(a) There shall be a Child Poverty and Prevention Council consisting of the following members or their designees: The Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, the president pro tempore of the Senate, the speaker of the House of Representatives, the minority leader of the Senate and the minority leader of the House of Representatives, the Commissioners of Children and Families, Social Services, Correction, Developmental Services, Mental Health and Addiction Services, Transportation, Public Health, Education, Housing, Agriculture and Economic and Community Development, the Labor Commissioner, the Chief Court Administrator, the chairperson of the Board of Regents for Higher Education, the Child Advocate, the executive directors of the Office of Early Childhood, the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities and the Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity. The Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, or the secretary's designee, shall be the chairperson of the council. The council shall (1) develop and promote the implementation of a ten-year plan, to begin June 8, 2004, to reduce the number of children living in poverty in the state by fifty per cent, and (2) within available appropriations, establish prevention goals and recommendations and measure prevention service outcomes in accordance with this section in order to promote the health and well-being of children and families. (b) The ten-year plan shall contain: (1) An identification and analysis of the occurrence of child poverty in the state, (2) an analysis of the long-term effects of child poverty on children, their families and their communities, (3) an analysis of costs of child poverty to municipalities and the state, (4) an inventory of state-wide public and private programs that address child poverty, (5) the percentage of the target population served by such programs and the current state funding levels, if any, for such programs, (6) an identification and analysis of any deficiencies or inefficiencies of such programs, and (7) procedures and priorities for implementing strategies to achieve a fifty per cent reduction in child poverty in the state by June 30, 2014. Such procedures and priorities shall include, but not be limited to, (A) vocational training and placement to promote career progression for parents of children living in poverty, (B) educational opportunities, including higher education opportunities, and advancement for such parents and children, including, but not limited to, preliteracy, literacy and family literacy programs, (C) housing for such parents and children, (D) child care services, as described in section 19a-77 , after-school programs and mentoring programs for such children and for single parents, (E) health care access for such parents and children, including access to mental health services and family planning, (F) treatment programs and services, including substance abuse programs and services, for such parents and children, and (G) accessible childhood nutrition programs. (c) In developing the ten-year plan, the council shall consult with experts and providers of services to children living in poverty and parents of such children. The council shall hold at least one public hearing on the plan. After the public hearing, the council may make any modifications that the members deem necessary based on testimony given at the public hearing. (d) Funds from private and public sources may be accepted and utilized by the council to develop and implement the plan and the provisions of this section. (e) Not later than January 1, 2005, the council shall submit the plan, in accordance with section 11-4a , to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to appropriations, human services and children, along with any recommendations for legislation and funding necessary to implement the plan. (f) (1) On or before January first of each year from 2006 to 2015, inclusive, the council shall report, in accordance with section 11-4a , to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to appropriations and the budgets of state agencies, human services and children on the implementation of the plan, progress made toward meeting the child poverty reduction goal specified in subsection (a) of this section and the extent to which state actions are in conformity with the plan. The council shall meet at least two times annually for the purposes set forth in this section. (2) On or before January first of each year from 2007 to 2015, inclusive, the council shall, within available appropriations, report, in accordance with section 11-4a , to the Governor and the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to appropriations and the budgets of state agencies, education, human services, public health and children on the state's progress in prioritizing expenditures in budgeted state agencies with membership on the council in order to fund prevention services. The report shall include (A) a summary of measurable gains made toward the child poverty and prevention goals established in this section; (B) a copy of each such agency's report on prevention services submitted to the council pursuant to subsection (g) of this section; (C) examples of successful interagency collaborations to meet the child poverty and prevention goals established in this section; and (D) recommendations for prevention investment and budget priorities. In developing such recommendations, the council shall consult with experts and providers of services to children and families. (g) (1) On or before November first of each year from 2006 to 2014, inclusive, each budgeted state agency with membership on the council that provides prevention services to children shall, within available appropriations, report to the council in accordance with this subsection. (2) Each agency report shall include at least two prevention services not to exceed the actual number of prevention services provided by the agency. For each prevention service reported by the agency, the agency report shall include (A) a statement of the number of children and families served, (B) a description of the preventive purposes of the service, (C) for reports due after November 1, 2006, a description of performance-based standards and outcomes included in relevant contracts pursuant to subsection (h) of this section, and (D) any performance-based vendor accountability protocols. (3) Each agency report shall also include (A) long-term agency goals, strategies and outcomes to promote the health and well-being of children and families, (B) overall findings on the effectiveness of prevention within such agency, (C) a statement of whether there are methods used by such agency to reduce disparities in child performance and outcomes by race, income level and gender, and a description of such methods, if any, and (D) other information the agency head deems relevant to demonstrate the preventive value of services provided by the agency. Long-term agency goals, strategies and outcomes reported under this subdivision may include, but need not be limited to, the following: (i) With respect to health goals, increasing (I) the number of healthy pregnant women and newborns, (II) the number of youths who adopt healthy behaviors, and (III) access to health care for children and families; (ii) With respect to education goals, increasing the number of children who (I) are ready for school at an appropriate age, (II) learn to read by third grade, (III) succeed in school, (IV) graduate from high school, and (V) successfully obtain and maintain employment as adults; (iii) With respect to safety goals, decreasing (I) the rate of child neglect and abuse, (II) the number of children who are unsupervised after school, (III) the incidence of child and youth suicide, and (IV) the incidence of juvenile crime; and (iv) With respect to housing goals, increasing access to stable and adequate housing. (4) Each agency report shall also include (A) a list of agency programs that provide prevention services, (B) the actual prevention services expenditures for the most recently completed fiscal year, and (C) the percentage of total actual agency expenditures in the most recently completed fiscal year that were actual prevention services expenditures. (h) Not later than July 1, 2006, the Office of Policy and Management shall, within available appropriations, develop a protocol requiring state contracts for programs aimed at reducing poverty for children and families to include performance-based standards and outcome measures related to the child poverty reduction goal specified in subsection (a) of this section. Not later than July 1, 2007, the Office of Policy and Management shall, within available appropriations, require such state contracts to include such performance-based standards and outcome measures. The Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management may consult with the Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity to identify academic, private and other available funding sources and may accept and utilize funds from private and public sources to implement the provisions of this section. (i) For purposes of this section, the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, or the secretary's designee, shall be responsible for coordinating all necessary activities, including, but not limited to, scheduling and presiding over meetings and public hearings. (j) The council shall terminate on June 30, 2015.
