EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Office of the Secretary.

4000-0100

For the operation of the executive office; provided, that said executive office shall provide technical and administrative assistance to agencies receiving federal funds; provided further, that said executive office shall monitor the expenditures and completion timetables for systems development projects being undertaken by the department of social services, the division of medical assistance, and the department of transitional assistance, and shall ensure that all measures are taken to make said systems compatible with one another for enhanced interagency interaction; provided further, that said office shall report to the house and senate committees on ways and means and the secretary of administration and finance on the progress of the development of said systems and the measures taken to ensure interagency cooperation not later than January 15, 1999; provided further, that said executive office shall continue to develop and implement the common client identifier, so-called; provided further, that said executive office shall ensure that any collaborative assessments for children receiving services from multiple agencies within the secretariat shall be performed within existing resources; and provided further that the executive office of health and human services and its agencies, when contracting for services on the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, shall take into consideration the increased costs associated with the provisions of goods, services, and housing on said islands

...............................................................$2,070,699

4000-0105

N.B. - The Acting Governor has struck language in this item

The executive office of health and human services is hereby authorized, subject to the provisions of this item relating to sections 1A and 1B, to expend revenues from federal reimbursements and other sources in an amount not to exceed $3,000,000 for the continuation of funding in fiscal year 1999 for the pilot multi-disciplinary urban youth project known as the Annie E. Casey foundation initiative in fiscal year 1998; provided, that the goal of said project shall be to improve service delivery to those children and adolescents determined by a court of competent jurisdiction, the department of social services, the department of youth services, the department of mental health, or the school where said child is enrolled as a student, to be at risk out-of-home placement; provided further, that the secretary of health and human services shall award a contract funded from this item to an existing community-based vendor providing said services in fiscal year 1998 meeting the terms of performance standards established by the secretary of health and human services, which shall include, but not be limited to, the specific types of services and costs of such services to be funded by said contract, and a delineation of all planned expenditures consistent with the expenditure classification system established by the comptroller; provided further, that no funds from this item shall be used to purchase capital assets or equipment; provided further, that any funds awarded from this item shall be in addition to and not supplant existing state funds; provided further, that any mental health services provided pursuant to said contract shall be delivered by licensed professionals in the mental health field; provided further, that expenditures made pursuant to said contract shall not annualize in fiscal year 2000 beyond the amount appropriated herein; provided further, that any such annualization expended by the commonwealth in said fiscal year shall be funded by agencies of the commonwealth based on a finding to be made by said secretary that said contract's performance standards have been achieved in a cost-effective manner; provided further, that said contract shall not be renewed in the event said finding is not made by May 1, 1999; provided further, that no revenues shall be credited to this item until the secretary of administration and finance certifies that the secretariat of health and human services has met or exceeded the revenue estimates delineated in said sections 1A and 1B and the comptroller has certified that expenditure of said revenues shall not have a negative impact on the revenue optimization program, so-called; provided further, that for the purpose of accommodating discrepancies between the receipt of retained revenues and related expenditures, the comptroller shall establish monthly benchmarks for the collection of said revenues consistent with meeting or exceeding said revenue estimates in said sections 1A and 1B; provided further, that before depositing any revenue in this account, the comptroller shall certify that the secretariat's revenue collections are meeting or exceeding said benchmarks; provided further, that the comptroller shall submit a report on the calculation of said benchmarks to the house and senate committees on ways and means on or before August 14, 1998; provided further, that no reimbursements attributable to any department of social services expenditures shall be counted in said estimate or credited to this item; provided further, that said secretary may designate agencies within the secretariat to receive and expend said revenues; provided further, that an agency designated by said secretary may incur expenses and the comptroller shall certify for payments amounts not to exceed the authorization allowed by said secretary; and provided further, that said secretary shall submit to the secretary of administration and finance and the house and senate committees on ways and means the results achieved with the funding appropriated to said Annie E. Casey foundation initiative during fiscal years 1993 until 1999, on or before January 1, 1999, prior appropriation continued

