1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to children and families; establishing a 
  1.3             grant program to fund statewide information and 
  1.4             referral services; appropriating money. 
  1.5   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.6      Section 1.  [STATEWIDE COMMUNITY SERVICES INFORMATION AND 
  1.7   REFERRAL GRANT PROGRAM.] 
  1.8      Subdivision 1.  [FAMILY AND COMMUNITY SERVICES ASSISTANCE.] 
  1.9   The commissioner of the department of children, families, and 
  1.10  learning shall develop a grant program to fund a statewide 
  1.11  system of information and referral for community services, 
  1.12  through the nonprofit corporation First Call Minnesota.  The 
  1.13  system must be designed to assist Minnesota families in 
  1.14  accessing needed community services, including health services, 
  1.15  social services, educational programs, housing, and employment 
  1.16  and training services. 
  1.17     Subd. 2.  [GRANTEE'S DUTIES.] The grantee shall: 
  1.18     (1) develop a statewide computer database containing a 
  1.19  comprehensive listing of community services available throughout 
  1.20  Minnesota; 
  1.21     (2) support up to 11 regional centers to collect and 
  1.22  coordinate regional data and develop standards to ensure that 
  1.23  regional data is updated every six months; 
  1.24     (3) establish standards for existing regional information 
  1.25  and referral services to access data, provide public access, and 
  2.1   establish licensing standards; 
  2.2      (4) establish a state data services center to assist 
  2.3   existing regional information and referral centers with data 
  2.4   publication and subscription, administration of public access to 
  2.5   the data, and management and maintenance of resource data; 
  2.6      (5) provide ongoing support for a single statewide 
  2.7   toll-free phone number for public access; 
  2.8      (6) manage the installation of software applications and 
  2.9   Internet access to the statewide computer database; 
  2.10     (7) promote the use of the statewide computer database 
  2.11  among potential users in a region through the support of 
  2.12  regional centers in coordination with existing first call for 
  2.13  help and other information and referral providers; and 
  2.14     (8) coordinate with existing information and referral 
  2.15  agencies in each region, including the senior linkage service 
  2.16  through the Minnesota board on aging and child care resource and 
  2.17  referral programs. 
  2.18     Subd. 3.  [FUNDING.] The commissioner shall assist the 
  2.19  grantee and other state agencies to identify federal funds to 
  2.20  support the statewide system.  The grantee shall seek 
  2.21  contributions from profit and not-for-profit entities to augment 
  2.22  state grant funds received under this section. 
  2.23     Subd. 4.  [COUNTY COOPERATION.] In developing the 
  2.24  information and referral system, the grantee shall coordinate 
  2.25  with county social service agencies established under Minnesota 
  2.26  Statutes, chapter 393, the Minnesota board on aging, and other 
  2.27  public agencies that provide services. 
  2.28     Subd. 5.  [EVALUATION AND REPORT.] The grantee shall 
  2.29  arrange for an independent evaluation of the information and 
  2.30  referral services developed under the grant.  The grantee shall 
  2.31  track requests for services from callers to determine unmet 
  2.32  community service needs in each region.  The grantee shall 
  2.33  submit a report to the commissioner of children, families, and 
  2.34  learning prior to February 15, 1999, with a preliminary 
  2.35  evaluation of the information and referral system, a summary 
  2.36  analysis of the unmet needs in each region, and recommendations 
  3.1   on future funding needs of the information and referral system. 
  3.2      Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATIONS.] 
  3.3      $....... is appropriated from the general fund to the 
  3.4   commissioner of children, families, and learning for the fiscal 
  3.5   year ending June 30, 1999, to fund a statewide community 
  3.6   information and referral grant program under section 1.