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An Act To Amend the Composition and Duties of the Maine Children's Growth Council
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 5 MRSA §24001, as amended by PL 2011, c. 388, §§1 and 2, is further amended to read:
§ 24001.Maine Children's Growth Council
 
1. Definitions.   As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following meanings.
 
A. "Council" means the Maine Children's Growth Council established in subsection 2.
 
B. "Young children" means children from birth through 5 years of age.
 
2. Establishment; role.   The Maine Children's Growth Council, as established in section 12004-J, subsection 16, is created to develop, implement, maintain and evaluate a comprehensive plan for sustainable social and financial investment in and infrastructure to support healthy development of the State's young children and their families.
 
3. Membership.   The council consists of the members listed in this subsection who must have a strong interest in early childhood and early care and education and must be influential in their communities. In making the appointments under this subsection, the appointing authority shall select persons who represent a diversity of interests, including, but not limited to, early learning coalitions; community public health and safety networks; organizations that work to prevent and address child abuse and neglect; Indian tribes; representatives of public agencies involved with interventions in or prevention of adverse childhood experiences; philanthropic organizations; and organizations focused on community mobilization. The appointing authority also shall ensure that each person selected has a strong interest in comprehensive early childhood health, early care and education through the prevention and early treatment of adverse childhood experiences and is influential in that person's community and that each state agency representative is vested with decision-making capacity over the development of public policy and the ability to designate funding within that representative's state agency:
 
A. Two members of the Senate, one from each of the 2 political parties having the greatest number of members in the Senate, appointed by the President of the Senate;
 
B. Two members of the House of Representatives, one from each of the 2 political parties having the greatest number of members in the House, appointed by the Speaker of the House;
 
C. The Governor or the Governor's designee and the Attorney General or the Attorney General's designee;
 
D. Three parents, at least one of whom has a young child, one each appointed by the Governor, the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House;
 
E. Two persons with experience in public funding and philanthropy, appointed by the President of the Senate;
 
F. One person representing child abuse and neglect prevention, appointed by the Speaker of the House;
 
G. One person representing postsecondary education, appointed by the Governor;
 
H. Eight persons representing statewide, membership or constituent organizations that advance the well-being of young children and their families, nominated by their organizations and appointed by the Governor, of whom:
 
(1) Three must represent statewide organizations or associations involved in early care and education programs, child care centers, Head Start programs, family child care providers, resource development centers, programs for school-age children, child development services, physicians and child advocacy;
 
(2) One must represent a law enforcement organization involved with children;
 
(3) One must represent an organization that works on community organization and mobilization;
 
(4) One must represent public health;
 
(5) One must represent the Maine Economic Growth Council; and
 
(6) One must represent a labor organization;
 
I. One personTwo persons representing  a  statewide associationassociations of business and industry and one person representing a business roundtable on early childhood investment, appointed by the Governor;
 
J.  Up to 8 members of the public, appointed by the Governor;
 
K.  Three ex-officio nonvoting members: the Commissioner of Education or the commissioner's designee, a Department of Health and Human Services employee who works with early childhood programs including Head Start and a person representing the office within the Department of Health and Human Services that is the fiscal agent for the federal grant program for comprehensive early childhood initiatives; and
 
K-1.  Twelve members as follows:
 
(1) The Commissioner of Corrections, or the commissioner's designee;
 
(2) The Commissioner of Economic and Community Development, or the commissioner's designee;
 
(3) The Commissioner of Education, or the commissioner's designee;
 
(4) The Superintendent of Insurance, or the superintendent's designee;
 
(5) The Commissioner of Labor, or the commissioner's designee;
 
(6) The Commissioner of Public Safety, or the commissioner's designee;
 
(7) Five members from the Department of Education or the Department of Health and Human Services, selected jointly by the Commissioner of Education and the Commissioner of Health and Human Services, who work with early childhood programs including child welfare, behavioral health, MaineCare, substance abuse prevention and treatment, early care and childhood programs including child care licensing, prekindergarten, kindergarten or child development services; and
 
(8) One member of the Department of Health and Human Services who is the fiscal agent for the federal grant program for comprehensive early childhood initiatives; and
 
L. The director of the Head Start collaboration project within the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Child Care and Head Start.
 
