GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1999

S	1 

SENATE BILL 1136

Short Title:  Family Success Initiative/Pilot.	(Public)

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Sponsors: Senators Martin of Guilford; Ballance, Dannelly, Jordan, Kinnaird, Lucas, Phillips, and Purcell.

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Referred to:  Appropriations/Base Budget.

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April 15, 1999

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO ESTABLISH A PILOT PROGRAM TO ASSIST FAMILIES AT CERTAIN INCOME LEVELS WITH CHILDREN PERFORMING BELOW GRADE LEVEL IN IMPROVING FAMILY COHESIVENESS, FUNCTIONING, AND ECONOMIC PROGRESS AND STUDENT ACADEMIC SUCCESS.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.(a)	The Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Social Services, shall establish and administer a pilot program to assist families that have children who are performing below school grade level in strengthening family cohesiveness, functioning, and economic progress and improving the academic performance of their children.  The pilot program shall be developed and implemented no later than August 1, 2000, as follows:
(1)	Each pilot program shall be family-focused and designed to improve family success in addressing issues pertaining to:
a.	Family functioning and economic progress;
b.	Academic success for children in the family in a manner that reduces the likelihood that the children will have a life of poverty; and
c.	Strengthening the communities in which the family lives.
(2)	There shall be at least eight pilot programs initially established which shall be based on components of successful models and concepts.  Any nonprofit, tax-exempt organization or local government agency that is part of the collaborative effort to develop the pilot program may serve as the lead agency in applying for and administering grant funds.
(3)	Families eligible for participation in a pilot program shall be those families:
a.	Whose income is below two hundred percent (200%) of the federal poverty level;
b.	Who have at least one child in elementary or middle school who is performing academically at least one year below the child's grade level; and
c.	At least one adult member of which agrees to participate in the program and in a culturally appropriate assessment of family functioning.
(4)	The Department and other entities collaborating to develop the pilot program shall identify resources currently available to address the concerns of below-grade-level academic performance and problems related to family cohesiveness, functioning, and family economic progress, and shall strive to harness these resources in a manner that increases effectiveness and reduces overall costs of the pilot program.  The Department shall also determine which entities can best operate which components of the total pilot program, and how those entities can contribute to the abilities of others to be more successful in operating their components.
(5)	The Department may obtain the services of consultants in the planning, coordination, implementation, and evaluation of the pilot program.
(6)	The Department of Health and Human Services shall establish a task force to collaborate with and advise the Department on the development and implementation of the pilot program.  The task force shall consist of, at a minimum, representatives of:
a.	The Department of Public Instruction;
b.	The Employment Security Commission;
c.	The Cooperative Extension Services at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and at North Carolina State University;
d.	The Office of Juvenile Justice;
e.	Workforce Development Boards;
f.	Local education agencies;
g.	Local departments or boards of social services, county commissioners, and health departments;
h.	Community-based organizations, specifically those that work within low-income communities; and
i.	Religious organizations or institutions.
(7)	Each of the eight pilot programs shall have comparable structures for administration, advice, and technical assistance.
(8)	Each pilot program shall be developed in a way that results in observable and measureable outcomes and that are subject to sound evaluation techniques.  Evaluation measures and techniques shall be designed and implemented to:
a.	Demonstrate what about the pilot works, what about it does not work, and reasons that the component works or does not;
b.	Recommend systemic changes through integration of positive outcomes; and
c.	Produce outcomes that, if successful, can be replicated.
(9)	On or before December 1, 1999, the Department shall present a progress report to each of the Joint Appropriations Committees or Subcommittees on Health and Human Services, Natural and Economic Resources, and Education/Higher Education.  On or before May 15, 2000, the Department shall submit a report containing final recommendations on the implementation of the pilots, including:
a.	Pilot sites selected;
b.	Identification of evaluation tools; and
c.	Identification of resources to be used in implementing and evaluating the pilot programs.
Section 1.(b) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Social Services, the sum of two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) for planning and initial implementation of the pilot program authorized under this section.  The Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Public Instruction, and the Employment Security Commission shall allocate block grant funds that are available for the purposes for which the pilot programs are implemented to supplement State funds appropriated for the planning, full implementation, and evaluation of the pilot programs.
Section 2. This act becomes effective July 1, 1999.