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| THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA |
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| HOUSE BILL |
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| INTRODUCED BY PRESTON, GODSHALL, BELFANTI, BRENNAN, BROWN, BUXTON, DEASY, FABRIZIO, FRANKEL, HENNESSEY, KORTZ, KULA, MAHONEY, MILLARD, MIRABITO, PALLONE, QUINN, READSHAW, SAINATO, SOLOBAY, SONNEY AND WHITE, DECEMBER 4, 2009 |
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| REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON CONSUMER AFFAIRS, DECEMBER 4, 2009 |
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| AN ACT |
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1 | Providing funding for standards and for implementation of a 211 |
2 | abbreviated dialing code for information and human services |
3 | referral telephone service; establishing the 211 Advisory |
4 | Board; and making an appropriation. |
5 | The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania |
6 | hereby enacts as follows: |
7 | Section 1. Short title. |
8 | This act shall be known and may be cited as the Pennsylvania |
9 | 211 Telephone Service Implementation Act. |
10 | Section 2. Legislative findings. |
11 | The General Assembly finds and declares as follows: |
12 | (1) The dialing code 211 is the national abbreviated |
13 | dialing code approved by the Federal Communications |
14 | Commission for access to health and human services |
15 | information and referral. The dialing code 211 is a |
16 | universally recognizable number that makes it easier to |
17 | connect individuals and families in need with the appropriate |
18 | professional providers, community-based organizations and |
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1 | government agencies that provide health and human services. |
2 | (2) The dialing code 211 proved its value in several |
3 | states during the recent disasters related to terrorist |
4 | attacks on September 11, 2001. In Atlanta, 211 handled over |
5 | 14,000 calls in the week following the attacks. More than |
6 | 5,000 people offered help and 9,000 people requested |
7 | assistance. |
8 | (3) In Connecticut, various state agencies and nonprofit |
9 | groups used 211 to coordinate services during the attacks. |
10 | Connecticut calls to 211 involved families looking for |
11 | victims, frightened children and concerned parents, |
12 | individuals reliving other disasters, people who escaped the |
13 | World Trade Center and were experiencing guilt, information |
14 | on terrorist suspects, mentally ill persons feeling |
15 | overwhelmed with disaster, location of vigils and requests. |
16 | (4) Recent hurricanes in Florida showed the strength of |
17 | 211 when there was an increase in calls of over 100% during |
18 | and immediately after the hurricanes throughout that state. |
19 | Some 211 systems in affected areas were showing increases of |
20 | over 500%. The easy-to-remember number helped relieve the 911 |
21 | burden in those areas. |
22 | (5) The dialing code 211 helps to better address long- |
23 | term needs of victims and their families of the September 11, |
24 | 2001, attacks and other types of disasters. |
25 | (6) A study by the National Center on Addiction and |
26 | Substance Abuse at Columbia University and 13 states, |
27 | including Pennsylvania, have detected an increased demand for |
28 | alcohol and drug treatment since September 11, 2001. |
29 | (7) Research demonstrates that exposure to trauma puts |
30 | an individual at four-to-five times greater risk of substance |
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1 | abuse and stress is considered the most common cause of |
2 | relapse to addiction to or abuse of alcohol, drugs and |
3 | smoking. |
4 | (8) Oklahoma experienced a dramatic increase in the need |
5 | for treatment services in the two years following the |
6 | domestic terrorist bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal |
7 | Building on April 19, 1995. One year after the bombing, three |
8 | times as many residents of Oklahoma City reported increased |
9 | drinking. Rescue workers in Oklahoma City experienced |
10 | elevated rates of substance abuse, depression and suicide. |
11 | (9) The New York State Office of Alcoholism and |
12 | Substance Abuse Services reports that demand for alcohol and |
13 | drug treatment in New York City increased after the September |
14 | 11, 2001, attacks. |
15 | (10) Over 40 states in this nation and Canada have |
16 | implemented or are working to implement 211 in their |
17 | respective jurisdictions. While useful during times of |
18 | crisis, the importance of 211 is greatest for response to |
19 | everyday inquiries about needs such as unemployment |
20 | compensation, health care and its coverage, nursing homes, |
21 | Women's Infants and Children (WIC) program, prenatal care and |
22 | many beneficial services from government and nongovernmental |
23 | agencies. |
24 | (11) Many community groups also are viewing 211 as a |
25 | powerful neutral connecting point and 211 has provided help |
26 | to diverse populations, such as runaway children, senior |
27 | citizens and parents looking for child care. |
28 | (12) In Pennsylvania, the Health and Human Services Call |