4. Terms of appointment.   Except for ex-officio members serving pursuant to subsection 3, paragraph K-1, subparagraphs (1) to (6), members of the council are appointed for terms of 3 years. Members who are Legislators are appointed for the duration of the legislative terms in which they were appointed. Members who are not Legislators may serve beyond their designated terms until their successors are appointed.
 
5. Cochairs.   The Governor shall appointconsider the recommendations of the council when appointing cochairs for the council.
 
6. Quorum; meetings.    A majority of the voting members of the council constitute a quorum. The council may meet as often as necessary but shall meet at least 6 times a year. A meeting may be called by a cochair or by any 5 members.
 
7. Compensation.   Members of the council serve without compensation for their services, except that parents appointed under subsection 3, paragraph D and the members appointed pursuant to subsection 3, paragraphs H and J who are not reimbursed by another organization may receive mileage reimbursement and a per diem to cover related costs such as child care, and Legislators are entitled to receive the legislative per diem, as defined in Title 3, section 2, and reimbursement for travel and other necessary expenses for attendance at authorized meetings of the council.
 
8. Staffing; funding.   The council may hire staff as necessary for its work and as resources permit. The council maySuch staff may enter into contracts on behalf of the council to carry out the purposes of this chapter, provide funding to communities or any governance entity that is created as a result of a partnership pursuant to this chapter and accept grant funding and other funding as may be available for the work of the council and any committees of the council.
 
9. Logo.   The council may develop, adopt and publicize a logo or slogan to identify its work.
Sec. 2. 5 MRSA §24002, as amended by PL 2011, c. 388, §3, is repealed.
Sec. 3.  5 MRSA §24002-A  is enacted to read:
§ 24002-A. Duties; long-term plan
 
1.  Duties.     The duties of the council include, but are not limited to:
 
A.  Reviewing and addressing recommendations of legislative studies and advisory committees established by statute regarding young children and their families for the purpose of ensuring coordination and enhancement of local, state and federal service systems and stakeholder groups;
 
B.  Leading the development of a birth-to-grade-3 continuum to ensure local, state and federal service systems alignment;
 
C.  Connecting statutorily established bodies that have the expressed purpose of providing guidance regarding early childhood health, development, care and education issues to coordinate and align strategies and communication;
 
D.  Leading the development of a high-quality, comprehensive and coordinated system of early childhood development and care for children from birth to school-entry age so that all young children begin school socially, emotionally and physically healthy and prepared to be successful; and
 
E.  Developing, ensuring the implementation of and updating a long-term plan for investment in the healthy development of young children that will achieve sustainable social and financial investment in the healthy development of young children and their families.
 
2.  Long-term plan.     The council shall develop the long-term plan required by subsection 1, paragraph E in accordance with this subsection.
 
A.  To ensure the successful accomplishment of the development, implementation and updating of the long-term plan, the council shall:
 
(1) Consult and coordinate with:
 
(a) Members of the public;
 
(b) The Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Corrections, the Department of Economic and Community Development, the Department of Labor, the Department of Public Safety and the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation, Bureau of Insurance;
 
(c) Municipal and county governments; and
 
(d) Advocates, community agencies and providers of early care and education and services to children and their families;
 
(2) Monitor and evaluate progress in accomplishing the long-term plan's vision, goals and performance indicators and best practice research; and
 
(3) Consider the changing economic and demographic conditions and the effect of investments on economic growth and productivity.
 
