_______________________________________________

                                     SECOND SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL NO. 813

                        _______________________________________________

                                                           AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE

                                                                          C 473 L 87 PV

State of Washington                              50th Legislature                              1987 Regular Session

By House Committee on Ways & Means/Appropriations (originally sponsored by Representatives Leonard, Ebersole, Armstrong, Brekke, Allen, Locke, May, Jacobsen, Lux, K. Wilson, Cole, Nutley, Cooper, Rayburn, Moyer, Unsoeld, Schoon, Hine, Taylor, Scott, Winsley, Meyers, Bumgarner, Belcher, Walker, O'Brien, R. King, Dellwo, P. King, Wineberry, Fisch, Rasmussen and Todd)

Read first time 3/9/87 and passed to Committee on Rules.

AN ACT Relating to a governor's commission on children; adding a new chapter to Title 43 RCW; providing an expiration date; providing an effective date; and declaring an emergency.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.     (1) There is established the governor's commission on children, referred to in this chapter as the commission, to be composed of eight legislators, two appointed by each caucus of the senate and house of representatives, and seven lay members, to be appointed by the governor.  The chair of the commission shall rotate annually among the legislative members of the majority parties in the senate and house of representatives.  The first chair shall be elected by a majority vote of the commission.

          (2) The commission shall have the following functions:

          (a) To develop a long-term children's services strategy for the development of an effective, comprehensive coordinated children's services delivery system that will meet the needs of children in the state.  The objective of the strategy shall be to (i) define existing service needs of children in Washington state, utilizing existing studies and data sources where appropriate, (ii) identify the kinds of services needed by children and families to meet a minimum standard and level of physical and mental health and safety, (iii) identify the current level of services available and gaps or overlapping services, and (iv) make recommendations to implement an effective comprehensive service delivery system.  The commission shall submit an initial strategy to the appropriate committees of the legislature by October 1, 1988;

          (b) In formulating the long-term children's services strategy, the commission shall seek input from providers with expertise in children's mental health, health care including prenatal care, adolescent drug and alcohol treatment, education including early childhood education, nonprofit funding sources, child abuse and neglect, child care, dependency, delinquency and the juvenile justice system, family support services, and representatives from minority communities including the migrant worker community, the black community, the native American community, and the Asian community.  The commission shall also consult with the governor, the director of revenue, the office of financial management, the director of community development, the superintendent of public instruction, and the secretary of the department of social and health services;

          (c) To consult with the Washington council for the prevention of child abuse and neglect regarding the creation of a state-wide data-base clearinghouse.  The commission shall report to the appropriate legislative committees regarding the need for and feasibility of a state-wide clearinghouse.  If the commission recommends the creation of a clearinghouse, the report shall include alternative designs for a data-base clearinghouse, estimated costs related to both the startup and maintenance of a clearinghouse, potential housing sites for the clearinghouse and placements for terminal links, and funding sources for the clearinghouse;

          (3) The strategy under subsection (2)(a) of this section shall include consideration of:

          (a) The identification of ways to reduce overlapping services and to fill in service gaps through shared service provisions;

          (b) Methods to increase the effectiveness, participation, and communication among city, county, state, private nonprofit, and private for profit funding sources in defining and funding the service delivery system; and

          (c) The identification and recommendation of state funding priorities for prevention and early intervention activities to meet the needs of children and families;

          (4) A final report outlining the long-term children's services strategy and recommendations shall be submitted to the appropriate committees of the legislature by January 10, 1989.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.     The commission shall be dissolved and this chapter shall expire on January 30, 1989, unless significant need for its continuation is demonstrated and the legislature acts to extend its operation.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.     Sections 1 and 2 of this act shall constitute a new chapter in Title 43 RCW.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.     This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, and safety, the support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and shall take effect July 1, 1987.

                                                                                                                           Passed the House April 23, 1987.

                                                                                                                                         Speaker of the House.

                                                                                                                           Passed the Senate April 17, 1987.

                                                                                                                                       President of the Senate.