AN ACT Relating to a joint select committee to study the integration and coordination of social and health services; creating new sections; and providing an expiration date.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. One of the duties of the legislature is to examine the role of the state of Washington in providing social and health services to its citizens. The legislature has an obligation to the taxpayers of the state to ensure that these services are provided in the most efficient and effective manner possible.

The department of social and health services was created in 1970 to bring together the separate agencies providing many of these services. In the implementing legislation, integration and coordination of services was stressed as the primary reason for creating an umbrella agency. Despite successive attempts to accomplish this original objective, the department is still seen by many citizens of the state as fragmented, uncoordinated, and unresponsive to the desires of both its clientele and other taxpayers. The department continues to function around programmatic lines rather than be client-oriented. Lack of wide- scale usage of the case management model; lack of a centralized intake system to solve the problem of multiple points of entry into the system causing duplication of effort; artificial program and funding barriers; and the distance of program authority, responsibility, and accountability from the actual service delivery level are all seen as problems which need to be examined.

The original concept of an umbrella agency may still be desirable if the original goals of service integration and coordination can be achieved. However, examination of what will provide the best and most comprehensive administrative and management structure would not preclude also studying whether or not there are certain parts of the department that could possibly deliver their services more efficiently and effectively from within a different configuration or as independent entities.

It is the legislature's intention that human services be delivered in a management format based upon specific goals and outcomes. Management should flow in a continuum from broad legislative goals to specific service delivery. Roles should be clearly identified at each level with the management structure reflecting the importance of the role of local entities in implementing legislative policies.

The legislature finds that it is an appropriate task to attempt continually to improve the quality of services necessary for its most needy citizens. In order to achieve that task, it is also appropriate to explore potential alternatives among management and administrative structures which have a direct bearing upon the quality of those services.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. (1) A joint select committee on the integration and coordination of social and health services is created.

(2) The committee shall be composed of eight legislators with four from the house of representatives and four from the senate, appointed by the speaker of the house and the president of the senate respectively. Not more than two members from each house shall be from the same political party. Citizen members shall also be appointed to the committee, with not more than six appointed by the president of the senate and not more than six appointed by the speaker of the house. The citizen members shall be representative of interested parties and of the different geographical areas of the state. They shall include, but not be limited to, representatives of the public and private institutions of higher education in the state, labor, advocacy groups, county and city governments, the legal field, and providers, and major funders of social and health services. The members of the committee shall be selected not later than sixty days after the effective date of this section.

(3) The chair of the committee shall be appointed by the legislative members.

(4) Ex officio members of the committee shall include the governor or the governor's designee and the secretary of social and health services or the secretary's designee.

(5) Legislative members of the committee shall be reimbursed for travel expenses under RCW 44.04.120. Nonlegislative members shall be reimbursed for travel expenses under RCW 43.03.050 and 43.03.060.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. The committee established under section 2 of this act shall have the following responsibilities:

(1) To determine what form of administrative and management structure for the department of social and health services will best serve the citizens of the state of Washington in the efficient and effective provision of social and health services. The committee shall examine whether the best model would be a locally-based management structure using a locally- elected human service board with program and budget authority, responsibility, and accountability.

(2) To examine service delivery systems used in other states to be selected by the committee.

(3) To examine varied funding formulas including those that might provide incentives to the local community for providing efficient and effective services. In examining funding formulas the committee shall consider: Limitations on levy funds; basic service requirements mandated by state, federal, city, or county law; and earmarking funds for social and health services.

(4) To examine federal, state, county, and city laws and ordinances and rules and regulations that could present a barrier to amending the current administrative and management structure of the department.

(5) To examine what could be required of the various categories of personnel involved in implementing any alternative administrative structure, including any changes in job classifications resulting from adopting a centralized intake procedure using the case management model.

(6) To identify what are appropriate state goals in responding to legitimate human service needs. The committee shall define the basic service requirements, community expectations, and the appropriate level of accountability desired for various services.

(7) To examine methods for evaluating the outcomes of the identified human service goals, if an alternative structure were to be adopted, including external versus internal evaluation, the scope of evaluation, involvement of evaluators in designing implementation procedures, and development of measurable performance objectives.

(8) To determine and arrive at recommendations for implementing an alternative administrative and management structure for the department, including phase-in guidelines, time frames, and incentives to encourage pilot projects such as necessary waivers of categorical barriers.

(9) To provide no later than December l, 1988, a final report detailing the committee's findings and suggesting appropriate legislation for implementing those recommendations to be submitted to the 1989 legislative session. The report and proposed legislation shall be made available to the members of both house and senate committees on ways and means and the committees on human services and health care and corrections.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. In meeting the responsibilities listed in section 3 of this act, the committee shall include the following factors including but not limited to:

(1) The design of methods to implement a process to ensure adequate representation by interested parties throughout the state in developing the work of the committee.

(2) The existing relationships between providers of social and health services including city and county human resource departments, special interest and constituent boards, task forces, regional department structures, department headquarters, and statutorily mandated advisory committees.

(3) The definition of budget authority including the type of budget review process, accounting structure, capital budget requirements, delivery of allotment to service areas smaller than currently recognized, audit controls, and methods to preclude disagreements between service areas.

(4) The definition of the political areas of responsibility for the governing structure.

(5) Potential conflicts between different classes of employees used under an alternative management structure, specifically state employees governed by a county, city, or regional administrative structure.

(6) Which programs currently provided by the department would be appropriate to include under an alternative management structure. This includes determining which areas would best be served by remaining centralized under the current administrative structure.

(7) The definition of program responsibility including policy decisions and service delivery.

(8) The definition of accountability.

(9) The coordination of committee efforts with any other ongoing efforts to examine social and health service systems.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. This act shall expire on January 31, 1989.