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OLR Bill Analysis
sSB 2
AN ACT CONCERNING SOCIAL EQUITY AND THE HEALTH,
SAFETY AND EDUCATION OF CHILDREN.
SUMMARY
This bill makes various changes to laws affecting children and
pupils and related entities, such as the departments of Children and
Families (DCF), Education (SDE), Public Health (DPH); the Office of
Early Childhood (OEC); and local and regional boards of education.
Among other things, the bill:
1. requires DCF to develop a policy to provide remote visitation
opportunities, expand the telephone Careline to accommodate
information by text and mobile phone, and provide written
notice when removing a child;
2. expands the birth-to-three program, prohibits OEC from
charging for early intervention services, allows birth-to-three
coordinators to participate in planning and placement meetings,
and exempts them from certain disciplinary actions;
3. (a) allows local or regional boards of education to provide
virtual learning to high school students and remote parent-
teacher conferences, (b) requires the boards to integrate social-
emotional learning into professional training, (c) requires the
boards of education to allow up to four excused mental health
wellness days per school year, (d) prohibits school boards from
shaming a child for unpaid meals, and (e) allows minors to
receive more than six outpatient mental health treatment
sessions without their parent or guardian’s consent; and
4. requires SDE to (a) develop a community resource document
for children and families and (b) establish a pilot program on 2021SB-00002-R000246-BA.DOCX
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adverse childhood experiences.
The bill also (1) sets up a youth suicide prevention training
program, (2) adds mental health training to DPH’s licensure and
continuing education requirements for certain healthcare
professionals, and (3) establishes a 24-member task force on children’s
needs.
It also makes minor, technical, and conforming changes.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2021, except upon passage for the
sections related to SDE community resources document (§ 15), virtual
or remote school instruction (§ 16), excused and unexcused absence (§
18), SDE’s adverse childhood experience pilot program (§ 30), and the
children’s needs task force (§ 31).
§ 1 — YOUTH SUICIDE PREVENTION TRAINING PROGRAM
The bill requires the Youth Suicide Advisory Board (YSAB) and the
Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) to jointly administer an evidence-
based youth suicide prevention training program in each district
health department and offer it at least once every three years, starting
by July 1, 2022.
Under the bill, an “evidence-based” training program is one that:
1. incorporates methods shown to be effective for the intended
population through scientifically based research, including
statistically controlled evaluations or randomized trials;
2. can be successfully replicated in the state with a set of
procedures;
3. achieves sustained, desirable outcomes; and
4. when possible, has been determined to be cost-beneficial.
The training program must provide certification in Question,
Persuade and Refer (QPR) Institute Gatekeeper Training (i.e., an
educational program designed to teach lay and professional 2021SB-00002-R000246-BA.DOCX
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individuals who work with youth the warning signs of a suicide crisis
and how to respond). It must use a training model that allows
participants with valid certification to train other individuals,
including members of the public.
The bill requires each district health department director to
determine the program’s eligibility criteria. Program participants must
be members from the following groups in each health district:
1. local health department employees,
2. youth service bureau employees,
3. school employees,
4. youth-serving organization employees and volunteers,
5. youth athletic activity employees and volunteers,
6. municipal social service agency employees,
7. paid municipal or volunteer fire department members, and
8. local police department members.
The bill allows school employees to participate in the training
program as part of an in-service training program provided by local
and regional boards of education under existing law.
It also authorizes YSAB and OCA to contract with a
nongovernmental entity that provides evidence-based suicide
prevention training to administer the bill’s training program.
§§ 2-9 — MENTAL HEALTH TRAINING AND EDUCATION FOR
HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS
The bill expands the DPH’s licensure and continuing education
requirements for certain healthcare professionals, starting on and after
January 1, 2022, to include at least two hours of training and education,
approved by the commissioner, on:
1. screening for conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder,
suicide risk, depression, and grief and 2021SB-00002-R000246-BA.DOCX
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2. suicide prevention training during the first renewal or
registration period and at least once every six years after that.
