H-1051.1

HOUSE BILL 1644

ByRepresentatives Ortiz-Self, Lovick, Kilduff, Valdez, Frame, Goodman, Davis, and Leavitt

AN ACT Relating to the creation of a youth development work group within the department of children, youth, and families; adding a new section to chapter 43.216 RCW; and providing an expiration date.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 43.216 RCW to read as follows:

(1) A youth development work group is created within the department with the purpose of developing a mission, vision, and goals over the 2019-2021 biennium for supporting youth ages five to young adulthood with a racial equity and inclusion lens.

(2) The youth development work group shall:

(a)(i) Develop meaningful youth-level, research-based prevention and promotion outcomes and measures addressing:

(A) Positive identity development;

(B) Resiliency;

(C) Strong family, school, peer, and community relationships;

(D) Gang prevention;

(E) On-time high school graduation; and

(F) Completion of a postsecondary degree or credential attainment.

(ii) All outcomes developed by the work group must have measures associated with them that are, or can be, used to measure the outcomes;

(b) Work with department to create a meaningful youth engagement strategy and a local community stakeholder engagement strategy to assist in the development and finalization of work group recommendations. Constituencies must include, but are not limited to: Parents; communities in which English is not the primary language; immigrant and refugee communities; and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities;

(c) Assess and provide recommendations to improve or create new infrastructures and funding streams that support youth development within the department, as well as linkages to other state departments, including the office of the superintendent of public instruction;

(d) Recommend local infrastructure, support, and feedback channels to meet statewide prevention and promotion goals;

(e) Make recommendations to integrate and enhance department youth engagement strategies as well as local stakeholder and provider engagement strategies through existing local infrastructures, and ensure youth voice with racial, geographic, and other diverse types of youth representation;

(f) Provide recommendations to ensure that a racial equity approach and an inclusion-based framework is embedded in the youth development strategy at the department. An inclusion-based framework includes the creation of environments in which any individual or group can be and feel welcomed, respected, supported, and valued, and can fully participate, including students with disabilities or students who have experienced trauma or have mental health needs;

(g) Make recommendations on the creation of a children's cabinet that would facilitate cross-agency coordination, and program and policy development with a common mission to measurably improve the well-being of Washington's children, youth, and families through evidence-based practices and strengthen families through evidence-based practices and strength-based approaches to positive child and youth development.

(3)(a) By December 1st annually, and in compliance with RCW 43.01.036, the youth development work group must submit a report to the governor and the appropriate committees of the legislature. The first report is due by December 1, 2019.

(b) In the report, the youth development work group shall provide recommendations that:

(i) Align child and adolescent brain research and research-based best practices;

(ii) Sustain early learning gains, support learning and well-being, prevent entry into the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, and support happy, healthy, safe, and thriving children and youth;

(iii) Provide guidance for a department system and strategy for supporting prevention and promotion across the five through young adulthood age span, not only to prevent negative outcomes for youth and young adults, but also to increase positive outcomes for them;

(iv) Allow for clearer linkages to schools and the office of the superintendent of public instruction as well as breaking down siloes and barriers for youth programming between state departments;

(v) Provide support to youth programming, such as expanded learning opportunities, school-age child care, mentoring, leadership opportunities, and other programs that support positive youth development;

(vi) Include working with providers and youth development stakeholders to utilize their knowledge and expertise to formulate recommendations that integrate statewide systems and supports with existing local youth development and engagement programming and systems. Systems include youth programs, local private and public funding, supports for students with disabilities, and other key supports for children and youth; and

(4) The youth development work group must consist of nineteen voting and nine nonvoting members as provided in this subsection.

(a) To ensure racial and geographic diversity by reflecting the demographics of impacted youth populations, the department shall appoint fifteen voting members including:

(i) A department representative;

(ii) An office of the superintendent of public instruction representative;

(iii) Two representatives for youth currently in a youth development or expanded learning program representing geographic, racial, or other diversity;

(iv) A parent with a youth in a culturally based organization;

(v) A culturally based organization that provides youth programming;

(vi) A regional youth development intermediary;

(vii) An expanded learning opportunities or youth development provider;

(viii) A school-age child care provider;

(ix) A statewide mentoring provider;

(x) A local public youth development funder;

(xi) A local private youth development funder;

(xii) A representative from the office of the superintendent of public instruction special education advisory council;

(xiii) A kinship care representative; and

(xiv) A tribal representative.

(b) The youth development work group must include four voting members who represent the legislature.

(i) The president of the senate shall appoint one member from each of the largest caucuses of the senate.

(ii) The speaker of the house of representatives shall appoint one member from each of the largest caucuses of the house of representatives.

(c) The youth development work group must include nine nonvoting members representing:

(i) Higher education;

(ii) The department of commerce;

(iii) The department of social and health services;

(iv) The department of health;

(v) Mental health agencies or advocacy organizations;

(vi) Public and low-income housing developments;

(vii) Expanded learning opportunities or youth development direct service workers;

(viii) Expanded learning opportunity statewide intermediaries; and

(ix) Parent stakeholders.

(5) The department shall provide up to five stipends to cover travel and time for youth development work group members that do not have the resources or job classification to participate in a statewide work group, such as parents and youth.

(6) Staff support for the work group must be provided by the department.

(7) Legislative members of the work group are reimbursed for travel expenses in accordance with RCW 44.04.120. Except as provided in subsection (5) of this section, nonlegislative members are not entitled to be reimbursed for travel expenses if they are elected officials or are participating on behalf of an employer, government entity, or other organization. Any reimbursement for other nonlegislative members is subject to chapter 43.03 RCW.

(8) This section expires December 31, 2021.

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