Budget Amendment ID: FY2013-S4-614
EHS 614
Special Commission on Unaccompanied Youth Homelessness
Ms. Clark, Ms. Chang-Diaz and Ms. Flanagan and Mr. Brownsberger moved that the proposed new text be amended by inserting, after section ___, the following new section:-
SECTION XX. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, there shall be a special commission for the purpose of studying and making recommendations concerning services for unaccompanied homeless youth age 22 and under, with the goal of ensuring a comprehensive and effective response to the unique needs of this population. The focus of the commission’s work shall include, but not be limited to, an analysis of the barriers to serving unaccompanied youth who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender; an analysis of the barriers to serving unaccompanied youth under 18 years of age; an assessment of the impact of mandated reporting requirements on unaccompanied youths’ access to services; the state’s ability to identify and connect with unaccompanied youth; and recommendations to reduce identified barriers to serving this population, including, but not limited to, extending the time for certain categories of mandated reporters to file reports and establishing special licensure provisions to allow service providers to serve homeless youth under 18 years of age. The commission, in formulating its recommendations, shall take account of best practices and policies in other states and jurisdictions.
The commission shall include, the secretary of health and human services, the commissioner of the department of children and families, the commissioner of the department of elementary and secondary education, the commissioner of the department of public health, the commissioner of the department of mental health, the commissioner of MassHealth, the commissioner of the department of transitional assistance, the undersecretary of housing and community development, 2 members of the senate, appointed by the senate president, 2 members of the house of representatives, appointed by the speaker of the house, 3 youth who have experienced homelessness, appointed by the office of the child advocate, and a representative from each of the following organizations: Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless, Task Force on Youth aging Out, Massachusetts Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, MassEquality, Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance, Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition, the Boston Alliance of Gay, Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender Youth, and three persons to be named by the Governor.
The commission shall submit a report to the Governor, the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of the senate, the joint committee on children, families and persons with disabilities and the office of the child advocate no later than March 31, 2013, setting forth the commission’s findings, together with any recommendations for regulatory or legislative action with a timeline for implementation, cost estimates and finance mechanisms. Thereafter, the commission shall submit a report annually by December 31st of each year to the Governor, the speaker of the house of representative and the president of the senate, the joint committee on children, families and persons with disabilities, the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate and the office of the child advocate, detailing the extent of homelessness among unaccompanied youth within the commonwealth and the progress made toward implementing the commission’s recommendations along with other efforts to address the needs of this population.