Under the bill, the training and education requirement applies to
healthcare professionals as follows, for:
1. physician assistants, it is an additional licensure requirement (§
2);
2. physical therapists, it must be part of the existing minimum 20-
hour continuing education requirement during each registration
period and courses offered by the commissioner are qualifying
continuing education activities under the bill (§ 3);
3. occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants, it is
an additional requirement for licensure renewal (§ 4);
4. registered nurses and licensed practical nurses, the bill’s
required two hours of training and education are contact hours
(see below) (§ 5);
5. nurse aides, it must be part of the existing minimum 100-hour
training program requirement (§ 6);
6. behavior analysts, it is in addition to existing renewal licensure
requirements (§ 7);
7. certified community health workers, it must be part of the
minimum 30-hour continuing education requirement (§ 8); and
8. emergency medical responders, emergency medical technicians,
or advanced emergency medical technicians, it is an additional
requirement for initial applications and renewal certifications (§
9).
Registered Nurses and Licensed Practical Nurses (§ 5)
Under the bill, the required two hours of training and education
described above for registered nurses and licensed practical nurses are
contact hours. The bill defines a “contact hour” as a minimum of 50 2021SB-00002-R000246-BA.DOCX
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minutes of continuing education and activities. The requirements
apply to registration periods (i.e., the one-year period for which a
license has been renewed) starting on or after January 1, 2022.
Under the bill, qualifying continuing education courses include in-
person and online courses offered or approved by the American
Nurses Association, Connecticut Hospital Association, Connecticut
Nurses Association, Connecticut League for Nursing, a specialty
nursing society or an equivalent organization in another jurisdiction,
an educational offering sponsored by a hospital or other health care
institution, or a course offered by a regionally accredited academic
institution or a state or local health department.
The bill allows the public health commissioner to grant a waiver of
up to 10 contact hours of continuing education for a registered nurse or
licensed practical nurse who (1) engages in activities related to the
nurse’s service as a member of the Connecticut State Board of
Examiners for Nursing or (2) assists DPH with its duties to boards and
commissioners.
It also requires each registered nurse and licensed practical nurse
applying for license renewal to sign a statement attesting that he or she
has satisfied the continuing education requirements on a form
prescribed by DPH. Each licensee must (1) retain attendance records or
completion certificates demonstrating compliance with the bill’s
continuing education requirements for at least three years after the
year in which the continuing education was completed and (2) submit
the records or certificates to the department for inspection within 45
days after the department requests them.
§ 10 — OUTPATIENT MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT FOR
MINORS
By law, a psychiatrist, a psychologist, an independent social worker,
or a marital and family therapist may provide outpatient mental health
treatment to a minor without the consent or notification of a parent or
guardian at the request of the minor under certain conditions. Current
law requires a mental health provider to notify the minor that the 2021SB-00002-R000246-BA.DOCX
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consent, notification, or involvement of a parent or guardian is
required to continue treatment after the sixth session, unless it would
be seriously detrimental to the minor’s well-being. The bill allows
minors to request and receive as many outpatient mental health
treatment sessions as necessary without the consent or notification of a
parent or guardian.
Under the bill, a provider may notify a parent or guardian of
treatment provided without the parent or guardian’s consent or
notification, if (1) the provider determines that notification or
disclosure is necessary for the minor’s well-being, (2) the treatment
provided to the minor is solely for mental health and not for a
substance use disorder, and (3) the minor is provided an opportunity
to express any objection to the notification or disclosure.
The bill requires the provider to document his or her determination
regarding the notification or disclosure and any objections expressed
by the minor in the minor’s clinical record. The provider may disclose
to a minor’s parent or guardian the following information regarding
the minor’s outpatient mental health treatment:
1. diagnosis;
2. treatment plan and progress;
3. recommended medications, including risks, benefits, side
effects, typical efficacy, dose, and schedule;
4. psychoeducation about the minor’s mental health;
5. referrals to community resources;
6. coaching on parenting or behavioral management strategies;
and
7. crisis prevention planning and safety planning.
