Amendment #1424 to H4000

Transition Age Youth Services Matching Fund

Ms. Peisch of Wellesley moves to amend the bill in section 2 by inserting after item XXXX-XXXX the following item:

"XXXX-XXXX For an operating transfer to the Transition Age Youth Services Matching Fund, established in section 2EEEEEE of chapter 29 of the General Laws....................... $875,000"

And moves to further amend the bill by inserting after section 13 the following section:

"SECTION 13A. Chapter 29 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 2DDDDDD the following section:-

Section 2EEEEEE. (a) There shall be established and set up on the books of the commonwealth a separate fund to be known as the Transition Age Youth Services Matching Fund, hereinafter referred to as the fund. The purpose of the fund shall be to increase access of transition-aged youth to high quality, evidence- and community-based services that have undergone a rigorous evaluation and have been rated by a third-party clearinghouse by incentivizing private investment in such services. The secretary of health and human services, hereinafter referred to as the secretary,  shall be the trustee of the fund and shall expend money from the fund, without further appropriation, in the form of matching grants for evidence-based services for youth aging out of care or services from the executive office of health and human services, hereinafter referred to as the executive office, and its constituent agencies. Youth served through the fund: (i) shall be not less than 17 years of age and not more than 23 years of age; (ii) have been, but at the time of service provision may or may not still be, under the care of executive office of health and human services or one or more of its constituent agencies; and (iii) are housing insecure or at risk of experiencing homelessness based on risk factors including, but not limited to previous experience in the foster care system, couch-surfing, unemployment, and other indicators of lack of economic stability or life skills that could result in homelessness. Money in the fund shall only be expended to match private or philanthropic funding pursuant to subsection (b).

(b) No expenditure from the fund shall be made unless it is accompanied by a commitment of a corresponding private matching reimbursement to the fund to increase access to such services. Qualifying matching reimbursement shall be: (i) not less than 100 per cent of the corresponding expenditure from the fund during the first two fiscal years after the establishment of the fund; (ii) not less than 70 per cent of the corresponding expenditure from the fund during the subsequent fiscal year; (iii) not less than 40 per cent of the corresponding expenditure from the fund during the subsequent two fiscal years; and, (iv) not less than a percentage of the corresponding expenditure from the fund set by the secretary thereafter, which shall not exceed 40 per cent of the corresponding expenditure from the fund.

(c) There shall be credited to the fund an amount equal to: (i) any appropriations or other money authorized by the general court and specifically designated to be credited to the fund; (ii) any federal financial participation revenues claimed and received by the commonwealth for eligible expenditures made from the fund; (iii) money transferred to the fund by the executive office or its constituent agencies pursuant to subsection (e); (iv) interest earned on any money in the fund; and (v) any other grants, premiums, gifts, reimbursements or other contributions received by the commonwealth from any source for or in support of the purposes described in subsection (a).

(d) Amounts credited to the fund may be expended without further appropriation. The secretary may incur expenses and the comptroller may certify for payment amounts in anticipation of expected receipts; provided, however, that no expenditure shall be made from the fund that shall cause the fund to be deficient at the close of a fiscal year. Any money remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert to the General Fund and shall be available for expenditure in a subsequent fiscal year.

(e) Notwithstanding any special or general law to the contrary, for the purposes of increasing the total amount of private matching expenditures pursuant to this section, the commissioner of mental health, the commissioner of youth services, the commissioner of children and families, the commissioner of public health, the division of medical assistance, and the secretary may transfer into the fund money appropriated to other accounts that otherwise would be expended to pay for services to assist transition-aged youth with living successful, independent lives as they age out of state care or services; provided however, that the secretary shall notify the house and senate committees on ways and means of any such transfer.

(f) The secretary shall report annually, not later than October 1, on the fund's activity to the senate and house chairs of the joint committee on children, families, and persons with disabilities, the joint committee on the judiciary, the joint committee on mental health, substance use and recovery, and the house and senate committees on ways and means. The report shall include, but not be limited to: (1) revenue received by the fund and the source of such revenue; (2) expenditures from the fund, including the recipient, matching commitment, date and purpose of the expenditure; (3) the number of transition-aged youth served through expenditures from the fund and their corresponding match; and (4) youth outcomes at discharge for educational attainment, employment and living situations. "

Additional co-sponsor(s) added to Amendment #1424 to H4000

Transition Age Youth Services Matching Fund