SECOND REGULAR SESSION
SENATE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
SENATE BILL NO. 698
89TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
TERRY L. SPIELER, Secretary.
S3058.05C
AN ACT
Relating to the family investment trust act.
Section 1. 1. Sections 1 to 4 of this act shall be known and may be cited as the "Family Investment Trust Act".
2. As used in sections 1 to 4 of this act, the following terms shall mean:
(1) "Caring communities", a long-term strategy to achieve better results for families and communities through partnerships between state agencies and local communities that collaborate and invest in the education, health, safety, stability and productivity of children, families, schools and communities throughout Missouri;
(2) "Charter", a contract between a community partnership and the state, negotiated between a local community partnership and members of the family investment trust, that sets out the mutual objectives and the obligations of each party, and stipulates specific agreed-upon outcomes and benchmarks for each community;
(3) "Community", a group of people who typically reside in the same locality;
(4) "Community partnership", a broad-based, community collaboration established to plan, implement, monitor and evaluate local caring community strategies; assure citizen participation in achieving positive outcomes for children and families; and engage in community citizen-based action planning;
(5) "Family investment trust" or "trust", a body corporate and politic consisting of a public-private partnership.
Section 2. 1. There is hereby created the "Family Investment Trust". The trust shall be governed by a board which shall include the directors of the departments of corrections, elementary and secondary education, health, labor and industrial relations, economic development, mental health and social services. The board shall also include seven private sector members of various backgrounds, including persons with evaluation expertise and experience with business partnerships, with knowledge of community organization and support systems, and the needs of children and families, to be appointed by the governor, with the advice and consent of the senate, based on recommendations from local community partnerships. Additional department directors may be appointed; however, an additional private sector member shall be appointed for each additional department director appointed. Private sector members shall serve staggered three year terms, and may serve no more than two consecutive terms. The governor may appoint nonvoting members to the trust as deemed appropriate by the governor and the trust board.
2. The board shall elect from among its membership cochairpersons, one each from the public and private sectors. Members of the board shall receive no compensation, but may receive reimbursement for their actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties as members of the board.
3. The purpose of the trust is to provide leadership through a public-private partnership to measurably improve the condition of Missouri's families, children, individuals and communities, and encourage collaboration among public and private community entities to build and strengthen comprehensive community-based support systems in collaboration with community partnerships. The trust shall also coordinate its efforts with other statewide boards and commissions to advise the governor and legislature on statewide goals and objectives to achieve core results.
Section 3. 1. The trust shall have the following powers together with all other powers incidental thereto or necessary for the performance thereof:
(1) To receive, accept and utilize gifts, grants, donations, contributions, money, property, facilities and services, with or without consideration, from any person, firm, corporation, foundation or other entity, or from this state or any agency, instrumentality or political subdivision thereof, from the United States government or any agency, instrumentality thereof, for the purpose of providing sustained technical support and training for state agencies and communities, which may include facilitating the establishment of a council of local partnerships, necessary to achieve core results;
(2) To develop or recognize community partnerships with which a charter can be executed. To be recognized, a community partnership shall have inclusive, broad-based community participation, which may include community stakeholders, parents, private citizens, businesses, religious and civic leaders, representatives of agencies, neighborhood associations, councils, organizations and other bodies;
(3) To create an action plan, in collaboration with community partnerships and state agencies, that incorporates interagency and community strategies and other initiatives to accomplish the following core results of caring communities:
(a) Parents working for a living wage;
(b) Children safe in their families and families safe in their communities;
(c) Children ready to enter school;
(d) Children and families that are healthy;
(e) Children and youth succeeding in school;
(f) Youth ready to enter the work force and become productive citizens; and
(g) Other results which are mutually agreed upon by the trust and community partnerships that improve the well-being and self-sufficiency of Missouri citizens and their communities;
(4) To monitor and measure the effectiveness of state agencies and chartered community partnerships in achieving the outcomes and core results identified in the charter;
(5) To monitor the implementation of and evaluate the effectiveness of the action plan in achieving the core results; and
(6) To devise strategies to respond to any federal fiscal policy changes affecting programs which impact on the well-being of children, youth and families in this state, including those changes required by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, P.L. 104-193, as amended.
