STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
9811
IN ASSEMBLY
May 23, 2014
___________
Introduced by M. of A. CAMARA -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Children and Families
AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to establishing the
task force on disconnected youth, and providing for the powers and
duties thereof
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The social services law is amended by adding a new section
2 483-g to read as follows:
3 § 483-g. Task force on disconnected youth. 1. For the purposes of this
4 section, "disconnected youth" means youth between the ages of sixteen
5 and twenty-four years, who are neither connected to an educational
6 institution or to the workforce.
7 2. (a) There is hereby established the task force on disconnected
8 youth, which shall be composed of fourteen members as follows:
9 (i) the executive director of the council on children and families, or
10 his or her designee, who shall be the chair of the task force;
11 (ii) the commissioner of temporary and disability assistance, or his
12 or her designee;
13 (iii) the commissioner of labor, or his or her designee;
14 (iv) the commissioner of education, or his or her designee;
15 (v) the commissioner of criminal justice services, or his or her
16 designee;
17 (vi) the commissioner of children and family services, or his or her
18 designee;
19 (vii) four members appointed by the executive director of the council
20 on children and families upon the recommendations of and for the purpose
21 of representing youth advocacy groups; and
22 (viii) four members appointed by the executive director of the council
23 on children and families upon the recommendations of and for the purpose
24 of representing organizations whose mission is providing assistance to
25 youth who are aging out of the foster care system or youth involved in
26 the criminal justice system.
27 (b) The task force shall meet at the call of the chair.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15072-03-4
A. 9811 2
1 (c) The members of the task force shall receive no compensation for
2 their services, but shall be allowed their actual and necessary expenses
3 incurred in the performance of their duties pursuant to this section.
4 Such expenses shall be payable on the audit and warrant of the comp-
5 troller on vouchers certified or approved by the head of the state agen-
6 cy for whom such member is employed, and in the case of the appointed
7 members, by the executive director of the council on children and fami-
8 lies.
9 3. The task force shall have the power and duty to:
10 (a) recommend to the governor and the legislature initiatives to
11 better serve disconnected youth with regard to their health, education,
12 living arrangements, skills training, employment preparation and oppor-
13 tunities, mentoring and general well-being;
14 (b) evaluate and make recommendations to the governor and the legisla-
15 ture with regard to existing programs, laws, rules and regulations that
16 could be improved, changed or eliminated to better serve disconnected
17 youth;
18 (c) within one year of its establishment, report on how the state can
19 collect, on an ongoing basis, data reflecting the experiences and
20 outcomes of disconnected youth regarding the following factors: (i)
21 living arrangements, for instance whether they live independently, with
22 relatives, friends or other, or whether they live in a homeless shelter;
23 (ii) level of educational attainment; (iii) employment status; (iv)
24 skills or employment training received, use of one-stops or other train-
25 ing providers, or certifications; (v) parental status and whether the
26 child or children is living with them; (vi) involvement with criminal
27 justice system; (vii) involvement with mental health systems; and (viii)
28 any other factors the task force deems relevant; and
29 (d) report annually, on or before January fifteenth, to the governor,
30 the temporary president of the senate, the speaker of the assembly, the
31 chairs of the appropriate senate and assembly committees, including the
32 committees on children and families, education, labor, social services
33 and health, and the chair of the assembly subcommittee on foster care,
34 relating to the activities of the task force with regard to its powers,
35 functions and duties.
36 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.