| 17 | 17 | | |
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| 18 | 18 | | Referred to Committee on HUMAN SERVICES |
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| 19 | 19 | | |
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| 20 | 20 | | Introduced by: |
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| 21 | 21 | | |
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| 22 | 22 | | (HS) |
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| 23 | 23 | | |
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| 24 | 24 | | AN ACT CONCERNING A TWO-GENERATION INITIATIVE. |
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| 25 | 25 | | |
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| 26 | 26 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened: |
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| 27 | 27 | | |
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| 28 | 28 | | Section 1. Section 17b-112l of the 2016 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2016): |
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| 29 | 29 | | |
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| 30 | 30 | | (a) There is established a two-generational school readiness and workforce development pilot program. The pilot program shall operate through June 30, 2017, and shall foster family economic self-sufficiency in low-income households by delivering academic and job readiness support services across two generations in the same household. Households may include, but need not be limited to, mothers, fathers, noncustodial parents and other primary caregivers. The pilot program shall be located in New Haven, Greater Hartford, Norwalk, Meriden, Colchester and Bridgeport. The pilot sites shall work together as a learning community, informed by members of low-income households within the pilot sites, peer-to-peer exchange and technical assistance in best practices. For purposes of this section, "Greater Hartford" means Hartford, East Hartford and West Hartford. |
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| 31 | 31 | | |
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| 32 | 32 | | (b) The two-generational school readiness and workforce development pilot program shall serve as a blueprint for a state-wide, two-generational school readiness and workforce development model and may include opportunities for state-wide learning, in addition to the pilot sites, in two generational system building and policy development. The pilot program shall be funded by state and available private moneys and shall include: |
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| 33 | 33 | | |
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| 34 | 34 | | (1) Early learning programs, adult education, child care, housing, job training, transportation, financial literacy and other related support services, including, but not limited to, health and mental health services, offered at one location, wherever possible; |
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| 35 | 35 | | |
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| 36 | 36 | | (2) Development of a long-term plan to adopt a two-generational model for the delivery of the services described in subdivision (1) of this subsection on a state-wide basis. Such plan shall include, but need not be limited to, (A) the targeted use of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds, to the extent permissible under federal law, to support two-generational programming, and (B) state grant incentives for private entities that develop such two-generational programming; |
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| 37 | 37 | | |
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| 38 | 38 | | (3) Partnerships between state and national philanthropic organizations, as available, to provide the pilot sites and interagency working group established pursuant to subsection (c) of this section with technical assistance in the phase-in and design of model two-generational programs and practices, an evaluation plan, state-wide replication and implementation of the program; and |
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| 39 | 39 | | |
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| 40 | 40 | | (4) A workforce liaison to gauge the needs of employers and households in each community and help coordinate the two-generational program to meet the needs of such employers and households. |
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| 41 | 41 | | |
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| 42 | | - | (c) The program shall be overseen by an interagency working group that shall include, but need not be limited to, the Commissioners of Social Services, Early Childhood, Education, Housing, Transportation, Public Health and Correction, or each commissioner's designee; the Labor Commissioner, or the Labor Commissioner's designee; the Chief Court Administrator, or the Chief Court Administrator's designee; one member of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to appropriations and the budgets of state agencies, appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives; one member of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to human services, appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate; one member of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education, appointed by the minority leader of the Senate; one member of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health, appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives; not more than six members of low-income households selected by the agency coordinating services at each pilot site; representatives of nonprofit and philanthropic organizations and scholars who are experts in two-generational programs and policies; and other business and academic professionals as needed to achieve goals for two-generational systems planning, evaluations and outcomes. The staff of the Commission on Children shall serve as the organizing and administrative staff of the working group. |
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| 42 | + | (c) The program shall be overseen by an interagency working group that shall include, but need not be limited to, the Commissioners of Social Services, Early Childhood, Education, Housing, Transportation, Public Health and Correction, or each commissioner's designee; the Labor Commissioner, or the Labor Commissioner's designee; the Chief Court Administrator, or the Chief Court Administrator's designee; one member of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to appropriations and the budgets of state agencies, appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives; one member of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to human services, appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate; one member of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education, appointed by the minority leader of the Senate; one member of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health, appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives; not more than six members of low-income households selected by the agency coordinating services at each pilot site, representatives of nonprofit and philanthropic organizations and scholars who are experts in two-generational programs and policies; and other business and academic professionals as needed to achieve goals for two-generational systems planning, evaluations and outcomes. The staff of the Commission on Children shall serve as the organizing and administrative staff of the working group. |
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| 43 | 43 | | |
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| 44 | 44 | | (d) Coordinators of two-generational programs in each community in the pilot program and any organization serving as a fiduciary for the program shall report on a quarterly basis to the interagency working group. |
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| 45 | 45 | | |
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| 46 | 46 | | (e) Not later than January 1, 2017, the interagency working group shall submit a report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education, housing, human services, public health, transportation and appropriations and the budgets of state agencies that [details: (1) The number of families served in the program; (2) the number of adults who have obtained jobs since receiving services from the program; (3) the number of children who have improved academically, including, but not limited to, (A) achievement band increases, and (B) improvements in reading comprehension and math literacy; (4) the number of adults who have received job training, completed job training, enrolled in educational courses and obtained educational certificates or degrees; (5)] states: (1) The parent-informed strategies selected for success; (2) the challenges and opportunities in working with a parent and child concurrently to promote school and workforce success; (3) the changes in policy, program, budget or communications on the local and state levels to achieve the goals of the program; (4) child, parent and family outcomes in the areas of school readiness and school success, as determined by the interagency working group in consultation with state and national evaluators; (5) workforce readiness, work success and family support outcomes, as determined by the interagency working group in consultation with state and national evaluators; (6) the cost of the program in both state and private dollars; and [(6)] (7) recommendations to expand the program to additional communities state wide. |
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| 47 | 47 | | |
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| 48 | 48 | | |
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| 49 | 49 | | |
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| 50 | 50 | | |
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| 51 | 51 | | This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections: |
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| 52 | 52 | | Section 1 July 1, 2016 17b-112l |
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| 53 | 53 | | |
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| 54 | 54 | | This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections: |
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| 55 | 55 | | |
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| 56 | 56 | | Section 1 |
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| 57 | 57 | | |
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| 58 | 58 | | July 1, 2016 |
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| 59 | 59 | | |
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| 60 | 60 | | 17b-112l |
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| 61 | 61 | | |
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