HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 871        FILED ON: 1/13/2009

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 173

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Nine

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An Act relative to metrowest regional advisory council..

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

The executive office of health and human services working with the department of public safety shall establish a metrowest regional advisory council.  Members may include but shall not be limited to representatives from each city and town in the district and representatives from business, labor and government.  The metrowest region shall consist of Ashland, Framingham, Holliston, Hopkinton, Natick, Southborough, Sudbury, Wayland and Westborough.

Council members shall be broadly representative of the racial and ethnic diversity of the region.

The advisory council shall conduct a comprehensive study of future trends in human service programming and shall examine all services provided by the state to evaluate which populations have the greatest need for services, to what degree those populations are served by the programs created as well as by other existing services, and shall develop strategies for serving all underserved segments of the population.  The report shall also include program density throughout the region and the fiscal impact of these programs on cities and towns.

In addition, the advisory council shall review service program evaluations, certifications and program standards, and make recommendations on needed program changes.

The council shall report its findings and make recommendations to the general court by filing the same with the clerks of the House of Representatives and the Senate on or before December 31, 2009.