2. The trust shall be responsible for:
(1) Advising the governor and the general assembly on state budget or policy changes necessary to achieve:
(a) Accountability for results;
(b) Bringing services closer to where families live and work, and children attend school;
(c) Active community involvement in decisions which affect the well-being of children, families and individuals; and
(d) Using funds more flexibly and effectively to meet the community needs and priorities;
(2) Advising and assisting communities in developing community partnerships which meet the qualifications for being chartered by the trust;
(3) Evaluating and monitoring progress in the core results through a set of common benchmarks negotiated with community partnerships.
3. The trust shall report annually to the governor and the general assembly. Such reports shall include detailed information on the structure, operation and financial status of the trust, and shall provide an accounting of the number of community partnerships chartered during the year, an accounting of all federal, state, local government and private funds expended in support of caring communities, and an assessment of the progress of such partnerships in achieving the core results of caring communities and other benchmarks appropriate for the community.
4. The trust shall hold at least two public hearings a year. All other meetings of the trust shall be subject to the provisions of the open meetings and records law pursuant to chapter 610, RSMo.
5. The trust shall meet at least two times per year with the Missouri children's services commission as established in section 210.101, RSMo. Such meetings shall be held in order to further enhance interagency coordination for the improvement of the condition of Missouri's families and children and to explore opportunities for joint initiatives to meet the duties of the trust and the commission.
Section 4. 1. Each community partnership shall develop a plan to strengthen and coordinate community support systems for children, families and individuals, and to achieve the core results and other results identified in the community plan. The plan shall include:
(1) A statement designating the entity legally responsible for:
(a) The implementation of the plan;
(b) Compliance with the community charter with the state as negotiated with the members of the trust; and
(c) The distribution of state, local and state-administered federal funds, to the extent permitted by state and federal law;
(2) A vision for the community, identifying goals, intended results, and priorities for supporting children, families and individuals;
(3) Identification of the population and geographic area of the community to be served by the community partnership;
(4) A description of the desired outcomes to be addressed by the plan, and the amount and types of services and other supports available from public, private, not for profit and community-based organizations;
(5) A description of the type and amount of all federal, state, local government and private funds to be included in the community charter, and how such funds will be used. Inclusion of any funds, public or private, shall be approved by the governing body or individual legally responsible for management of such funds;
(6) Proposed procedures that differ from current administrative, claiming, reporting, data collection and procurement practices;
(7) Provisions for sharing data among agencies and across levels of government, while assuring client confidentiality;
(8) An implementation strategy and time line for implementation of the plan;
(9) A description of an evaluation process that includes:
(a) Designation of the entity responsible for the evaluation of strategies and progress toward core results;
(b) Baseline data relevant to the plan's activities and services;
(c) Expected results for children, families and community;
(d) Measures taken to ensure that residents with similar needs have access to equitable levels of service;
(e) Measures of consumer satisfaction with services and supports provided.
2. Community partnership structure shall be determined by the community partnership, in accordance with criteria established by the trust board which assures broad, active and meaningful citizen participation in all aspects of governance, assessment, planning and decision making to achieve core results. The geographic scope of a community partnership may include, but not be limited to, a school district, county or city, or a combination of such entities;
3. The community partnership shall report how federal, state and local funds included in the charter have been spent, which alternative administrative claiming, reporting and procurement requirements have been adopted, and the status of implementation of the plan.
4. Meetings of the community partnership and its governing board shall be subject to the state open meetings and records law pursuant to chapter 610, RSMo. The community partnership shall hold no less than two public hearings per year.
5. All proposed community plans and budgets of a community partnership shall be available to the public upon request.