HB 509

1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to children's services; creating the
3	Children and Youth Cabinet; providing a short title;
4	providing legislative intent; providing organization,
5	membership, and duties and responsibilities of the
6	cabinet; providing for an advisory board; requiring the
7	cabinet to prepare an annual report; providing an
8	effective date.
9
10	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
11
12	Section 1.  Children's cabinet; organization;
13	responsibilities; annual report.--
14	(1)  SHORT TITLE.--This act may be cited as the "Children
15	and Youth Cabinet Act."
16	(2)  LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS AND INTENT.--
17	(a)  The Legislature finds that all state agencies and
18	programs that touch the lives of children and youth must work in
19	a coordinated and comprehensive fashion, with an emphasis on
20	providing a continuum of services that benefit children from
21	prenatal care through programs supporting successful transition
22	to self-sufficient adulthood. The Legislature further finds that
23	creating a Children and Youth Cabinet is the best method by
24	which the state might achieve the visions and plans necessary to
25	ensure that this state is the first place families think of when
26	asked, "Where do you want to raise a child?"
27	(b)  The Legislature, in collaboration with the Governor,
28	intends to develop and implement a shared vision among the
29	branches of government in order to improve child and family
30	outcomes in this state. By working collaboratively, the
31	Legislature intends to invest in the education and skills of our
32	children and youth, develop a cohesive vision and plan that
33	ensures a long-term commitment to children and youth issues,
34	align public resources serving children and youth to support
35	their healthy growth and development, and promote increased
36	efficiency and improved service delivery by all governmental
37	agencies that provide services for children, youth, and their
38	families.
39	(3)  ORGANIZATION.--There is created the Children and Youth
40	Cabinet.
41	(a)  The cabinet shall ensure that the public policy of
42	this state relating to children and youth is developed to
43	promote interdepartmental collaboration and program
44	implementation in order that services designed for children and
45	youth are planned, managed, and delivered in a holistic and
46	integrated manner to improve the children's self-sufficiency,
47	safety, economic stability, health, and quality of life.
48	(b)  The cabinet is created in the Executive Office of the
49	Governor, which shall provide administrative support and service
50	to the cabinet.
51	(c)  The cabinet shall meet for its organizational session
52	no later than October 1, 2007. Thereafter, the cabinet shall
53	meet at least six times each year in different regions of the
54	state in order to solicit input from the public and any other
55	individual offering testimony relevant to the issues considered.
56	Each meeting must include a public-comment session.
57	(4)  MEMBERS.--The cabinet shall consist of 15 members
58	including the Governor and the following persons:
59	(a)1.  The Secretary of Children and Family Services;
60	2.  The Secretary of Juvenile Justice;
61	3.  The director of the Agency for Persons with
62	Disabilities;
63	4.  The director of the Agency for Workforce Innovation;
64	5.  The Secretary of Health;
65	6.  The Secretary of Health Care Administration;
66	7.  The Commissioner of Education;
67	8.  The director of the Statewide Guardian Ad Litem Office;
68	9.  The director of the Office of Child Abuse Prevention;
69	and
70	10.  Five members representing children and youth advocacy
71	organizations, who are not service providers and who are
72	appointed by the Governor.
73	(b)  The President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House
74	of Representatives, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the
75	Attorney General, and the Chief Financial Officer, or their
76	appointed designees, shall serve as ex officio members of the
77	cabinet.
78	(c)  The Governor or the Governor's designee shall serve as
79	the chair of the cabinet.
80	(d)  Nongovernmental members of the cabinet shall serve
81	without compensation, but are entitled to receive per diem and
82	travel expenses in accordance with s. 112.061, Florida Statutes,
83	while in performance of their duties.
84	(5)  DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES.--The Children and Youth
85	Cabinet shall:
86	(a)  Develop and implement a shared and cohesive vision
87	using integrated services to improve child, youth, and family
88	outcomes in this state.
89	(b)  Develop, no later than December 31, 2007, a strategic
90	plan to achieve the goals of the shared and cohesive vision. The
91	plan shall be centered upon a long-term commitment to children
92	and youth issues and align all public resources to serve
93	children and youth and their families in a manner that supports
94	the healthy growth and development of children. The plan shall
95	prepare the children and youth to be responsible citizens and
96	productive members of the workforce. The plan shall include a
97	continuum of services that will benefit children from prenatal
98	care through services for youth in transition to adulthood.
99	(c)  Develop and implement measurable outcomes for each
100	state department, agency, and program that are consistent with
101	the strategic plan. The cabinet shall establish a baseline
102	measurement for each outcome and regularly report on the
103	progress made toward achieving the desired outcome.
104	(d)  Design and implement actions that will promote
105	collaboration, creativity, increased efficiency, information
106	sharing, and improved service delivery between and within state
107	governmental organizations that provide services for children
108	and youth and their families. In particular, the efforts shall
109	include the long-range planning process mandated by s. 216.013,
110	Florida Statutes.
111	(e)  Foster public awareness of children and youth issues
112	and develop new partners in the effort to serve children and
113	youth.
114	(f)  Create a children and youth impact statement for
115	evaluating proposed legislation, requested appropriations, and
116	programs. The impact statement shall be shared with the
117	Legislature in their deliberative process.
118	(g)  Develop a children-and-youth-based budget through a
119	children and youth estimating conference that has a structure
120	and nomenclature that includes all relevant departments, funding
121	streams, and programs. The budget shall facilitate improved
122	coordination and efficiency, explore options for and allow
123	maximization of federal financial participation, and implement
124	the state's vision and strategic plan.
125	(h)  Engage in other activities that will implement
126	improved collaboration of agencies in order to create, manage,
127	and promote coordinated policies, programs, and service-delivery
128	systems that support children and youth.
129	(6)  ADVISORY BOARD.--The Governor may appoint an advisory
130	board to assist the cabinet in its tasks. The board shall
131	include persons who can provide to the cabinet the best
132	available technical and professional research and assistance. If
133	an advisory board is created, it shall include representatives
134	of children and youth advocacy organizations and youth, wherever
135	practicable, who have been recipients of services and programs
136	operated or funded by state agencies.
137	(7)  ANNUAL REPORT.--The Children and Youth Cabinet shall,
138	by February 1 of each year, provide an annual report to the
139	Governor, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House
140	of Representatives, and the public concerning its activities and
141	progress towards making this state the first place families
142	think of when asked, "Where do they want to raise their
143	children?"
144	Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2007.

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.