Bill Text: CA SB318 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: “2-1-1” information and referral network.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Engrossed) 2023-09-01 - September 1 hearing: Held in committee and under submission. [SB318 Detail]
Download: California-2023-SB318-Introduced.html
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION
Senate Bill
No. 318
| Introduced by Senator Ochoa Bogh (Principal coauthor: Senator Roth) (Coauthors: Assembly Members Arambula and Jim Patterson) |
February 06, 2023 |
An act to add Chapter 18.5 (commencing with Section 18999.85) to Part 6 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to telecommunications.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 318, as introduced, Ochoa Bogh.
“2-1-1” information and referral network.
Existing law vests the Public Utilities Commission with regulatory authority over public utilities, including telephone corporations. Pursuant to authority delegated by the Federal Communications Commission to state regulatory bodies and its existing statutory authority, the Public Utilities Commission has established procedures for implementing 2-1-1 dialing in California. Existing law, until January 1, 2023, authorized the commission, if it determined that doing so was an appropriate use of funds collected from ratepayers, to expend up to $1,500,000 from the California Teleconnect Fund Administrative Committee Fund to help close 2-1-1 service gaps in counties lacking access to disaster preparedness, response, and recovery information and referral services, where technically feasible, through available 2-1-1 service. Existing law establishes various public social services programs,
administered by the State Department of Social services.
This bill would, upon appropriation, require the department to establish, develop, implement, and administer the 2-1-1 Support Services Grant Program. The bill would require the department to allocate 85% of funds for grants to fund core activities of 2-1-1 agencies, including, among others, contact handling, as specified, and improving the statewide ability to manage resource and user needs data to support data sharing and delivery to health systems, government agencies and other key partners, and shared capacity for analytics and systems. The bill would also require the department to allocate 15% of funds to create a Statewide Innovation Program for the purpose of collective 2-1-1 statewide network coordination with a focus on, among others, building shared strategies and project management of state and regional initiatives and related information and services, and scaling up and assisting with the
operations of 2-1-1 services in specified rural counties.
This bill would require a grant recipient to adhere to the principles of Alliance of Information and Referral Systems (AIRS) standards and guidelines for information and referral services. The bill would also require a grant recipient to prepare and submit an annual report to the department, which would include the activities or services funded by the grant, the number of individuals served, and specified measures of system performance.
This bill would make related findings and declarations.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NOBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Chapter 18.5 (commencing with Section 18999.85) is added to Part 6 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read:CHAPTER 18.5. 2-1-1 Infrastructure Act
CHAPTER 18.5.
18999.85
This chapter shall be known, and may be cited, as the 2-1-1 Infrastructure Act.18999.86.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(a) In order to create a statewide disaster preparedness, response, and recovery system and to facilitate the reach of local services to vulnerable populations, this act is hereby established to stabilize, support, and expand 2-1-1 service to all areas of California.
(b) 2-1-1 is a free-to-use information and referral service that connects people in covered areas to health and human services in their community. First established in 2000 by the Federal Communications Commission, 2-1-1 service is fully deployed in 41 California counties and partially deployed in 17 rural counties, activated only when a state of emergency has been declared.
(c) Under existing law, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has regulatory authority over public utilities, including telephone corporations. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), pursuant to its existing authority over the North American Numbering Plan, has established several abbreviated dialing codes, including designating the number 9-1-1 for persons to dial to obtain emergency services, designating the number 3-1-1 for persons to dial for nonemergency police assistance, and designating the number 2-1-1 for persons to dial to obtain information about, and referral to, community social services.
(d) Pursuant to authority delegated by the FCC to state regulatory bodies and its existing statutory authority, the PUC has established procedures for implementing 2-1-1 dialing in California, including designating qualifying entities to manage 2-1-1 service in the state.
(e) Every day thousands of Californians contact 2-1-1 operators who are trained to connect callers to services in their community. 2-1-1 is available to people of all income levels, languages, and cultural backgrounds and is a critical gateway for federal, state, and localized information and resources to all communities for services such as shelter, food, health care, and support during times of emergency or disasters.
(f) During trying economic times, the demand for rapid response resources and complex case management and coordination increases significantly. In many cases, individuals and families who have not had to use health and social services find themselves struggling to navigate various systems of care. 2-1-1 acts as the community front door in these cases, ensuring individuals are referred and connected to appropriate local agencies and community organizations.
(g) 2-1-1 service increases the reach of government, nonprofit, and community programs by offering callers information on and access to a variety of health and human services, rent and utility assistance, physical and mental health resources, employment opportunities, support for older Americans and persons with disabilities, and support for families with special needs.
(h) 2-1-1 is a hub for disaster-related information and plays a critical role during emergencies and disasters, such as fires, floods, earthquakes, terrorist attacks, and epidemics, reducing nonemergency call volume on 9-1-1 lines, which frees up emergency responders to address true life-or-death situations, thus leveraging local public safety resources.
