BILL NUMBER: SB 459	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Senator Liu

                        FEBRUARY 25, 2015

   An act relating to state government.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SB 459, as introduced, Liu. State government: data.
   Existing law establishes the Department of Technology within the
Government Operations Agency, headed by the Director of Technology,
who is required to advise the Governor on the strategic management of
the state's information technology resources.
   This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact
legislation that would require data collected from state and county
agencies pursuant to existing mandatory reporting requirements to be
shared among state agencies, would authorize state agencies to share
data, between and among state agencies, county agencies, local
education agencies, researchers, practitioners, and organizations
serving youth and families, consistent with state and federal privacy
and data protection laws, and would encourage these agencies to
cooperate to utilize data and develop protocols for exchanging
information safely and securely.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
   (1) California children are best served when programs and services
that support student achievement, health, and safety are aligned to
maximize the effective delivery of services.
   (2) Data linkage strategies have been recognized at the federal
level as an effective approach to align services and to coordinate
efforts across multiple agencies.
   (3) Data sharing must take place with a focus on effective
processes and procedures to protect the privacy of all Californians.
   (4) Data sharing has enabled the state to save countless dollars
on inefficient programs, avoid duplication of services, and
effectively target programs and services.
   (5) Effective data sharing across agencies with safeguards to
protect privacy and data integrity is also critical to identifying
evidence-based interventions with the greatest effectiveness for
specific populations to make the best use of scarce resources.
   (6) California has enacted the Local Control Funding Formula
(LCFF) as a key equity strategy to prioritize funding towards
low-income students, English learners, and foster youth, and the LCFF
requires that these identified populations receive increased
services with funds allocated from the LCFF.
   (7) The ability to determine the actual impacts on these specific
populations is crucial as an accountability mechanism to insure that
the LCFF dollars are in fact resulting in improved services and
outcomes.
   (8) Targeted populations, including child-welfare-involved
children and low-income students, are served by multiple agencies
across various levels of government whose effectiveness of
coordination directly impacts the outcomes of these children.
   (9) Coordinated data sharing integrates education, health, and
child welfare data across state and local agencies, while ensuring
privacy and fostering ongoing collaboration among researchers, policy
makers, agency administrators, and community leaders to improve
services for children and their families.
   (10) Federal and state requirements already necessitate the
collection of data as a condition for ongoing funding, and California
should make effective use of the opportunity to connect families to
federal programs that provide needed supports to at-risk populations
to better ensure that California families receive their fair share of
federal programs supported by California taxpayers.
   (b) It is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that
would do all of the following:
   (1) Authorize state agencies to share data between and among state
agencies, county agencies, local education agencies (LEAs),
researchers, practitioners, and organizations serving youth and
families, consistent with state and federal privacy and data
protection laws.
    (2) Encourage state agencies to collaborate with county agencies,
LEAs, researchers, practitioners, organizations, and others outside
of state agencies who are working with youth and vulnerable
populations who can safely and securely utilize data in order to make
the best use of limited resources, take advantage of opportunities
to develop effective cross-agency collaboration, and meet the needs
of at-risk populations.
   (3) Encourage the State Department of Education, the State
Department of Social Services, the State Department of Health Care
Services, county child welfare agencies, county health agencies,
county offices of education, and LEAs to develop protocols to safely
and securely facilitate the exchange of information regarding
services provided to youth, particularly child-welfare-involved
children, and low-income students, English learners, and foster youth
as specified in the LCFF.
   (4) Require data collected from state and county agencies and LEAs
pursuant to existing mandatory reporting requirements to be shared
among state agencies to the fullest extent possible under existing
privacy laws, while ensuring the integrity of the data.