AN ACT Relating to comprehensive community-based programs for pregnancy prevention and support for young pregnant women and their partners; adding a new chapter to Title 70 RCW; making an appropriation; and declaring an emergency.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) The legislature finds that there is an unacceptably high rate of teen pregnancy in Washington state resulting in adverse social and financial consequences for teens, their families, and the state. Teen mothers are less likely to finish high school, more likely to be separated or divorced, and more likely to live in poverty. Their children are more likely to exhibit lower academic achievement and to show a tendency to repeat their mother's pattern of early childbearing. The legislature further finds that teen pregnancies can be prevented or reduced through the provision of comprehensive services that increase individual capacity and motivation to avoid pregnancy; and that the negative consequences of these pregnancies can be ameliorated through the provision of supportive services to women, their partners, and their families.

(2) The legislature further finds that a comprehensive reproductive health program must include family life education, counseling, parenting training, and employment and vocational services for young men, as well as young women.

(3) The purpose of this chapter is to equip teens with the resources, knowledge, skills, and motivation necessary to avoid pregnancy, and to support young pregnant women, their partners, and their families in selected Washington communities through the establishment of comprehensive reproductive health projects in six pilot sites geographically distributed throughout the state.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter.

(1) "Department" means the department of social and health services, until January 1, 1991, when the division of parent and child services is transferred to the department of health pursuant to RCW 43.70.080. From that date forward, "department" means the department of health.

(2) "Secretary" means the secretary of the department as defined in subsection (1) of this section.

(3) "Community" means an individual political subdivision of the state, a group of such political subdivisions, or a geographic area within a political subdivision.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. There is established in the department a program to coordinate and fund six comprehensive community-based reproductive health pilot projects. The pilot projects shall be based upon the following principles:

(1) Only a comprehensive approach to pregnancy prevention and pregnancy support can remedy the significant individual and social consequences of unplanned pregnancies.

(2) Each community has unique needs and circumstances regarding teen pregnancy prevention and support to young pregnant women and their partners. Communities should design their projects under this chapter, after consulting with representatives of a broad cross-section of community members who have an interest in issues surrounding teen pregnancy, to meet their unique needs and circumstances.

(3) Many communities already have significant reproductive health services available, but lack the coordination and collaboration necessary to ensure that women and girls in their communities gain access to the full array of these services. In other communities, some reproductive health services may be unavailable or insufficient to meet community needs. State financial support of comprehensive reproductive health programs should facilitate collaboration among public and private entities and provide direct funding for reproductive health services needed by the community.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. Community-based comprehensive reproductive health projects shall provide access to services necessary to accomplish the outcomes provided in section 6 of this act. Priority for services, other than educational programs, shall be given to people with low incomes.

(1) Pregnancy prevention services may include, but are not limited to, family life education, reproductive health care services, including family planning, community education on teen pregnancy, and services to increase teens' capacity, skills, and motivation to avoid pregnancy.

(2) Services to support a woman's decision regarding her pregnancy may include, but are not limited to, counseling, case management, parenting training, child care, transportation, housing support, counseling for women who have been victims of physical or sexual abuse, services necessary to enable pregnant and parenting women and men to complete high school or its equivalent, vocational education, and community education.

(3) Funds provided to communities under this chapter for comprehensive reproductive health pilot projects shall not be expended for medical services funded pursuant to chapter 74.09 RCW.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. Applications for pilot project funding under this chapter shall:

(1) Define the community requesting funding;

(2) Contain evidence of the active participation of public and private entities in the community that are now providing, or might appropriately provide, comprehensive reproductive health services;

(3) Designate, by majority vote of the board, a lead agency or organization for the project, and provide evidence of written interagency agreements to carry out project activities. The agency or organization designated as lead agency shall have demonstrated sensitivity and responsiveness to the plurality of community values and the cultural and ethnic heritage of community members;

(4) Demonstrate establishment of a project advisory board composed of teenagers and representatives of a broad cross-section of other community members who have an interest in teen pregnancy prevention and support to young pregnant women and their partners, and assure that the advisory board has been consulted in development of the application;

(5) Describe the coordinated system for providing reproductive health services that the community will develop;

(6) Describe the services and activities that will be undertaken by the project, including identification of specific services and activities for which funding is requested;

(7) Identify community matching funds, as provided in section 7 of this act, that have been committed to the project;

(8) Provide assurances that the project will strive to make progress towards meeting the outcomes provided in section 6 of this act; and

(9) Provide assurances that the project will cooperate, through the provision of requested data and information, with the program evaluation provided for in section 8 of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. Comprehensive reproductive health projects shall have an initial duration of two years, with the option of renewed funding for additional two-year periods if a project shows progress towards meeting the following outcomes:

(1) Development of a coordinated system for providing reproductive health services;

(2) Increase in numbers of community members receiving reproductive health education, information, and services;

(3) Reduction in teen pregnancy rates; and

(4) Increase in the number of teen parents completing high school or vocational training, and becoming employed.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. (1) The secretary shall issue grants for community-based comprehensive reproductive health projects. Grants shall be made competitively based upon information provided in applications for funding, compliance with the principles specified in section 3 of this act, and the likelihood of achieving the outcomes specified in section 6 of this act. To the greatest extent practicable, grants shall be geographically distributed throughout the state.

(2) To assist the department in making determinations regarding grants, the secretary shall appoint a peer review committee whose members include persons with experience or interest in reproductive health and teen pregnancy issues. The peer review committee shall advise the department on the extent to which each community applying for a grant meets the principles and requirements included in this chapter. The department shall consider this advice in making grant awards.

(3) The department may subcontract administrative, fiscal, training, and technical assistance functions of the program to private, not-for-profit organizations, if appropriate.

(4) Twenty-five percent of the funding for projects under this chapter shall be community matching funds provided by private or public entities in the communities requesting funding. Contributions of materials, supplies, or physical facilities may be considered as all or part of the funding provided by the communities.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 8. The department shall contract with an independent entity to evaluate the effectiveness of the program established in this chapter. The evaluation shall address at least each project's progress towards meeting the outcomes provided in section 6 of this act. The department shall submit an evaluation report to the appropriate committees of the legislature by December 1, 1992, and biannually thereafter.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 9. The sum of two million five hundred thousand dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the general fund to the department as defined in section 2 of this act, for the biennium ending June 30, 1991, to carry out the purposes of this act. Grants to individual pilot projects shall not exceed five hundred thousand dollars including the twenty-five percent local match. The department shall provide a staff person to administer and coordinate the program established under this act, and shall provide training and technical assistance to communities applying for or receiving funding under this act.

(1) Of this amount, three hundred thousand dollars is provided solely for a state-wide media campaign on teen pregnancy prevention and pregnancy options, including adoption, directed to teens, their parents, and individuals and organizations working with teens. The department may subcontract all or part of the activities associated with the media campaign to private, not-for-profit organizations, if appropriate. In subcontracting any activities associated with the media campaign, the department shall assure that materials developed for the campaign are responsive to the plurality of community values and the cultural and ethnic heritage of the state's citizens.

(2) Of this amount, twenty thousand dollars is provided solely for design of the evaluation provided for in section 8 of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 10. Sections 1 through 8 of this act shall constitute a new chapter in Title 70 RCW.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 11. If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 12. 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 immediately.