(i) Despite the challenges brought forth by the COVID-19 pandemic, 2-1-1 providers have taken on the
challenge of obtaining additional resources and were able to answer 1,000,000 calls and make over 2.15 million referrals in 2021 alone. 2-1-1 providers across the state demonstrated their capabilities as experienced responders able to scale their infrastructure and offer new services quickly, such as addressing rising food insecurity and assisting people for whom online forms presented language, digital literacy, or internet access challenges.
(j) The limited emergency funding established under Senate Bill 1212 (Chapter 841 Statutes of 2016) expired on January 1, 2023, putting at risk 17 rural and geographically diverse counties' access to 2-1-1. These counties and their 500,000 residents are especially vulnerable to natural disasters, such as wildfires, and thus have a greater need for expanded 2-1-1.
(k) The Legislature further finds and declares that every county in California
needs full-time access to 2-1-1 information and referral services, using curated local resource information, and that state funding is necessary to foster greater coordination and alignment among all 2-1-1 providers, in order to create a statewide health and human services navigation network, disaster preparedness, response, and recovery system and to facilitate the reach of local services to vulnerable populations.
(l) It is the intent of the Legislature, in enacting this act, to support the ongoing functions of 2-1-1 services as well as the continued expansion to unserved areas of California where they are lacking and to support a comprehensive statewide database that will connect all Californians to information and referrals as needed.
18999.87.
For purposes of this chapter, the following definitions apply:(a) “2-1-1” means the three-digit telephone number designated by the commission for the purpose of connecting individuals to local community resources.
(b) “2-1-1 network” means the network of local 2-1-1 provider systems across the state.
(c) “2-1-1 provider” means any entity providing 2-1-1 services on a county or regional basis, pursuant to authorization from the commission, and which adheres to the principles of Alliance of Information and Referral Systems (AIRS) standards and guidelines for information and referral services.
(d) “Commission” means the Public Utilities Commission.
(e) “Department” means the State Department of Social Services.
(f) “Grant program” means the grant program established under this chapter.
(g) “Information and referral services” means those services or activities designed to provide information about services provided by public and private service providers to facilitate appropriate referral to these community services.
(h) “Participant” means an applicant that has been approved to implement the grant program.
18999.88.
(a) This chapter shall be implemented only to the extent that funds are appropriated for this purpose in the annual Budget Act or another statute, or are made available for this purpose from federal sources. Upon appropriation by the Legislature for this purpose, the department shall establish, develop, implement, and administer the 2-1-1 Support Services Grant Program, established in the manner and for the purposes set forth in this section.(b) The department shall do all of the following:
(1) Allocate 85 percent of funds for grants with the purpose of funding the following core activities of 2-1-1 providers:
(A) Contact handling, including increasing staffing for call centers.
(B) Improving the statewide ability to manage resource and user needs data to support data sharing and delivery to health systems, government agencies, and other key partners, and shared capacity for analytics and systems.
(C) Improvements that allow the network to strengthen key strategic efforts, provide vital data and trend information for community planning, build sustainability, and improve outcomes across California.
(D) Encouraging the development of aligned systems with 988 to strengthen integration.
(E) Education and outreach.
(2) (A) Allocate 15 percent of funds to create a
Statewide Innovation Program. The goals and priorities for the Statewide Innovation Program shall be developed collaboratively by the department and 2-1-1 providers, convened by the 2-1-1 California Providers Network and the 2-1-1 Operating Partnership and partners.
(B) The purpose of the Statewide Innovation Program shall be collective 2-1-1 network coordination with a focus on all of the following:
(i) Building shared strategies and project management of state and regional initiatives and related information and services.
(ii) Statewide ability to manage resource and user needs data to support data sharing and delivery to health systems, government agencies, and other key partners, and shared capacity for analytics and systems improvement so that the 2-1-1 network can strengthen key strategic efforts, provide vital
data and trend information for community planning, build sustainability, and improve outcomes across California.
(iii) Supporting digital services to manage and triage inquiries, including SMS texting.
(iv) Scaling up and assisting with the operations of 2-1-1 services in the rural Counties of Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Colusa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Inyo, Lake, Lassen, Modoc, Mono, Plumas, Sierra, Sutter, Trinity, Tuolumne, and Yuba.
(3) Establish an allocation formula for distributing the funds based on regional considerations to ensure equitable funding levels that will account for variations in need and availability of other funding between metropolitan and rural communities.
(c) A participant eligible for a grant under this chapter shall agree to
satisfy all of the following:
(1) Adhere to the principles of the Alliance of Information and Referral Systems (AIRS) standards and guidelines for information and referral services and work with 2-1-1 providers across the state to improve service levels and enhance coordination.
(2) Ensure the funds received will supplement, and will not supplant, any local county or city funding or private philanthropic support, and shall leverage those existing funding streams.
(3) Prepare a report evaluating the grant program annually and submit that report to the department for review. The report shall include, but is not limited to, all of the following:
(A) The activities or services funded by the grant.
(B) The total budget.
(C) The number of individuals served.
(D) Measures of system performance, including capacity, wait time, and the ability to meet demand for services.
(E) The effectiveness of 2-1-1 providers in collaborating with human service resources and referral entities and service providers.