It also requires a provider to release a minor’s entire clinical record
to another provider upon the request of the minor or the minor’s 2021SB-00002-R000246-BA.DOCX
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parent or guardian.
Existing law, unchanged by the bill, shields a parent or guardian
from liability for treatment costs if he or she is not informed of the
minor child’s outpatient mental health treatment.
§§ 11-13 — SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING
The bill requires, starting with the 2021-2022 school year and every
school year after that, local and regional boards of education to
integrate the principles and practices of social-emotional learning
throughout the components of its district’s professional development
programs. Current law requires each local and regional board of
education to make available, at no cost, at least 18 hours of individual
and small group professional development each school year for
certified employees.
The bill also requires each board of education of each local or
regional school district, in its statement of goals, to include goals for
the integration of principles and practices of social-emotional learning
in the district’s professional development programs.
By law, local and regional boards of education are required to
establish professional development and evaluation committees to,
among other things, develop, evaluate, and annually update the
district’s professional development plan for certified district
employees (CGA § 10-220a). The bill requires each local and regional
school board’s professional development and evaluation committee to
consider student priorities and needs related to student social-
emotional learning and student academic outcomes when developing,
evaluating, and annually updating a district ’s professional
development program.
§ 14 — REMOTE PARENT -TEACHER CONFERENCES
The bill requires each school district, beginning with the 2021-2022
school year and every school year after that, in their policies and
procedures encouraging parent-teacher cooperation, to
1. offer parents the option of attending any parent-teacher 2021SB-00002-R000246-BA.DOCX
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conference by telephone, video conference, or other
conferencing platform (i.e., remotely);
2. conduct (a) one parent-teacher conference, in addition to the
two per year required under current law, during a period when
the district provides virtual learning for more than three
consecutive weeks, and (b) one additional parent-teacher
conference every six months after that if sessions continue to be
provided virtually; and
3. request from each student’s parent the name and contact
information of an emergency contact person who may be
contacted if the parent cannot be reached to schedule a parent-
teacher conference required if the district is providing virtual
learning.
The bill also requires a teacher remotely attending a parent-teacher
conference to try to assess the student’s safety in his or her home and
ask about any hardships the student’s family may be experiencing. If
the teacher determines that the family can benefit from a document
containing available community resources, the teacher must provide
the parent a copy of this document.
Under the bill, if, after three attempts, a teacher is unable to contact
a student’s parent in order to schedule a parent-teacher conference, he
or she must report this inability to the school principal, school
counselor, or other school administrator designated by the local or
regional board of education. The principal, counselor, or administrator
must contact the student’s emergency contact to determine the student
and family’s health and safety.
§ 15 — COMMUNITY RESOURCES DOCUMENT
The bill requires SDE, by December 1, 2021, to develop and annually
update a document for local and regional boards of education that
provides information on educational, safety, mental health, and food
insecurity resources and programs available for students and their
families. The document must include: 2021SB-00002-R000246-BA.DOCX
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1. providers of such resources and programs, including DCF, the
Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, the
United Way of Connecticut, and local food banks;
2. descriptions of relevant resources and programs each provider
offers, including DCF’s “Talk it Out” program and any program
that provides laptop computers, public Internet access, or home
Internet service to students;
3. each provider’s, resource’s, and program’s contact information;
and
4. relevant websites.
SDE must annually electronically distribute the document to each
local and regional board of education.
§§ 16-18 — VIRTUAL LEARNING
Virtual Learning Standards and Policy (§§ 16 & 17)
The bill requires the SDE commissioner to develop, and update as
necessary, standards for virtual learning (i.e., instruction by means of
one or more Internet-based software platforms as part of a remote
learning model). It specifies that the standards must not be deemed
regulations.
