Social Services and Community Development

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Social Services & Community Development Committee met on February 25, 2014, at 11:00 AM under the presiding officer Ford. The committee addressed four agenda items during the session, including approval of the Committee Summary, discussion of childcare assistance reductions, a review of the FY 15 Partner Agency Funding Request process, and consideration of items referred to the committee. The committee took four motions and votes and heard two public comments during the meeting. One item was approved, two items were deferred for further consideration, and one item was presented for informational purposes.

Attendance

The following individuals were present at the meeting on February 25, 2014:

• Ford
• Akers
• Ellinger
• Kay
• Lawless
• Stinnett
• Scutchfield
• Myers
• Beard
• Lane

No absences or late arrivals were recorded.

Votes and Decisions

The committee took four votes during this meeting, all of which passed.

Approval of Committee Summary 5:05 The committee voted unanimously to approve the summary from the November 19, 2013 meeting. Ellinger moved the motion and Scutchfield seconded it.

Removal of Social Services Needs Assessment 5:05 The committee voted unanimously to remove the Social Services Needs Assessment from the committee agenda. Ellinger moved the motion and Myers seconded it.

Removal of Summer Youth Employment Program 5:05 The committee voted unanimously to remove the Summer Youth Employment Program from the committee agenda. Myers moved the motion and Ellinger seconded it.

Removal of Child Care Assistance Reductions Issue 20:09 The committee voted by voice vote to remove the child care assistance reductions issue from the committee agenda. Myers moved the motion and K seconded it.

Public Comment

Two speakers provided updates during the public comment period.

Joanna Rhodes 11:15 spoke about child care assistance funding and the Child Care Fund. She provided an update on the fund, which operates as a donation-based program supported through vehicle registration and online donations. The fund assists families whose income falls just below the eligibility threshold for child care assistance. Rhodes emphasized the need to increase promotion of the fund in order to support more families in this income range.

Commissioner Beth Mills 14:43 reported on the FY 15 partner agency funding process. She noted that 73 of 76 applications were submitted on time. The total funding request from applicants reached $6.3 million, which represents three times the amount requested in the previous year. Mills also reported that the review process had been expanded and highlighted the role of Amy Baker in monitoring agency performance.

Appointments

Malcolm Ratchford was appointed to the Community Action Council.

Committee Summary (1-2)

The committee approved the summary from the November 19, 2013 meeting. This summary had been previously reviewed and was unanimously adopted by the committee members. 5:05

Key Speakers: - Ellinger - Scutchfield

Outcome: The summary was approved.

Childcare Assistance Reductions

The committee discussed recent state-level developments regarding childcare assistance funding 5:42. Key speakers included Joanna Rhodes, Bradley Stevenson, Commissioner Beth Mills, and Myers.

Funding Proposal

Governor Beshear proposed restoring funding to the Child Care Assistance Program, with implementation scheduled to begin in July 2014.

Economic Impact Study

The committee reviewed a draft proposal for an economic impact study to be conducted by Dr. Christopher Bollinger. This study was presented as a means to evaluate the effects of the proposed funding changes.

Supplemental Resources

The committee discussed the Child Care Fund as a potential supplemental resource to support childcare assistance efforts.

Outcome

The issue was ultimately removed from the committee agenda and the discussion was deferred.

FY 15 Partner Agency Funding Request Review Process

Commissioner Beth Mills provided an update on the FY 15 partner agency funding request review process 14:43.

Applications and Funding Requests

The review process received 73 complete applications requesting a total of $6.3 million in funding.

Process Expansion

The review process was expanded to include eight grant sessions to evaluate the applications.

Program Evaluations

Amy Baker was highlighted for her role in conducting on-site program evaluations as part of the review process.

Outcome

This agenda item was presented for informational purposes.

Items Referred to Committee

19:37

The committee discussed the continued referral of workforce investment and training issues. Council Member Myers initially suggested keeping the child care assistance issue in committee for further review. However, Myers later moved to remove the item from committee referral, citing progress being made at the state level on this matter.

Following this discussion, the committee agreed to monitor the child care assistance issue and remain prepared to take action if circumstances warrant intervention. Council Member Ford participated in the discussion of these referrals.

The outcome on this agenda item was deferred, allowing the committee to maintain oversight while recognizing the ongoing state-level efforts addressing the issue.