AN ACT Relating to the children-youth coordinating council; adding a new chapter to Title 70 RCW; making an appropriation; providing an effective date; and declaring an emergency.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) The legislature recognizes the link between health, education, and welfare of our children and our state's future economic development. In a highly competitive world economic community we must be sure that our children are highly educated and flexible individuals ready to take their place in an ever changing world. We are especially concerned about children and youth at risk. The impacts of physical and mental health disorders, school dropout problems, adolescent pregnancy, substance abuse, and juvenile delinquency can be life long. It is these children and youth who are least likely to take their place as productive members of our economy and society.

(2) The legislature hereby creates the children-youth coordinating council.

(3) Members of the council will represent both public and private sectors. The council will develop a comprehensive state policy for children and youth at risk and be the focal point for establishing reasonable goals for all agencies that work with children and youth to assure the most effective use of the resources at hand. This includes the coordination of federal, state, and local policies, programs, and funding.

It is the intention of the legislature that the council will seek information from parents, business and labor, community councils or commissions on children and youth, and minority groups. Information shall also be gathered from those with expertise in the areas of prenatal care, early childhood education, child care, mental health, health care, adolescent pregnancy, substance abuse prevention and treatment, juvenile justice, developmental disabilities, education, job training, and family support systems.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. (1) The children-youth coordinating council shall be composed of twenty-five members appointed by the governor. The council shall be composed of the following persons:

(a) The superintendent of public instruction;

(b) The secretary of the department of social and health services;

(d) The commissioner of the department of employment security;

(e) The director of the department of health, if a separate agency is created. If no such agency is created, the director of the division of health;

(f) Four legislators to be appointed as follows: The speaker of the house of representatives shall appoint one member from each caucus of the house of representatives; and the president of the senate shall appoint one member from each caucus of the senate;

(g) Four representatives from the private sector representing both large and small business;

(h) Four representatives from the education community with one representative from each of the following groups: School directors, superintendents, principals, and teachers; and

(i) Eight individuals with specific expertise in the problems of children and youth.

(2) It shall be the responsibility of the governor to designate one member of the council as chairperson.

(3) All members shall be appointed within sixty days of July 1, 1989.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. The members of the council shall serve for terms of three years, with each term expiring on June 30th of the third year of the term. In the case of initial members, eight members shall be appointed for one year, eight members shall be appointed for two years, and nine members, including the chairperson, shall be appointed for three years. Each member may be reappointed once for a second term of three years. If a member is no longer serving as the office holder or agency head, or as a member of his or her group or association, his or her replacement shall be appointed to the position.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. Legislative members of the council 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. 5. (1) The goals of the council are to: Improve the health, education, and welfare of our children and youth, especially those at risk, and to prepare our children and youth to be self-sufficient and productive adults.

(2) The specific aims of the council are to create policy recommendations to:

(a) Increase the rate of children prepared to succeed in school;

(b) Reduce the rate of school dropouts;

(d) Reduce the rate of teen pregnancy;

(e) Reduce the rate of juvenile delinquency;

(f) Increase the number of youth with job readiness skills; and

(g) Promote personal and social responsibility.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. The duties of the council will be to:

(1) Develop a clear, comprehensive, state-wide policy for children and youth at risk;

(2) Review the recommendations of the task force on the prevention of school drop outs, the governor's commission on children, youth 2000, the economic development board, and other current research on effective children and youth programs;

(3) Inventory existing state and federal funds and existing systems, programs, and projects which are available for children and youth at risk in order to determine how they might be used more effectively and efficiently;

(4) Review state funding cycles, policies, and contracts and recommend a comprehensive approach that would allow for the blending and leveraging of existing funds and services;

(5) Promote and encourage private sector involvement in the planning and funding of programs for children and youth at risk;

(6) Promote and encourage comprehensive planning for programs for children and youth at risk at the county or multicounty level through children-youth coordinating councils or commissions;

(7) Require evidence of local collaboration through the use of county children-youth coordinating councils or commissions in all contracts awarded by state agencies for programs for children and youth at risk;

(8) Provide training, technical assistance, and consultation to county or multicounty children-youth coordinating councils or commissions;

(9) Support approaches, programs, and projects for children and youth that have been evaluated and proven successful;

(10) Disseminate and replicate effective approaches, programs, and projects for children and youth;

(11) Identify the service needs of children and youth at risk and identify gaps and overlaps in service; and

(12) Evaluate the effectiveness of the council's approach by establishing baseline data and rates and comparing them to data and rates after five years.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. (1) The council shall meet bimonthly. Council meetings shall be scheduled, when possible, to coincide with other meetings of the legislature, business organizations, and state-wide advisory committees to maximize resources and minimize costs.

(2) The council shall adopt bylaws or follow Robert's rules of order.

(3) Members of the council shall be assigned to one of three standing subcommittees: Prevention-early childhood issues subcommittee, youth issues subcommittee, and evaluation subcommittee.

(4) The standing subcommittees may meet separately to set priorities and conduct their work.

(5) The council may select an executive director.

(6) The children-youth coordinating council shall report its recommendations annually, by August 1, to the legislature, the governor, the superintendent of public instruction, state agency directors, and the public. This first report shall be due on August 1, 1990.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 8. (1) The children-youth coordinating council will be assisted by a permanent staff assigned from the office of financial management, the department of social and health services, the department of community development, the office of the superintendent of public instruction, and the employment security department. Prior to the appointment of the staff members, other staff designated and donated by the governor, state agency directors, and office of financial management may serve. Each state agency designated in this subsection to provide permanent staff for the council, shall provide the equivalent of a half-time employee for the lifetime of the council.

(2) The work of the council will be assisted by the attorney general's office and other state agencies when requested by the chairperson.

(3) The council is authorized to ask for expertise and recommendations from the Washington business roundtable, the association of Washington business, the economic development board, universities, and other organizations.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 9. (1) It is the intention of the legislature that the children-youth coordinating council shall be the single focus for children and youth policy issues in the state. Although each state agency and the legislature shall continue to carry out its legal mandate and duties toward children and youth, it is the purpose of the council to provide guidance in developing a comprehensive rather than a categorical approach to programs and services for children and youth.

(2) To achieve this goal, each state agency director and division director will provide to the children-youth coordinating council a list of the separate boards, committees, councils, and task forces currently advising the state agency on children and youth policy. The report shall be received by the council by December 31, 1989.

(3) By March 31, 1990, each agency director shall report to the children-youth coordinating council on how advisory bodies identified in the report in subsection (2) of this section shall report to the council beginning in 1991.

(4) Where it is determined that individual advisory bodies duplicate functions, state agency directors will be asked by the council to consider disbanding or combining the advisory bodies by December 31, 1990.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 10. The children-youth coordinating council shall cease to exist June 30, 1994.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 11. The council may receive gifts, grants, and endowments from public and private sources that may be made from time to time in trust or otherwise for the use and benefit of the council. The council may spend gifts, grants, endowments, or any income from the public or private sources according to their terms.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 12. The sum of two hundred thousand dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 1991, from the general fund to the office of financial management to carry out the purposes of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 13. This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and shall take effect July 1, 1989.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 14. Sections 1 through 11 of this act shall constitute a new chapter in Title 70 RCW.