It also allows local and regional school boards, starting with the
2021-2022 school year and each school year after that, to authorize
virtual learning for students in grades nine to 12, inclusive, if the
boards:
1. provide instruction in compliance with the standards developed
by SDE under the bill, and
2. adopt a policy on student attendance requirements during
virtual learning, which must (a) comply with SDE guidance and
(b) count attendance of any student who spends at least one-half
of the day during virtual instruction engaged in virtual classes,
virtual meetings, activities on time-logged electronic systems, 2021SB-00002-R000246-BA.DOCX
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and turning in assignments.
Under the bill, virtual learning must be considered an actual school
session, provided that starting January 1, 2022, virtual learning is
conducted in compliance with the standards SDE must develop under
the bill.
Excused and Unexcused School Absences (§ 18)
The bill requires the State Board of Education (SBE) to change its
definition of the terms “excused absence” and “unexcused absence” to
exclude a student’s (1) (a) engagement in virtual classes, (b) virtual
meetings, (c) activities on time-logged electronic systems, and (d)
completion and submission of assignments, if the engagement
accounts for at least one-half of the school day in which virtual
learning is authorized; and (2) absence resulting from a mental health
wellness day allowed under the bill (see below).
§ 19 — MENTAL HEALTH WELLNE SS DAYS
The bill requires, for the 2021-2022 school year and every school
year after that, local or regional boards of education to allow any
student enrolled in grades kindergarten through 12, to take up to four
mental health wellness days during the school year, on which a
student is not required to attend school.
Under the bill, a student is not required to present documentation
or parent or guardian consent to take a mental health wellness day but
must identify the absence as a mental health wellness day.
§ 20 — SCHOOL LUNCH DEBT
The bill requires local or regional boards of education, starting with
the 2021-2022 school year, and each school year after that, to include
the following in policies or procedures for the collection of unpaid
school meal charges:
1. a prohibition on publicly identifying or shaming a child for any
unpaid meal charges, by (a) delaying or refusing to serve a meal
to the child, (b) designating a specific meal for the child, or (c)
taking any disciplinary action against the child; 2021SB-00002-R000246-BA.DOCX
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2. a declaration of a child’s right to purchase one meal (which may
exclude a la carte items) for any school breakfast, lunch, or other
feeding; and
3. a procedure for communicating with parents or guardians
about collecting a child’s unpaid meal charges, including (a)
information on local food pantries, (b) applications for free or
reduced-price meals and the Department of Social Services’
supplemental nutrition assistance program, and (c) a link to the
school district’s website that lists any community services
available to town residents.
It also allows local or regional boards of education to accept gifts,
donations, or grants from any public or private source to pay off
unpaid meal charges.
§ 21 — VISITATION OF CHILD IN DCF CARE AND CUSTODY
Virtual Visitation Requirement
By law, the DCF commissioner must ensure that children in the
department’s care and custody receive visits from their parents and
siblings, unless the court orders otherwise.
Under the bill, in the event of a pandemic or outbreak of a
communicable disease resulting in a declaration of a public health
emergency by the Governor or a declaration of a national emergency
by the President of the United States, the child must be given
opportunities to communicate with his or her parents and siblings by
telephone, video, or other conferencing platform instead of in-person
visitation for the duration of any such declaration.
The commissioner must ensure that opportunities for these visits
occur as often as reasonably possible, based on the best interest of the
child, as is the case for in-person visits under existing law.
Remote Visitation Policy Related to Communicable Diseases
The bill requires the DCF commissioner, by January 1, 2022, to
develop a policy to temporarily stop in-person visitation, on a case-by-
case basis, in the event that (1) a child or his or her parent or sibling is 2021SB-00002-R000246-BA.DOCX
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seriously ill due to a communicable disease and (2) visitation could
result in at least one participant contracting the disease during the
visit.
The policy must require that the child is provided an opportunity to
communicate with his or her parents and siblings by telephonic, video,
or other conferencing platform instead of an in-person visit. The bill
requires the commissioner to define the terms “seriously ill” and
“communicable disease” in the visitation policy.