(P.A. 04-238, S. 1; P.A. 05-244, S. 1; P.A. 06-179, S. 3; 06-196, S. 27; P.A. 07-47, S. 1; 07-73, S. 2(b); 07-166, S. 1; 07-217, S. 6; Sept. Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-5, S. 29; P.A. 10-179, S. 94; P.A. 11-48, S. 285; P.A. 13-247, S. 46; P.A. 14-122, S. 3; 14-132, S. 1, 2; P.A. 16-163, S. 25; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 16-3, S. 135, 136; P.A. 19-117, S. 109, 110; 19-118, S. 20; P.A. 23-22, S. 4.) History: P.A. 04-238 effective June 8, 2004; P.A. 05-244 made technical changes, added executive director of Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities as council member in Subsec. (a), specified mandatory minimum number of meeting times and reporting requirements in Subsec. (f) and required development and implementation of state contract protocol in new Subsec. (g), redesignating existing Subsecs. (g) and (h) as Subsecs. (h) and (i), respectively, effective July 11, 2005; P.A. 06-179 amended Subsec. (a) to insert Subdiv. designators and substitute “Child Poverty and Prevention Council” for “Child Poverty Council”, to add the Chief Court Administrator, to delete the chairperson of the State Prevention Council, to add “promote the implementation of” re ten-year plan, and to add Subdiv. (2) re establishing prevention goals and recommendations and measuring outcomes, amended Subsecs. (b) and (c) to add “ten-year” re plan, amended Subsec. (f) to insert Subdiv. (1) designator and provide that meetings held at least twice annually shall be for the purposes set forth in the section, inserted new Subsecs. (f)(2) and (g) re council and agency reports, and redesignated existing Subsecs. (g) to (i) as Subsecs. (h) to (j) (Revisor's note: In Subsec. (f)(2) the word “this” in the phrase “this subsection (g) of this section” was deleted editorially by the Revisor's for accuracy); P.A. 06-196 made a technical change in Subsec. (g), effective June 7, 2006; P.A. 07-47 amended Subsec. (f)(2) to extend the council's annual reporting requirement re funding of prevention services to the Governor and the General Assembly to January 1, 2015, amended Subsec. (g)(1) to extend the annual reporting requirement of budgeted agencies to the council to November 1, 2014, and made technical and conforming changes in Subsecs. (f) and (g); pursuant to P.A. 07-73 “Commissioner of Mental Retardation” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Commissioner of Developmental Services”, effective October 1, 2007; P.A. 07-166 amended Subsec. (a) to make technical changes, effective June 19, 2007; P.A. 07-217 made technical changes in Subsec. (a), effective July 12, 2007; Sept. Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-5 amended Subsec. (a) to change “Children's Trust Fund” to “Children's Trust Fund Council”, effective October 5, 2009; P.A. 10-179 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting reference to Commissioner of Health Care Access and by making technical changes; pursuant to P.A. 11-48, “Board of Governors of Higher Education” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Board of Regents for Higher Education” in Subsec. (a), effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 13-247 deleted reference to chairperson of the Children's Trust Fund Council in Subsec. (a), effective July 1, 2013; P.A. 14-122 made technical changes in Subsecs. (e) and (f); P.A. 14-132 amended Subsec. (a) to add Commissioner of Housing, Commissioner of Agriculture and executive director of Office of Early Childhood to council and amended Subsec. (g) to add provisions in Subdiv. (1) and add Subdiv. (4) re agency reporting, effective June 6, 2014; P.A. 16-163 amended Subsec. (b) by replacing “day care and” with “child care services, as described in section 19a-77,” in Subpara. (D), effective June 9, 2016; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 16-3 amended Subsec. (a) by replacing reference to executive director of Commission on Children with reference to executive director of Commission on Women, Children and Seniors or a designee and amended Subsec. (h) by replacing reference to Commission on Children with reference to Commission on Women, Children and Seniors, effective July 1, 2016; P.A. 19-117 amended Subsecs. (a) and (h) by replacing “Commission on Women, Children and Seniors” with “Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity”, effective July 1, 2019; P.A. 19-118 amended Subsec. (g)(1) by eliminating requirement re report to appropriations, human services and children committees, effective July 1, 2019; P.A. 23-22 amended Subsec. (a) by making technical changes.