29 | Center, a smaller scale, centralized pilot of the 211 |
30 | concept, has provided a 45% reduction in costs with a 25% |
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1 | increase in call productivity, serving more needs with one |
2 | call. Intangible benefits include those for callers who do |
3 | not know whom they should call. |
4 | Section 3. Definitions. |
5 | The following words and phrases when used in this act shall |
6 | have the meanings given to them in this section unless the |
7 | context clearly indicates otherwise: |
8 | "211." An abbreviated dialing code approved by the Federal |
9 | Communications Commission for access to health and human |
10 | services information and referral. |
11 | "Advisory board" or "board." The 211 Advisory Board |
12 | established by this act. |
13 | "AIRS." The Alliance of Information and Referral Systems. |
14 | "Applicant." A vendor experienced in providing information |
15 | and referral services that assist individuals in need of health |
16 | and human services to obtain assistance from appropriate |
17 | providers and organizations. |
18 | "Governmental units." The term shall include all cities, |
19 | regardless of their class, counties, municipalities, townships, |
20 | boroughs or other political subdivisions. |
21 | "Human Service Single Point of Contact." The agency-approved |
22 | first point at which calls for health and human services |
23 | assistance from individuals are answered, operated 24 hours a |
24 | day on every day of the year. |
25 | "Public agency." The Commonwealth or a political |
26 | subdivision, public authority, municipal authority or any |
27 | organization located in whole or in part within this |
28 | Commonwealth which provides or has the authority to provide |
29 | human services. |
30 | "Service level agreements." Levels, such as average speed of |
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1 | answer, at which services are provided through contract |
2 | agreement between the Department of General Services and the |
3 | vendor. |
4 | Section 4. Duties of department. |
5 | The Department of General Services shall approve a single |
6 | performance-based contract with an applicant that meets the |
7 | eligibility requirements of this act. The contract shall be used |
8 | by the Department of Health to implement and administer 211 |
9 | service to the citizens of this Commonwealth. |
10 | Section 5. Eligibility requirements. |
11 | An applicant shall do all of the following: |
12 | (1) Agree to follow any policies, procedures or |
13 | standards developed by the advisory board. |
14 | (2) Provide a written plan that details procedures to |
15 | assure network security, security of archival information, |
16 | protection of health information and adherence to the Health |
17 | Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (Public |
18 | Law 104-191, 110 Stat. 1936), appropriate anonymity and |
19 | confidentiality for 211 callers and data. |
20 | (3) Agree to establish a comprehensive and Statewide |
21 | system by the end of the third year of the contract and |
22 | ensure the provision of 24-hour, year-round telephone |
23 | information and referral services within one year of the |
24 | awarding of the contract. |
25 | (4) Within one year of funding: |
26 | (i) Demonstrate adherence to the AIRS or National |
27 | Standards for Information and Referral. |
28 | (ii) Have software capable of tracking call volume, |
29 | number of abandoned calls, average speed of answering and |
30 | average call length. |
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1 | (iii) Demonstrate how the applicant will publicize |
2 | 211 services and educate the public on an ongoing basis. |
3 | (iv) Provide direct access for the deaf to the 211 |
4 | number and multilingual accessibility either through |
5 | access to live translation or by using at least 10% |
6 | information and referral specialists who are fluent in a |
7 | language other than English, at least half of whom shall |
8 | be fluent in Spanish. |
9 | (v) Have written policies and procedures in place as |
10 | well as necessary software to manage donations and |
11 | volunteers or written agreements with another agency that |
12 | provides these services for them. |
13 | (vi) Establish an Internet website that provides |
14 | accessible information and referral resources in formats |
15 | that are easily used by persons with disabilities. |
16 | Section 6. Subcontractors. |
17 | A 211 provider may subcontract for a specific service. It |
18 | shall be the 211 provider's responsibility to ensure through the |
19 | contract that the subcontractor follows all applicable |
20 | standards. |
21 | Section 7. Request for proposal. |
22 | The department shall issue a request for proposal for |
23 | issuance of a single contract. The apportionment of funding |
24 | under subcontracts shall be subject to approval by the |
25 | Department of General Services. |
26 | Section 8. 211 Advisory Board. |
27 | (a) Establishment.--The 211 Advisory Board is hereby |
28 | established. |
29 | (b) Membership.--Members of the board shall be appointed by |
30 | the Secretary of Health. The board shall have at least 16 |
