Bill Text: NY S04246 | 2009-2010 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Increases funding for home visit programs across the state by establishing funding for the years 2010-11 and 2011-12 and requiring the office of children and family services to develop a statewide plan by January 31, 2011.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-01-06 - REFERRED TO CHILDREN AND FAMILIES [S04246 Detail]

Download: New_York-2009-S04246-Introduced.html
                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         4246
                              2009-2010 Regular Sessions
                                   I N  S E N A T E
                                    April 20, 2009
                                      ___________
       Introduced by Sen. AUBERTINE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
         printed to be committed to the Committee on Children and Families
       AN  ACT  to  amend  the social services law, in relation to establishing
         incremental funding for home visiting programs available  to  children
         at risk of child abuse and neglect
         THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section 1. Subdivisions 1, 2 and  3  of  section  429  of  the  social
    2  services law, subdivisions 1 and 2 as amended by chapter 141 of the laws
    3  of  2000  and subdivision 3 as added by chapter 170 of the laws of 1994,
    4  are amended and two new subdivisions 8  and  9  are  added  to  read  as
    5  follows:
    6    1.  In  accordance with a plan developed by the office of children and
    7  family services [and approved by the director of the budget  and  within
    8  the  amounts  which the director of the budget determines should be made
    9  available therefor, such office], in conjunction with the department  of
   10  health,  SUCH  OFFICE  is  authorized  to issue grants for home visiting
   11  programs to prevent  child  abuse  and  maltreatment,  enhance  positive
   12  parent  child  interactions,  increase healthy outcomes for families and
   13  empower families to develop and achieve their self-sufficiency goals. To
   14  the extent  that  federal  funds  are  used  to  support  home  visiting
   15  programs, such programs must be operated in accordance with all applica-
   16  ble  federal  laws and regulations. To the extent possible and appropri-
   17  ate, funding for the home visiting program  shall  be  coordinated  with
   18  other  available funding to maximize the effective use of federal, state
   19  and local moneys and to promote the program's purposes.
   20    2. Each home visiting program funded under this section shall include,
   21  but not be limited to, the following activities:
   22    (a) providing screening of families in the targeted geographical  area
   23  upon the birth of a child and prenatally, if possible;
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD00531-01-9
       S. 4246                             2
    1    (b)  engaging  those  expectant  parents  and  families with an infant
    2  determined to be at risk of child  abuse  or  maltreatment  and/or  poor
    3  health outcomes to participate in the home visiting program;
    4    (c)  providing home visits by nurses or by community workers under the
    5  supervision of a health or social services professional to those at risk
    6  expectant parents and families who choose to participate in the program;
    7    (d) requiring the home visitors to:
    8    (i) assist parents in learning about child development principles;
    9    (ii) assist parents in accessing appropriate  preventive  health  care
   10  for their children and themselves; and
   11    (iii) link the families to other supports and activities in the commu-
   12  nity;
   13    (e)  determining  the frequency of the home visiting services provided
   14  to each participating family based on the family's needs;
   15    (f) continuing home visits for a particular family MINIMALLY until the
   16  child IS TWO YEARS OF AGE AND UP TO THE TIME THE CHILD enters school  or
   17  a head start program, when necessary; and
   18    (g) assisting families to develop and obtain the necessary supports to
   19  achieve their self-sufficiency goals.
   20    3. A request for proposals shall be issued to solicit applications for
   21  home  visiting  programs.  Priority for funding shall be given to appli-
   22  cants from communities identified as high need by such factors as pover-
   23  ty rates, rates of  adolescent  pregnancy,  rates  of  child  abuse  and
   24  maltreatment, immunization rates and infant mortality rates AND PRIORITY
   25  SHOULD  BE  GIVEN TO THOSE COUNTIES WHERE HOME VISITING PROGRAMS ARE NOT
   26  CURRENTLY AVAILABLE.
   27    8. FUNDS SHALL BE MADE AVAILABLE FOR THE PURPOSES  OF  PROVIDING  HOME
   28  VISITING  PROGRAMS  TO FAMILIES AT RISK OF CHILD ABUSE AND MALTREATMENT.
   29  SUCH FUNDS SHALL BE MADE AVAILABLE AS FOLLOWS: FOR THE YEAR TWO THOUSAND
   30  TEN--TWO THOUSAND  ELEVEN,  THIRTY-FIVE  MILLION  TWO  HUNDRED  THOUSAND
   31  DOLLARS;  AND  FOR  THE  YEAR  TWO THOUSAND ELEVEN--TWO THOUSAND TWELVE,
   32  FIFTY MILLION TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS.
   33    9. THE OFFICE OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES,  IN  CONSULTATION  WITH
   34  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  HEALTH,  SHALL  PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO THE
   35  GOVERNOR AND LEGISLATURE ON OR BEFORE JANUARY THIRTY-FIRST, TWO THOUSAND
   36  ELEVEN TO IMPLEMENT A SYSTEM OF HOME VISITING  PROGRAMS  INCLUDING,  BUT
   37  NOT  LIMITED  TO,  HEALTHY  FAMILIES,  NURSE-FAMILY PARTNERSHIP, AND THE
   38  DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH'S COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER PROGRAM TO MEET THE NEEDS
   39  OF ALL HIGH NEED AREAS ACROSS THE STATE.
   40    S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
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