BP BHEAD INT H

AN ACT Relating to the funding of juvenile violence prevention programs; amending RCW 70.190.100; adding a new section to chapter 43.88 RCW; and adding new sections to chapter 70.190 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 43.88 RCW to read as follows:

For every dollar appropriated by the legislature after January 1, 1996, in the capital budget for the purpose of constructing new state-operated juvenile detention facilities, the legislature shall, in the operating budget, direct the state treasurer to transfer one dollar from the state general fund to the juvenile violence prevention account created in section 2 of this act. For the purposes of this section, constructing new state-operated juvenile facilities means the construction of a new facility, expansion of a current facility, or major renovation of an existing facility for the primary purpose of expanding capacity.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 70.190 RCW to read as follows:

The juvenile violence prevention account is created in the custody of the state treasurer. All moneys transferred under the authority of section 1 of this act shall be deposited into the account. Expenditures from the account may be used only for the purposes under section 3 of this act. Only the secretary of the department of social and health services or the secretary's designee may authorize expenditures from the account. Decisions to authorize expenditures shall be based on the funding decisions of the family policy council. The account is subject to allotment procedures under chapter 43.88 RCW, but no appropriation is required for expenditures.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. A new section is added to chapter 70.190 RCW to read as follows:

Unobligated funds in the juvenile violence prevention account are available only upon application to the council. The application shall identify the programs and a plan for expenditure of the funds. Only a program that is: (1) Targeted at reducing risk factors associated with the entry of youth into the juvenile justice system; (2) a new program or an expansion of an already existing program; and (3) grounded in research and aimed at reducing these risk factors is eligible for funding from this account. Any grants funded in whole or in part from this account must be for three years or less. The grant shall decline by at least ten percent between the first and second year and by at least an additional ten percent between the second and third year to encourage local ownership. A portion of the grant must be identified and utilized to evaluate the effectiveness of the program funded by the grant. Preference in awarding the grants will be given to local, community-based programs emphasizing a collaborative approach. This section does not require the networks to participate in these programs or utilize any funds from this account.

Sec. 4. RCW 70.190.100 and 1994 sp.s. c 7 s 307 are each amended to read as follows:

The family policy council shall:

(1) Establish network boundaries no later than July 1, 1994. There is a presumption that no county may be divided between two or more community networks and no network shall have fewer than forty thousand population. When approving multicounty networks, considering dividing a county between networks, or creating a network with a population of less than forty thousand, the council must consider: (a) Common economic, geographic, and social interests; (b) historical and existing shared governance; and (c) the size and location of population centers. Individuals and groups within any area shall be given ample opportunity to propose network boundaries in a manner designed to assure full consideration of their expressed wishes;

(2) Develop a technical assistance and training program to assist communities in creating and developing community networks and comprehensive plans;

(3) Approve the structure, purpose, goals, plan, and performance measurements of each community network;

(4) Identify all prevention and early intervention programs and funds, including all programs funded under RCW 69.50.520, in addition to the programs set forth in RCW 70.190.110, which could be transferred, in all or part, to the community networks, and report their findings and recommendations to the governor and the legislature regarding any appropriate program transfers by January 1 of each year;

(5) Reward community networks that show exceptional success as provided in RCW 43.41.195;

(6) Seek every opportunity to maximize federal and other funding that is consistent with the plans approved by the council for the purpose and goals of this chapter;

(7) Review the state-funded out-of-home placement rate before the end of each contract to determine whether the region has sufficiently reduced the rate. If the council determines that there has not been a sufficient reduction in the rate, it may reduce the immediately succeeding grant to the network;

(8)(a) The council shall monitor the implementation of programs contracted by participating state agencies by reviewing periodic reports on the extent to which services were delivered to intended populations, the quality of services, and the extent to which service outcomes were achieved at the conclusion of service interventions. This monitoring shall include provision for periodic feedback to community networks;

(b) The legislature intends that this monitoring be used by the Washington state institute for public policy, together with public health data on at-risk behaviors and risk and protective factors, to produce an external evaluation of the effectiveness of the networks and their programs. For this reason, and to conserve public funds, the council shall not conduct or contract for the conduct of control group studies, quasi-experimental design studies, or other analysis efforts to attempt to determine the impact of network programs on at-risk behaviors or risk and protective factors; ((~~and~~))

(9) Review the implementation of chapter 7, Laws of 1994 sp. sess. and report its recommendations to the legislature annually. The report shall use measurable performance standards to evaluate the implementation; and

(10) Solicit, review, and approve or disapprove grant proposals received in accordance with section 3 of this act. The council shall solicit and consider recommendations from the networks prior to awarding any grant.