Brief Description: Requiring department of social and health services to work with community-based and faith-based social services organizations.

Sponsors: Representatives Boldt, Nixon and Anderson.

Hearing Date: 2/5/03

Staff: Cynthia Forland (786-7152).

Background:

On January 29, 2001, the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (Office) was established by Executive Order. The Office has lead responsibility to strengthen and expand the role of faith-based and community organizations. The Office works with federal agencies, Congress, and state and local governments to promote policy, legal, and regulatory changes to enable greater participation by faith-based and community organizations by improving the opportunities, capacity, and expertise of those organizations. The Office also works with the private nonprofit and for-profit sectors, faith communities, and neighborhood groups to promote involvement in community service.

Five Centers for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (Centers) have also been established within the following federal departments: Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Justice, Education, and Labor. The purpose of the Centers is to coordinate department efforts to eliminate regulatory, contracting, and other programmatic obstacles to the participation of faith-based and community organizations in the provision of social services.

Summary of Bill:

The Secretary of the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) will designate a person within each of the administrative regions of the DSHS to serve as a liaison for community-based and faith-based social services organizations.

The liaison will be available to:

•    Provide information to community-based and faith-based social services organizations relating to opportunities for the organizations to cooperate with the DSHS in providing community services throughout the state;

•    Identify areas of need that are not currently being met in the state in which community-based and faith-based social services organizations may provide needed services; and

•    Coordinate efforts to promote involvement of community-based and faith-based social services organizations to provide community services throughout the state.

The DSHS must achieve the purposes of the bill through existing resources.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Not Requested.

Effective Date: The bill takes effect ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.