the House of
Representatives and one member appointed by the
minority leader of the Senate, who shall be
members of the General Assembly; (3) a
representative of the Governor; (4) the
Commissioner of Children and Families, or his
designee; (5) the Commissioner of Social Services,
or his designee; (6) the Commissioner of Public
Health, or his designee; (7) the Commissioner of
Education, or his designee; (8) the Secretary of
the Office of Policy and Management, or his
designee; (9) the executive director of the
Commission on Children, or his designee; (10) a
representative of the Child Advocate's Office, who
shall be appointed by the minority leader of the
House of Representatives; and (11) a
representative of the Connecticut Chapter of the
National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse who
shall be appointed by the majority leader of the
Senate.
(b) The commission shall be responsible for:
(1) Reviewing Healthy Families Connecticut pilot
sites and advising the General Assembly on
outcomes and recommending program modifications,
if necessary; (2) preparing plans to implement
Healthy Families Connecticut on a state-wide
basis; (3) monitoring cooperative, coordinated
approaches of state and private agencies involved
in Healthy Families Connecticut and expanding such
approaches to incorporate other, similar
activities; (4) studying state and privately
funded home visitation programs as an initial step
in establishing a cost-effective, collaborative
and comprehensive healthy families system; (5)
monitoring the effects of welfare reform on the
factors associated with the risk of child abuse;
and (6) building a network of public and private
state, regional and local organizations for the
purpose of collaborating to strengthen and support
families with newborns and children up to the age
of five.
Sec. 2. Section 17a-56 of the general statutes
is repealed and the following is substituted in
lieu thereof:
(a) The Commissioner of Children and Families
shall establish the structure for a state-wide
system for Healthy Families Connecticut, which is
based on the national Healthy Families model, and
which is intended to demonstrate the benefits of
preventive services by significantly reducing the
abuse and neglect of infants and by enhancing
parent-child relationships through hospital-based
assessment with home outreach follow-up on infants
and their families within families identified as
high risk.
(b) Within available appropriations, the
Commissioner of Children and Families shall
establish healthy families pilot programs in
geographic areas which are not currently served by
prevention outreach services and which have a high
rate of confirmed child abuse and neglect, a high
rate of infant mortality and low birthweight
infants, or a high rate of teen pregnancy. ON AND
AFTER JULY 1, 1997, THE COMMISSIONER SHALL
ESTABLISH THREE ADDITIONAL PILOT SITES. Services
shall be provided on a voluntary basis to families
identified through the assessment process as
having a high risk of child abuse or neglect.
(c) The healthy families pilot programs shall:
(1) Provide a comprehensive risk assessment of all
newborn children and their families; (2) identify
families that would benefit most from the program;
(3) provide and coordinate support services
including, but not limited to, community-based
home visiting intervention services, counseling,
child care and primary health care services; and
(4) provide follow-up and support services until
the child attains the age of five.
(d) The Commissioner of Children and Families
shall: (1) Develop the comprehensive risk
assessment to be used by the pilot programs; (2)
develop the training program, standards, and
protocols for the pilot programs; and (3) develop,
issue and evaluate requests for proposals to
procure the services required by this section. In
evaluating the proposals, the commissioner shall
take into consideration the most effective and
consistent service delivery system allowing for
the continuation of current public and private
programs.
(e) The Commissioner of Children and Families
shall establish a data system to enable the pilot
programs to document the following information in
a standard manner: (1) The level of screening and
assessment; (2) profiles of risk and family
demographics; (3) the incidence of child abuse and
neglect; (4) rates of child development; and (5)
any other information the commissioner deems
appropriate.
(f) The Commissioner of Children and Families
shall report to the General Assembly on the
establishment, implementation and progress of
Healthy Families Connecticut, on January first and
July first, of each year. The first report shall
be due on January 1, 1996.
