§ 548-E — Neighborhood based initiatives oversight committee

§ 548-e. Neighborhood based initiatives oversight committee. 1.\nEstablishment. A neighborhood based initiatives oversight committee\nshall be established to oversee the implementation of the provisions of\nthis article and shall consist of representatives of the following\nagencies or their designees, with the commissioner of the department or\nhis or her designee serving as chairperson: the state advocate for the\ndisabled; the director of the office for the aging; the director of the\ndivision of alcoholism and alcohol abuse; the executive director of the\ncouncil on children and families; the chancellor of the city university\nof New York; the executive director of the developmental disabilities\naction planning council; the director of the budget; the commissioner of\neconomic development; the commissioner of education; the commissioner of\nhealth; the commissioner of housing and community renewal; the\ncommissioner of labor; the commissioner of mental health; the\ncommissioner of the office for people with developmental disabilities;\nthe commissioner of parks, recreation and historic preservation; the\nchancellor of the state university of New York; the director of the\ndivision of substance abuse services; the director of the division for\nyouth; the director of the division for women; and the department of\naudit and control.\n 2. Powers and duties. a. The committee shall develop guidelines for\nthe operation of projects.\n b. Upon request the appropriate members of the committee may provide\ntechnical assistance to applicants.\n c. The committee shall review and approve applications using the\nfollowing selection criteria:\n i. the demonstrated commitment and support, including financial\nsupport, for the project expressed by local government agencies,\ncommunity residents and leaders, appropriate service providers, and\nprivate supporters;\n ii. demographic information that indicates significant incidences of\npoverty, unemployment, foster care, infant mortality, substance or\nalcohol abuse, adolescent pregnancy, or other indicators of need\nrelevant to the action plan;\n iii. the anticipated effectiveness of the project as evidenced by the\nexistence of other available resources, including existing links between\npublic and/or private agencies that focus on the provision of services\nin high-need geographic areas of populations;\n iv. the ability of the applicant to undertake and complete a\ncomprehensive project and develop an action plan; and\n v. the ability of the applicant to provide the necessary data for an\neffective evaluation of the project.\n d. The committee shall ensure, as far as practicable, the equitable\ndistribution of projects among urban, suburban, and rural areas.\n e. Members of the committee shall provide technical assistance on an\non-going basis to approved projects, which shall include, but shall not\nbe limited to: providing and analyzing data; assistance in strengthening\nthe programmatic and administrative viability of approved projects;\nassistance in strengthening action plans; identifying federal, state and\nlocal funds, and resources from any other sources available to support\nsuch projects; and developing local evaluation systems.\n f. To promote innovative approaches and maximize effective use of\nfederal, state, and local monies, and, notwithstanding any other\nprovision of law, the commissioner or director of any state agency on\nthe committee may waive, subject to the approval of the director of the\nbudget, for those persons, providers, and communities involved in a\nproject, any of such agency's regulatory requirements that may impede\nthe successful implementation of a project, provided that such waiver is\nconsistent with applicable state and federal statutes and will not\nimpair the general health or welfare of the people receiving services\nunder such project or others. Such commissioner or director shall be\nauthorized, in consultation with the director of the budget, to impose\nappropriate alternative standards in place of any waived requirements.\n g. On the basis of information submitted in approved applications and\nin the action plan, the committee is required to:\n i. assist in identifying and obtaining resources and funding necessary\nfor the implementation of the action plan, and make recommendations as\nappropriate and necessary in accordance with article VII of the state\nconstitution;\n ii. identify and request the appropriate member or members of the\ncommittee to waive any regulations or procedures that act as barriers to\nthe effective implementation of the action plan, as long as such waiver\nis consistent with paragraph e of this subdivision;\n iii. identify any specific statutory requirements that are expected to\nimpede the successful implementation of such projects and, when and if\nnecessary, submit requests to the legislature in accordance with article\nVII of the state constitution for specific legislative enactments\nnecessary to remove such impediments; and\n iv. provide all other assistance needed for successful implementation\nof the action plan.\n h. The committee shall ensure that there will be a maximum use of\nexisting resources, services, and funds to support projects and that the\npurposes and objectives of this article will be accomplished\neffectively.\n i. The committee shall monitor each approved project to ensure that\nservices are provided in accordance with this article and that funds are\nused in accordance with applicable state and federal law and\nregulations.\n j. The committee shall require such reports as may be necessary.\n