§ 22 — TELEPHONE CARELINE
By law, the DCF commissioner operates the telephone Careline,
which receives reports of child abuse and neglect and gives out
information about child abuse and neglect. The bill expands Careline
operations to also use text message or mobile telephone application for
these purposes, by July 1, 2022. Under the bill, DCF is required to
monitor the expanded operation at all times.
§ 23 — DCF WRITTEN REMOVAL NOTICE
Provision of Notice to Parent or Guardian
By law, if the DCF commissioner or her designee has probable cause
to believe that (1) a child or any other child in the household is in
imminent risk of physical harm from the child’s surroundings and (2)
immediate removal is necessary to ensure the child’s safety, the
commissioner, or her designee, must authorize the removal of the
child, and any other child similarly situated, from the surroundings
without the parent or guardian’s consent. The bill requires the DCF
commissioner to provide written notice to the child’s parent or
guardian, if the commissioner or her designee has authorized such
immediate removal or is contemplating removing the child from his or
her home.
Under the bill, the commissioner must provide the notice (1) as soon
as is practicable before the removal meeting or (2) if immediate
removal was authorized, within 24 hours after the removal. The
commissioner must also (1) obtain the parent or guardian’s signature
acknowledging receipt of the notice and (2) provide the services of an 2021SB-00002-R000246-BA.DOCX
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interpreter at the meeting when a parent or guardian requests it.
Notice Content
Under the bill, the written notice must be in the parent or guardian’s
primary language and contain:
1. the date, time, and location of any removal meeting scheduled
by the commissioner,
2. a plain language explanation of the removal process, steps the
commissioner intends to take, and the parent or guardian’s legal
rights;
3. a list of local organizations that provide free or reduced-cost
legal services and how to access such services; and
4. a check box for the parent or guardian to request the services of
an interpreter at the meeting.
§ 24 — EARLY INTERVENTION S ERVICES FEES
Under current law, the OEC commissioner is required to establish
and periodically revise, a schedule of fees for early intervention
services based on a sliding scale relative to the financial resources of
the parents or legal guardians of eligible children. The bill eliminates
this requirement and instead prohibits the commissioner from
charging a fee for early intervention services to the parents or legal
guardians of eligible children.
Current law requires the commissioner to develop and implement
procedures to hold a recipient harmless for the impact of pursuit of
payment for early intervention services against lifetime insurance
limits. The bill limits this requirement only as it pertains to services
rendered prior to July 1, 2022.
§ 25 — PLANNING AND PLACEME NT TEAM MEETINGS
Expansion of Parental Notification Requirements
By law, a local or regional board of education responsible for
providing special education and related services to a child or pupil is 2021SB-00002-R000246-BA.DOCX
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generally required to provide written notice, to the child’s parent or
guardian or to a pupil who is an emancipated minor before (1)
proposing to, or refusing to, initiate or change the child’s or pupil’s
identification, evaluation or educational placement or (2) providing
free appropriate public education to the child or pupil. The law also
gives the parent, guardian, or pupil, upon request, the right to meet
with a member of the planning and placement team (PPT) before the
referral team meeting.
Under current law, the parent, guardian, pupil, or surrogate parent
must (1) be given at least five-days’ notice before any PPT meeting; (2)
have the right to be present at and participate in all portions of a
meeting at which an educational program for the child or pupil is
developed, reviewed, or revised; and (3) have the right to have certain
professionals present and participate. The bill expands this by
requiring that during any meeting at which an educational program
for the child or pupil is developed, the parent, guardian, pupil, or
surrogate parent must also have the right to have each
recommendation made in the child or pupil ’s birth-to-three
individualized transition plan, addressed by the PPT.
Birth-to-Three Service Coordinator PPT Participation
Additionally, the bill gives the parent, guardian, pupil, or surrogate
parent the right to have the child or pupil’s birth-to-three service
coordinator, if any, attend and participate in any part of the meeting at
which an educational program for the child or pupil is developed,
reviewed, or revised.
