1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to families; establishing a statewide 
  1.3             information and referral services system; 
  1.4             appropriating money; proposing coding for new law in 
  1.5             Minnesota Statutes, chapter 119A. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  [119A.55] [STATEWIDE COMMUNITY SERVICES 
  1.8   INFORMATION AND REFERRAL SYSTEM.] 
  1.9      Subdivision 1.  [FAMILY AND COMMUNITY SERVICES ASSISTANCE.] 
  1.10  The commissioner of children, families, and learning shall fund 
  1.11  a statewide system of information and referral for community 
  1.12  services operated by the nonprofit corporation First Call 
  1.13  Minnesota.  The system must be designed to assist Minnesota 
  1.14  families in accessing needed community services, including 
  1.15  health services, social services, educational programs, housing, 
  1.16  and employment and training services. 
  1.17     Subd. 2.  [DUTIES.] The system operator 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  system operator and other state agencies to identify federal 
  2.20  funds to support the statewide system.  The system operator 
  2.21  shall seek contributions from profit and not-for-profit entities 
  2.22  to augment state funds received under this section. 
  2.23     Subd. 4.  [COUNTY COOPERATION.] In developing the 
  2.24  information and referral system, the system operator shall 
  2.25  coordinate with county social service agencies established under 
  2.26  Minnesota Statutes, chapter 393, the Minnesota board on aging, 
  2.27  and other public agencies that provide services. 
  2.28     Subd. 5.  [EVALUATION AND REPORT.] The system operator 
  2.29  shall arrange for an independent evaluation of the information 
  2.30  and referral services developed under this section.  The system 
  2.31  operator shall track requests for services from callers to 
  2.32  determine unmet community service needs in each region.  The 
  2.33  system operator shall submit a report to the commissioner of 
  2.34  children, families, and learning prior to February 15, 2000, 
  2.35  with a preliminary evaluation of the information and referral 
  2.36  system, a summary analysis of the unmet needs in each region, 
  3.1   and recommendations on future funding needs of the information 
  3.2   and referral system. 
  3.3      Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATIONS.] 
  3.4      $....... is appropriated from the general fund to the 
  3.5   commissioner of children, families, and learning for the fiscal 
  3.6   year ending June 30, 2000, to fund a statewide community 
  3.7   information and referral system under section 1.