...............................................................$3,000,000

4000-0107

For a reserve to fund the strategic delivery of statewide domestic violence assistance services; provided, that the executive office of health and human services shall work in conjunction with the department of social services, other departments within the secretariat, the department of public safety, the office of victim and witness assistance, the department of housing and community development, the office of the attorney general, the office of refugees and immigrants, the district attorneys, and the Massachusetts Coalition of Battered Women Service Groups which shall ensure regional participation of current services providers, to develop a detailed plan for the integrated provision of services to domestic violence victims and their families; provided further, that said plan shall include an examination of the existing service delivery models of assistance to persons in domestic violence situations, including, but not limited to, sheltering services, medical and psychological treatment, and legal and other advocacy services; provided further, that said plan shall also include proposed revisions to departmental regulations in order to provide service enhancements to said persons from ethnic and linguistic minorities and said persons with mental illness, physical disabilities, and substance abuse treatment needs; provided further, that said plan shall include additional proposed revisions to departmental regulations, in particular those which set formulas for funding and those such may create barriers to enhanced service provision, which revisions shall place emphasis on developing criteria for funding that will ensure appropriate regional distribution of services in order to maximize accessibility and create access to services; provided further, that said plan shall include an estimate of the statewide need for additional shelter beds and safe homes, so-called, and recommendations to address the housing needs of said persons; provided further, that said executive office shall ensure that all measures are taken for enhanced interagency interaction to address the service needs of this population; provided further, that said services may include additional shelter beds and "safe home" slots, so-called, the extension of the duration of shelter services designed for persons in domestic violence situations, and the costs of developing and implementing a statewide hotline dedicated to receiving calls from such persons and designed to track the outcomes of such calls; provided further, that said plan shall be filed with the house and senate committees on ways and means not later than November 12, 1998; provided further, that no funds shall be allocated, transferred, or expended from this item until said executive office submits said plan to the secretary of administration and finance and the house and senate committees on ways and means; provided further, that not less than $50,000 be authorized for On The Rise Shelter for Women, in Cambridge; provided further, that $120,000 shall be expended for domestic violence prevention, outreach, and intervention services to homosexual male victims of domestic violence; and provided further, that not less than $100,000 shall be expended for an address confidentiality for victims of domestic violence pilot program to be developed in conjunction with the state secretary and the Massachusetts Coalition of Battered Women Service Groups

...............................................................$3,324,000

4000-0110

For matching grants to municipalities for a pilot program to prevent high rates of juvenile delinquency, teen pregnancy, and high school drop-out rates for youths-at-risk, so-called, in neighborhoods identified by the secretary of health and human services as benefiting from intensive proactive intervention; provided, that said program shall be structured to require collaboration in each such neighborhood between agencies of said executive office and the human services, education, the county sheriff's office, and public safety departments of each participating municipality; provided, that no funds appropriated herein shall be allotted or disbursed prior to the receipt of equal matching funds from such municipalities; provided further, that youths-at-risk shall include, but need not be limited to, those teenagers and pre-teenagers identified with histories of court involvement, significant or continuous exposure to criminal behavior in their household, truancy, homelessness, "children-in-need-of-services" status, or involvement with the departments of social services or youth services; provided further, that funds from this item may be expended to provide after-school programs that include parental accountability and training, court-based assessments, mentoring, substance abuse prevention and recreational programs; provided further, that any contract awarded to any municipality shall be performance-based and shall require reporting requirements which will provide for a study of the longitudinal effects of said program; and provided further, that said community-based organizations may qualify for grants from amounts awarded to said state-municipal collaborative pilot programs

...............................................................$3,000,000

4000-0115

For a contract with Massachusetts Families for Kids; provided, that said organization shall develop a plan to become self-sufficient within three years

...............................................................$648,000

4000-0122

N.B. - The Acting Governor has reduced the appropriation for this item by $1,000,000 to $1,000,000

For a citizenship assistance program to assist legal non-citizens in becoming citizens of the United States; provided, that the executive office of health and human services is authorized and directed to enter into an interagency service agreement with the office for refugees and immigrants for the administration of said program; provided further, that said program shall be administered in consultation with said executive office, the department of transitional assistance, and the division of medical assistance; provided further, that said program shall be provided through community-based organizations to the maximum extent determined appropriate by the office for refugees and immigrants; provided further, that the program funded by this item: (1) shall provide assistance to persons who are eligible to become citizens of the United States within three years; (2) may be funded not only through state appropriations but also through matching financial or in-kind contributions by private organizations or local government agencies; provided further, that persons who would qualify for benefits provided pursuant to chapter 118A of the General Laws, but for their status as legal non-citizens shall be accorded the highest priority for provision of services; provided further, that said program shall neither be an entitlement, nor be construed to create an entitlement, and shall be subject to state appropriation; provided further, that the office for refugees and immigrants shall issue quarterly reports to the house and senate committees on ways and means and to the executive office of administration and finance on the number of persons participating in said program and the number of persons attaining citizenship in each quarter; provided further, that said report shall also detail the number of participants in said program receiving state-funded benefits by category of benefits and the federal benefits each participant would have been eligible for, but for his status as a legal non-citizen; provided further, that said office for refugees and immigrants shall report quarterly to the house and senate committees on ways and means and the executive office of administration and finance on the amounts of matching or in-kind contributions by private organizations or local government agencies; provided further, that no funds shall be expended from this item to replace expiring federal funds; provided further, that no funds shall be expended from this item for AA subsidiary payroll costs, so-called; and provided further, that it is declared to be the intention of the general court that this program shall not continue beyond fiscal year 2000 and that not more than an aggregate amount of $6,000,000 shall be expended for the purposes of said program during the period from fiscal year 1998 through fiscal year 2000, inclusive

...............................................................$2,000,000