The bill maintains the right under current law to have advisors and
school paraprofessionals attend and participate in these meetings, but
no longer requires them to be present.
Additional Notification Requirements
The bill expands the information that the responsible local or
regional board of education must give the parent, guardian, surrogate
parent, or pupil at each initial PPT meeting. Under existing law, the
boards must tell the parent, guardian, surrogate parent, or pupil about 2021SB-00002-R000246-BA.DOCX
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physical restraint and seclusion laws and regulations. Under the bill,
during the meeting at which an educational program for the child or
pupil is developed, the local or regional board of education must also
inform them of their right to have:
1. the child or pupil’s birth-to-three service coordinator attend and
participate in all portions of the meeting and
2. each recommendation made in the transition plan by the service
coordinator addressed by the PPT.
§ 26 — BIRTH-TO-THREE COORDINATOR DI SCIPLINARY
PROTECTIONS
Existing law prohibits local or regional boards of education from
disciplining, suspending, terminating, or otherwise punishing any PPT
member employed by such board who discusses or makes
recommendations concerning the provision of special education and
related services for a child during a PPT meeting or in a transition
plan. The bill extends this protection to birth-to-three service
coordinators or qualified personnel.
§ 27 — DEVELOPMENTAL AND SO CIAL-EMOTIONAL DELAY
SCREENINGS
Existing law generally requires each eligible child and his or her
family to receive (1) a multidisciplinary assessment, (2) a written
individualized family service plan, and (3) a review of the
individualized family service plan within set time frames. The bill
expands this by also requiring a screening for developmental and
social-emotional delays for children who are not eligible for
participation in preschool programs under Part B of the federal
Individuals with Disabilities Act.
Under the bill, the screening must use validated assessment tools,
such as the Ages and Stages Questionnaire and the Ages and Stages
Social-Emotional Questionnaire, or their equivalents.
§ 28 — BIRTH-TO-THREE PROGRAM EXPANS ION
Under the bill, by July 1, 2022, the OEC commissioner must develop 2021SB-00002-R000246-BA.DOCX
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and implement a plan to expand the birth-to-three program to provide
early intervention services to any child who:
1. is enrolled in the program;
2. turns age three on or after May 1 and not later than the first day
of the next school year commencing July 1; and
3. is eligible for participation in preschool programs under Part B
of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Act; however, the
services must terminate when the child starts participating in
the preschool program.
The bill authorizes the commissioner to adopt implementing
regulations.
§ 29 — SCHOOL READINESS LIA ISON
For the school year starting July 1, 2022, and each school year
thereafter, in any school district that serves a town that has not
convened or established a local or regional school readiness council,
the bill requires the local or regional board of education for the school
district to designate a school readiness liaison.
The liaison must (1) be an employee of the school district and (2)
serve as an informational resource for parents of children transitioning
from the birth-to-three program to enrollment in a public elementary
school in the school district.
§ 30 — ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EX PERIENCE SURVEY PILO T
PROGRAM
The bill requires SDE to establish an adverse childhood experience
survey pilot program to be administered in participating
municipalities (i.e., Bridgeport, Cheshire, East Hartford, Killingworth,
Orange, and South Windsor).
Under the pilot program, “adverse childhood experience” means a
potentially traumatic event occurring in childhood, including (1)
experiencing or witnessing violence, abuse, neglect, a substance abuse
disorder, a suicide attempt, or death by suicide or (2) experiencing 2021SB-00002-R000246-BA.DOCX
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instability due to parental separation or incarceration.
Survey
By October 1, 2021, SDE must develop a survey that requires the
student taking the survey to indicate whether he or she has witnessed
or experienced one or more potentially traumatic events, including (1)
violence, abuse, neglect, a substance abuse disorder, a suicide attempt,
or death by suicide or (2) instability due to parental separation or
incarceration.
