Bill Text: CT HB07022 | 2017 | General Assembly | Comm Sub


Bill Title: An Act Concerning The Children's Report Card.

Spectrum: Committee Bill

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2017-04-21 - File Number 685 [HB07022 Detail]

Download: Connecticut-2017-HB07022-Comm_Sub.html

General Assembly

 

Substitute Bill No. 7022

    January Session, 2017

 

*_____HB07022KID___022717____*

AN ACT CONCERNING THE CHILDREN'S REPORT CARD.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 2-53m of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2017):

(a) The joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to children, in consultation with the Office of Fiscal Analysis, the Office of Legislative Research and the Commission on Women, Children and Seniors shall maintain an annual report card that evaluates the progress of state policies and programs in promoting the result that all Connecticut children grow up in a stable living environment, safe, healthy and ready to lead successful lives. Progress shall be measured by primary and secondary indicators of progress, including, but not limited to, indicators [established in the final report of the Legislative Program Review and Investigations Committee prepared pursuant to the provisions of section 1 of public act 09-166,] of state-wide rates of child abuse, child poverty, low birth weight [, third grade] and reading proficiency. [, and the annual social health index developed pursuant to section 46a-131a.] For each indicator, the data shall also be presented according to ethnicity or race, gender, [geography and, where appropriate,] age and other relevant characteristics where appropriate. Said committee shall prepare and make the report card available to the public on or before January 15, 2012, and annually thereafter. [On or before January 15, 2012, and annually thereafter, said committee shall make the report card available to the public on the Internet and on the web site of the General Assembly and shall transmit the report card electronically to (1) members of the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to appropriations and the budgets of state agencies and human services, (2) the Commissioners of Children and Families, Education and Public Health, (3) the Child Advocate, (4) the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, and (5) the Chief Court Administrator.]

(b) On or before January 15, 2012, the [select] joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to children, in consultation with a working group of representatives of state agencies and departments, community organizations, private provider agencies operating programs that impact the well-being of children and families, parents and other caretakers of children, child advocacy organizations, health care professionals that serve children and families, schools, and child care providers, shall identify or develop (1) an indicator for measuring whether children are living with their families and have stability in their living environments, (2) secondary indicators for measuring progress within each area of children's well-being related to measuring progress in their health, safety, stability, education and future success, including, but not limited to, food security, and (3) key measures of performance of the state child welfare system, including, but not limited to, (A) rates of repeat maltreatment among victims of child abuse and neglect; (B) placement in out-of-home care among children at risk of abuse and neglect; (C) child fatalities involving child abuse or neglect; (D) rates of reunification and permanency for children removed from their homes; and (E) the developmental and health status and educational progress of children served by the child welfare system and other appropriate measures of well-being and preparation for success in life. [Not less than annually, said committee, or the]

(c) On or before January 15, 2018, and annually thereafter, the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to children [, as the case may be, shall: (i) With the assistance of the working group] shall, in consultation with a leadership committee comprised of (1) the house chairperson of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to children, who shall serve as a chairperson, (2) the chairpersons and ranking members of the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to social services, education, the judiciary, public health and appropriations, (3) the Governor, or the Governor's designee, who shall serve as a chairperson, (4) the executive director of the Commission on Women, Children and Seniors, or the executive director's designee, (5) the Commissioners of Children and Families, Education, Social Services, Public Health, Early Childhood, or the commissioners' designees, (6) the Chief Court Administrator, or the Chief Court Administrator's designee, (7) the Child Advocate, or the Child Advocate's designee, (8) the Governor's Nonprofit Liaison, and (9) representatives of the Connecticut Association of Nonprofits, Connecticut Voices for Children, Connecticut Association of Human Services, Connecticut Community Providers Association, CT Parent Power, Center for Children's Advocacy and Child Health and Development Institute of Connecticut, review the adequacy of primary and secondary indicators, system-level performance measures, and related data resources for such indicators and measures, and determine whether there are more appropriate alternatives to monitoring progress in achieving the result that all Connecticut children grow up in a stable living environment, safe, healthy and ready to lead successful lives. [, and (ii) in consultation with the results-based]

(d) On or before January 15, 2018, the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to children and the accountability subcommittee of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to appropriations, [and the budgets of state agencies,] shall identify programs within the child welfare system that make a significant contribution to achieving such result and require the entities administering such programs to prepare annual report cards employing the results-based format developed by said subcommittee.

This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:

Section 1

October 1, 2017

2-53m

KID

Joint Favorable Subst.

 
feedback