Sec. 3. Subsection (a) of section 17b-261 of
the general statutes is repealed and the following
is substituted in lieu thereof:
(a) Medical assistance shall be provided for
any otherwise eligible person whose income,
including any available support from legally
liable relatives and the income of his spouse or
dependent child, is not more than one hundred
forty-three per cent, pending approval of a
federal waiver applied for pursuant to subsection
(d) of this section, of the benefit amount paid to
a person with no income under the aid to families
with dependent children program in the appropriate
region of residence and if such person is an
institutionalized individual as defined in Section
1917(c) of the Social Security Act, 42 USC
1396p(c), and has not made an assignment or
transfer or other disposition of property for less
than fair market value for the purpose of
establishing eligibility for benefits or
assistance under this section. Any such
disposition shall be treated in accordance with
Section 1917(c) of the Social Security Act, 42 USC
1396p(c). Any disposition of property made on
behalf of an applicant or recipient or his spouse
by a guardian, conservator, person authorized to
make such disposition pursuant to a power of
attorney or other person so authorized by law
shall be attributed to such applicant, recipient
or spouse. A disposition of property ordered by a
court shall be evaluated in accordance with the
standards applied to any other such disposition
for the purpose of determining eligibility. The
commissioner shall establish the standards for
eligibility for medical assistance at one hundred
forty-three per cent of the benefit amount paid to
a family unit of equal size with no income under
the aid to families with dependent children
program in the appropriate region of residence,
pending federal approval, except that the medical
assistance program shall provide coverage to
persons under the age of nineteen born after
September 30, 1983, up to one hundred eighty-five
per cent of the federal poverty level without an
asset limit. Such levels shall be based on the
regional differences in such benefit amount, if
applicable, unless such levels based on regional
differences are not in conformance with federal
law. Any income in excess of the applicable
amounts shall be applied as may be required by
said federal law, and assistance shall be granted
for the balance of the cost of authorized medical
assistance. ALL CONTRACTS ENTERED INTO ON AND
AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS ACT PURSUANT TO
THIS SECTION SHALL INCLUDE PROVISIONS FOR
COLLABORATION OF MANAGED CARE ORGANIZATIONS WITH
THE HEALTHY FAMILIES CONNECTICUT PROGRAM
ESTABLISHED PURSUANT TO SECTION 17a-56, AS AMENDED
BY SECTION 2 OF THIS ACT. The commissioner may, as
permitted by federal law, extend by six months the
eligibility for assistance or benefits under this
section to former recipients of aid to families
with dependent children who would otherwise become
ineligible to receive such benefits or assistance
due to the loss of federally applicable disregards
on earnings. The Commissioner of Social Services
shall provide applicants for assistance under this
section, at the time of application, with a
written statement advising them of the effect of
an assignment or transfer or other disposition of
property on eligibility for benefits or
assistance.
Sec. 4. Section 4-67m of the general statutes
is repealed and the following is substituted in
lieu thereof:
(a) The Office of Policy and Management, in
consultation with each budgeted state agency,
shall develop, for state budgeting purposes,
specific biennial goals and objectives and
quantifiable outcome measures, which shall not be
limited to measures of activities, for each
program, service and state grant administered or
provided by such agency. The Secretary of the
Office of Policy and Management shall submit an
annual report concerning such goals, objectives
and measures to the joint standing committee of
the General Assembly having cognizance of matters
relating to appropriations and the joint standing
committee having cognizance of matters relating to
the agency. FOR THE BIENNIUM BEGINNING JULY 1,
1995, AND FOR EACH BIENNIUM THEREAFTER, THE ANNUAL
REPORT SHALL INCLUDE AN EVALUATION OF THE IMPACT
OF EACH PROGRAM, SERVICE AND STATE CONTRACT ON THE
FAMILY.
(b) The goals, objectives and measures
developed for each such agency pursuant to
subsection (a) shall be implemented for the
biennium beginning July 1, 1993. The Office of
Policy and Management, in consultation with each
such agency, shall review and revise such goals,
objectives and measures for each biennium
thereafter.
(c) For the biennium beginning July 1, 1995,
and for each biennium thereafter, the annual
report submitted pursuant to subsection (a) of
this section shall evaluate the progress of
budgeted state agencies in achieving benchmarks
established under section 4-67r.
Sec. 5. Subsection (a) of section 10-29a is
amended by adding subdivision (42) as follows:
(NEW) (42) The Governor shall proclaim the
second Sunday in September of each year to be
Family Day. Suitable exercises shall be held in
the State Capitol and elsewhere as the Governor
designates for the observance of the day.
Sec. 6. This act shall take effect July 1,
1997.
Approved June 26, 1997