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1 | members and be composed of critical stakeholders, including |
2 | business, law enforcement, private sector benefactors, State and |
3 | local government, community and charitable organizations and |
4 | information and referral experts. A minimum of two members shall |
5 | be citizen users of the 211 service and a minimum of two members |
6 | shall be providers who are users of the 211 service. |
7 | (c) Duties.--The duties of the board are as follows: |
8 | (1) Develop standards for service level agreements. |
9 | (2) Develop database standards to include the annual |
10 | update of each active referral source. |
11 | (3) Develop follow-up standards for the purpose of |
12 | evaluating the vendor's performance from the user's |
13 | perspective. |
14 | (4) Develop uniform reporting standards. |
15 | (5) Ensure that the contracting process covers the |
16 | entire State, so that every citizen can reach 211 through |
17 | their landline phone within the first year. |
18 | (6) Work toward cell phone coverage so that every |
19 | citizen can reach 211 through their cell phone. |
20 | (7) Require and approve appropriate call routing and |
21 | prioritization capacity to ensure calls are answered within |
22 | service level agreements established under the contract. |
23 | (8) Approve a vendor-developed disaster recovery plan to |
24 | ensure that a seamless system will be in place to take calls, |
25 | regardless of the nature of the interruption. |
26 | (9) Work in collaboration with the Department of |
27 | Community and Economic Development, the Pennsylvania |
28 | Emergency Management Agency, the Pennsylvania Public Utility |
29 | Commission, the Pennsylvania State Police and all State |
30 | agencies providing health and human services. As necessary, |
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1 | this shall include the funding, through a memorandum of |
2 | understanding, of key positions in health and human services |
3 | agencies, including the Department of Health. |
4 | (10) Adopt and oversee a plan to implement the standards |
5 | in section 5 and develop any standards, policies or |
6 | procedures necessary to run a Statewide networked 211 system. |
7 | (11) Assure that funding is linked to standards through |
8 | performance-based contracting. |
9 | (12) Provide necessary technical assistance. |
10 | (13) Assist in the establishment of a long-range plan to |
11 | assure that every Pennsylvanian has access to 211 within the |
12 | first year of enactment of this act. |
13 | (d) Staffing.--The Department of Health shall provide |
14 | adequate staff to assist the board with its duties. |
15 | Section 9. Consolidation of existing information and referral |
16 | telephone lines. |
17 | Effective six months after the effective date of this |
18 | section, the Commonwealth shall consolidate all existing |
19 | information and referral toll-free telephone lines for the |
20 | purpose of implementing 211. |
21 | Section 10. Public disclosure and confidentiality of |
22 | information. |
23 | (a) Annual report of the board.--The annual report of the |
24 | board shall be a public document. |
25 | (b) Prohibition against release of information.--Neither the |
26 | public agency, nor any employee, agent or representative of the |
27 | Human Service Single Point of Contact or public agency shall |
28 | divulge any information acquired with respect to any 211 |
29 | service, its customers, revenues or expenses, trade secrets, |
30 | commercial information and such other proprietary information |
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1 | while acting or claiming to act as such employee, agent or |
2 | representative, and all such information is hereby required to |
3 | be kept confidential except that aggregations of information |
4 | which do not identify or effectively identify numbers of |
5 | customers, revenues or expenses, trade secrets, commercial |
6 | information and such other proprietary information attributable |
7 | to any 211 services provider may be made public. |
8 | Section 11. Immunity. |
9 | (a) Generally.--No 211 services provider or its officers, |
10 | directors, employees, agents or vendors shall be liable to any |
11 | person for civil damages resulting from or caused by such |
12 | providers', its officers', directors', employees', agents' or |
13 | suppliers' participation in or acts, failures or omissions in |
14 | connection with that participation in the development, design, |
15 | installation, operation, maintenance, performance or provision |
16 | 211 service, except for willful or wanton misconduct. |
17 | (b) Release of information.--No 211 provider or its |
18 | employees or agents shall be liable to any person for releasing |
19 | customer information to the agency or to any 211 system, public |
20 | agency or Human Service Single Point of Contact as required by |
21 | this act. |
22 | (c) Local governmental immunity.--Any part of the 211 system |
23 | that is a local agency shall enjoy local governmental immunity |
24 | as provided under 42 Pa.C.S. Ch. 85 Subch. C (relating to |
25 | actions against local parties). |
26 | Section 12. Effective date. |
27 | This act shall take effect July 31, 2010. |
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