HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2702        FILED ON: 2/18/2021

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 185

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Christine P. Barber

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act requiring the evaluation of governmental services on children and families of the Commonwealth.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2702        FILED ON: 2/18/2021

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 185

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Second General Court
(2021-2022)

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An Act requiring the evaluation of governmental services on children and families of the Commonwealth.

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

Chapter 6A of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding after section 16BB the following section:-

Section 16CC Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the executive office of health and human services shall conduct an evaluation and study, and issue an annual report concerning the impact of government funded programs and services on children and families of the commonwealth. The study shall measure the outcomes of such programs and services on children and families on short, intermediate and long term outcomes, and shall distinguish the effects by race, ethnicity, gender, region, and income to the extent possible.

The children and families programs and services to be evaluated shall include, but not be limited to: MassHealth, home visiting, the Title V/Maternal and Child Health Program, early intervention services, child welfare services, child care and early education services, elementary and secondary education, youth services, department of mental health services, department of housing and community services, Women, Infants and Children programs, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance programs, Low Income Home Energy Assistance Programs, and Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children.

For the purposes of this section, outcomes shall include but not be limited to:

Short term: access to and use of health care services, including, but not limited to, primary care, specialty health care, behavioral health care, chronic health services, substance use services, community and school health services, and hospitalizations, including emergency department services;

Intermediate term: school attendance, school readiness, age appropriate school achievement (reading, mathematics), foster care placement, and such other outcomes as deemed appropriate and necessary.

Long term: High school graduation, associates’ and bachelors’ degree achievement; criminal justice involvement; substance use disorder; early childbearing and pregnancy outcomes; adult health (e.g., high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, obesity), and health care use (hospitalization, emergency department use); disability and disability benefits; employment; income and tax payments; receipt of public benefits beyond age 18 including Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program, housing choice vouchers; and other outcomes as deemed appropriate and necessary.

The executive office in consultation with the relevant agencies may request and be provided such information and data necessary to evaluate and study such government programs and services to enable the executive office to issue the annual report. In the course of its study and evaluation the executive office shall maintain ongoing data capacity from the  department of public health (birth certificate, early intervention, home visiting), MassHealth, center for health information analysis, department of housing and community development, office of child advocate, department of children and families, office of the trial court, department of corrections, department of youth services,  department of elementary and secondary education, department of mental health, department of labor, and such other departments, agencies and offices necessary to create such reports.

The report shall be filed with the clerks of the house of representatives and senate, the house and senate chairs of the joint committee on children, families and persons with disabilities, joint committee on mental health and substance abuse, the joint committee on public health, the joint committee on health care financing and the house and senate committees on ways and means.

Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the executive office may contract with a non-profit or educational entity to conduct data analytics on the data set generated in the examination, provided that the executive office shall implement appropriate privacy safeguards.