B.  The long-term plan must involve responsible entities and include strategies and timelines that:
 
(1) Provide for the coordination of resources and services across State Government and the elimination of duplicate programs and services;
 
(2) Provide uniform standards for quality, programs and measures of effectiveness based on outcomes;
 
(3) Reflect the diversity and uniqueness of young children and their families;
 
(4) Reflect a commitment to sustainable growth of young children;
 
(5) Improve access to an efficient system of services and programs;
 
(6) Include family representation and preserve parental choice in providers;
 
(7) Reflect the importance of child care in sustaining employment for parents;
 
(8) Encourage cooperation among government, business and the public in achieving the goals of the long-term plan;
 
(9) Develop a consistent and coherent policy that is applied to all services, programs and agencies, including the development of a common language and a common vision;
 
(10) Require communication and collaboration among all parties involved in the long-term plan;
 
(11) Require data sharing and outcome measurement;
 
(12) Create a comprehensive system for workforce development to include professional and resource development and procedures to meet compliance and relevant licensing requirements;
 
(13) Maximize federal funding;
 
(14) Provide recommendations for the streamlining and merging of advisory and oversight bodies;
 
(15) Make use of community services across the State; and
 
(16) Invest in technology and infrastructure.
 
C.  The council shall develop the long-term plan as a detailed plan designed to develop, implement and sustain a unified, statewide early childhood services system that:
 
(1) Provides essential prevention, intervention and family support resources for children from birth to 5 years of age and their families; shares common standards for quality; respects the diversity and uniqueness of young children and their families; reflects a commitment to sustainable growth; includes family representation; recognizes the importance of child care in sustaining employment for parents; and recognizes the value of new forms of cooperation among government, business and society in achieving the goals of the long-term plan;
 
(2) Ensures that individualized, family-centered, culturally sensitive and high-quality services are available to expectant families and to those with children under 5 years of age; and
 
(3) Contains a comprehensive, research-based plan that identifies effective strategies and methodologies that match capacity with need based on public health and education data, workforce development needs across the spectrum of early childhood and family-centered services and supports.
 
D.  The council shall complete the long-term plan no later than 12 months following the effective date of this section.
 
E.  By January 15, 2014 and every 2 years thereafter, the council shall report to the Governor and to the joint standing committees of the Legislature having jurisdiction over health and human services, corrections, economic development, insurance, labor, public safety, taxation and education matters on the activities and accomplishments of the council and its long-term plan for investment in the healthy development of young children and may issue such other reports as the council determines to be appropriate.
Sec. 4. Staggered terms of members of Maine Children's Growth Council. Notwithstanding the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, section 24001, subsection 4, the Governor, President of the Senate and Speaker of the House, when making appointments to the Maine Children’s Growth Council during calendar years 2014, 2015 and 2016, shall make their respective appointments to one-year, 2-year and 3-year terms proportionately to ensure that the terms of members of the council are staggered.
 
SUMMARY
This bill amends the composition and duties of the Maine Children's Growth Council by:
1. Requiring the Governor, President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives, when making appointments to the council, to ensure that appointees represent a diversity of interests including early learning coalitions, public health and safety networks, organizations that prevent and address child abuse and neglect and philanthropic organizations;
2. Increasing the number of members who represent statewide associations of business and industry to 2;
3. Adding the commissioner, or the commissioner's designee, of the Department of Corrections, the Department of Economic and Community Development, the Department of Labor and the Department of Public Safety and the Superintendent of Insurance, or the superintendent's designee, as members;
4. Adding 3 more employees from the Department of Health and Human Services or the Department of Education;
5. Staggering the terms of appointed members;
6. Requiring the Governor, when appointing the chairs of the council, to consider the recommendations of the council;
7. Specifying that certain public members not otherwise compensated are entitled to receive mileage and a per diem;
8. Specifying that staff members of the council are authorized to undertake certain actions, such as entering into contracts and providing funding;
9. Repealing the current law that requires the council to develop a long-term plan for investment in the healthy development of young children and replacing it with the requirement to develop a long-term plan in accordance with specific requirements, including:
A. Requirements for the council to consult with specified state agencies and local governments when developing the long-term plan; and
B. Strategies and timelines that provide for the coordination of resources and services across State Government and the elimination of duplicate programs and services to reflect the diversity of and uniqueness of young children and their families and to maximize federal funding; and
10. Requiring the long-term plan to be developed within 12 months of the effective date of this bill.