BILL ANALYSIS 1
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SENATE ENERGY, UTILITIES AND COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE
ALEX PADILLA, CHAIR
SB 712 - Padilla/Benoit Hearing Date:
April 27, 2009 S
As Amended: April 22, 2009 FISCAL B
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DESCRIPTION
Under current law , the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
has designated "211" as the national abbreviated dialing code to
be used to access community information and referral services.
The FCC has delegated the authority to assign "211" numbers to
the states.
This bill makes the California Public Utilities Commission
(CPUC) responsible for evaluating requests for the use of the
211 number.
This bill makes the Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) the
lead entity for implementing 211 throughout the state. HHSA is
authorized to delegate the lead entity function to another
entity, which may be non-governmental. The lead entity shall
allocate federal and state funds made available for the 211
system. In allocating such funds the lead entity shall ensure
that:
federal funds are maximized;
population, poverty rates, and geographic isolation are
considered;
the developmental and operational requirements of the
211 service providers are considered;
a reasonable administrative fee is included;
matching-funds requirements are met.
BACKGROUND
What's 211? - 211 systems operate like 911 systems, but instead
of an emergency response the callers are asking for help with
social services, such as food and housing resources, health
services, mental health and crisis support, help for seniors and
people with disabilities, and resources for children and
families. 211 calls are routed to specialized help centers.
The 211 center's referral specialists question callers, access
databases of resources available from private and public health
and human service agencies, match the callers' needs to
available resources, and link or refer them directly to an
agency or organization that can help. 211 systems are active in
all or parts of at least 39 states and Washington D.C. Twenty
one California counties have established 211 systems, serving
86% of California's population. In 2008 211 providers handled
1.2 million calls.
Pending Federal Legislation - Federal legislation is pending to
help fund the creation of 211 systems nationwide (S.211: Murray
and Burr; H.R. 211: Eschoo). These bills provide $700 million
over 6 years for states to build out their 211 systems, with a
50% state match required.
CPUC Authorizes 211 Providers - In a 2003 decision the CPUC
established criteria describing which entities can be 211
providers.<1> Among the criteria are demonstrated community
support, cooperative arrangements with local service providers,
24/7 staffing, and compliance with national Information and
Referral service standards.
COMMENTS
1. Filling the Gap - By designating a lead entity for 211
services, the author believes he is addressing a gap in
current law. Filling this gap is important because pending
federal legislation will provide states with funding for
211 service, but only if they have designated a lead
entity. Supporters believe that the 211 system provides an
important public service by connecting individuals with the
social service organizations that can help them with their
problems. To demonstrate the usefulness of 211 they point
to the southern California 211 system which handled 130,000
calls 5 days after the October 2007 wildfires. Moreover,
they believe that 211 systems relieve pressure from the 911
system, thereby freeing emergency responders.
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<1> D.03-02-029.
2. Structure First, Funds Later - This bill establishes a
structure for handling 211 funds, should they become
available from the federal government. This bill does not
raise any funds.
3. CPUC Does This - The bill provisions regarding the CPUC
appear consistent with current CPUC practice.
4. Covering Everyone - The intent of the bill is to expand
the 211 program statewide. However, this intent is not
quite reflected in the operative section of the bill. The
author and committee may wish to consider correcting this
by replacing the word "within" on page 8, line 18 with
"throughout".
5. Prior Legislation - In 2004 similar legislation passed
the Legislature but was vetoed as premature. (AB 2284 -
Chu: 2004).
6. Referral - The Rules Committee has asked that if this
bill were to pass, it should be referred to Rules for
consideration of an additional referral.
POSITIONS
Sponsor:
211 California
Support:
211 LA County
211 of San Luis Obispo County
Access Services
California Alliance of Information and Referral Services
California State Association of Counties
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Santa Rosa's lake County
Program
Children Now
Contra Costa Crisis Center
Family Service Agency of Santa Barbara
Family Service Agency of Sonoma County
Inland Empire United Way
Johnanson Transportation
Lake County Community Action Agency
Legal Aid of Sonoma County
LMWS Inc., Pacific Lifeline
Mendocino County Youth Project
NAMI Sonoma County
Reach Out Morongo Basin
Redwood Community Health Coalition
Redwood Credit Union
United Way of California
United Way of the Desert
United Way of Merced County
United Way of Monterey County
United Way of San Diego County
United Way of Santa Cruz County
United Way of Silicon Valley
United Way of Stanislaus County
United Way of Stanislaus and the Mother Lode
United Way of Ventura County
Women's Crisis Support-Defense de Mujeres
2 individuals
Oppose:
None on file
Randy Chinn
SB 712 Analysis
Hearing Date: April 27, 2009