The survey must be tailored to the developmental stages of the
students and must not include any personally identifying information.
Survey Administration
By August 1, 2022, SDE must require administering of the survey to
each public-school enrolling student in grades four to 12, inclusive, in
participating municipalities and to report the results of the survey to
the department in a form and manner the department sets. The report
must include the number of students in each grade who suffered each
type of potentially traumatic event but must not include any data on
the number or types of potentially traumatic events suffered by any
one student.
Reporting Requirements
SDE, by December 1, 2022, must submit a report to the Children’s
Committee summarizing the number of students in each grade in each
participating municipality who suffered each type of potentially
traumatic event.
§ 31 — TASK FORCE TO STUDY CHILDREN’S NEEDS
The bill establishes a 24-member task force to study the (1)
comprehensive needs of children in the state and (2) extent to which
the needs are being met by educators, community members, and local
and state agencies.
Task Force Duties
The task force must: 2021SB-00002-R000246-BA.DOCX
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1. assess children’s needs using certain tenets of the whole child
initiative developed by the Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development;
2. recommend new programs or changes to existing programs
operated by educators or local or state agencies to better
address children’s needs; and
3. recognize any exceptional efforts to meet the comprehensive
needs of children by educators, local or state agencies, and
community members (i.e., any individual or private
organization that provides services or programs for children).
The task force must assess children’s needs using the tenets that
each student:
1. enters school healthy and learns about and practices a healthy
lifestyle;
2. learns in an environment that is physically and emotionally safe
for students and adults;
3. is actively engaged in learning and is connected to the school
and broader community;
4. has access to personalized learning and is supported by
qualified, caring adults; and
5. is challenged academically and prepared for success in college
or further study and for employment and participation in a
global environment.
Membership and Appointing Authorities
The task force must consist of the following 24 members:
1. two appointed by the House speaker, one of whom is an
educator employed by a local or regional board of education
and one of whom is a licensed social worker working with
children; 2021SB-00002-R000246-BA.DOCX
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2. two appointed by the Senate president pro tempore, one of
whom is a representative of the board of directors of the
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
affiliate in the state, and one of whom is a representative of a
higher education institution in the state;
3. one appointed by the House majority leader, who is a school
administrator employed by a local or regional board of
education;
4. one appointed by the Senate majority leader, who is a
chairperson of a local or regional board of education;
5. one appointed by the House minority leader, who is a director
or employee of a private nonprofit organization in the state that
provides services or programs for children;
6. one appointed by the Senate minority leader, who is a director
or employee of a private nonprofit organization in the state that
provides health-related services or programs for children;
7. the Agriculture, Children and Families, Developmental
Services, Early Childhood, Economic and Community
Development, Education, Housing, Labor, Mental Health and
Addiction Services, Public Health, Social Services, and
Transportation commissioners or their designees;
8. the healthcare advocate, or his designee;
9. the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities executive
director, or her designee;
10. the Technical Education and Career System superintendent, or
his designee; and
11. the chief court administrator, or his designee.
All initial appointments must be made within 30 days after the bill
passes. The appointing authority must fill any vacancy within 30 days 2021SB-00002-R000246-BA.DOCX
Researcher: JC Page 20 4/1/21
after the vacancy. Task force chairpersons may fill a vacancy if it is not
filled by the appointing authority. Members of the General Assembly
may serve on the task force.
The House speaker and the Senate president pro tempore must
select the chairpersons of the task force from among its members. The
chairpersons must schedule the first meeting of the task force, which
must be held within 60 days after the bill passes.
The Children’s Committee administrative staff must serve as
administrative staff of the task force.
Reporting Requirements
The bill requires the task force to submit a report on its findings and
recommendations to the Children’s Committee by January 1, 2022. The
task force terminates on the date that it submits the report or January
1, 2022, whichever is later.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Committee on Children
Joint Favorable Substitute
Yea 9 Nay 5 (03/15/2021)