Establishes the "Hope Missouri" Act

SECOND REGULAR SESSION
HOUSE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
HOUSE BILL NO. 3470
103RD GENERAL ASSEMBL Y
7346H.03C JOSEPH ENGLER, Chief Clerk
AN ACT
T o amend chapter 660, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to the
establishment of an assistance program within the department of social services.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Chapter 660, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto one new section, to be
2 known as section 660.365, to read as follows:
660.365 . 1. This section shall be known and may be cited as the "Charity Act".
2 2. For purposes of this section, the following terms mean:
3 (1) "Missouri partner network", a grou p of entities, including state departments
4 and agencies, public-private partnerships, and nonprof it, private-sector , and faith-based
5 organizations, which pr ovides goods or services to directly support the participants'
6 goals and addr ess identified barriers;
7 (2) "Participant", an individual who voluntarily participates in the charity
8 pr ogram;
9 (3) "Participating state agency", a state department, division, or agency that
10 takes part in the charity pr ogram at the dir ection of the governor .
11 3. (1) There shall be cr eated within the department of social services the
12 "Charity" pr ogram. The office of the governor , in consultation with the department,
13 shall:
14 (a) Facilitate coordination and collaboration among participating state agencies
15 to implement the pr ovisions of this section;
16 (b) Expand the Missouri partner network to meet the needs of participants;
EXPLANA TION — Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in the above bill is not enacted and is
intended to be omitted from the law . Matter in bold-face type in the above bill is proposed language.
17 (c) Empower and assist participants in need to help identify and achieve
18 immediate, intermediate, and long-term goals and rem ove barriers to achievement of
19 personal goals;
20 (d) Use participating state agencies to serve families holistically in achieving self-
21 sufficiency , maximizing community integration, and building a pr osperous futur e.
22 Barriers to self-sufficiency may include the inability to:
23 a. Obtain stable employment;
24 b. Increas e wages;
25 c. Obtain the necessary skills for great er independence, education, or training;
26 d. Meet basic needs; and
27 e. Find stable housing; and
28 (e) Refer participants requ iring assistance with employment or vocational
29 training to appr opriate entities to prepa re, train, and place the participants in
30 meaningful employment.
31 (2) (a) T o participate in the charity pro gram, an individual shall be:
32 a. A legal r esident of this state;
33 b. A citizen of the United States or a permanent res ident alien of the United
34 States, as determined by the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services;
35 c. (i) At least eighteen years of age;
36 (ii) If emancipated, at least sixteen years of age; or
37 (iii) If under eighteen years of age and not emancipated, authorized to
38 participate by written consent of his or her par ent or guardian.
39 (b) Participation in the charity prog ram is voluntary .
40 (3) The department shall:
41 (a) Develop and maintain a website for individuals to connect with the charity
42 pr ogram; and
43 (b) Develop and maintain a charity prog ram case management system that, at a
44 minimum, conducts intake for charity prog ram inquiries and makes ref errals for
45 individuals and families in need of services.
46 4. (1) The Missouri partner network shall work to build a network of
47 partnerships to sustain the effectiveness of the charity pr ogram.
48 (2) (a) State agencies shall participate in the charity pr ogram at the dir ection of
49 the governor .
50 (b) In order to use government res our ces mor e effectively and efficiently ,
51 participating state agencies shall use existing res ources and personnel, to the extent
52 possible, to operate the charity progra m.
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53 5. There is hereb y established the "T ask For ce on the Pr otection of Children and
54 Families". The task for ce shall be composed of thr ee members fr om the house of
55 r epresent atives, thr ee members fr om the senate, and thr ee members appointed by the
56 governor . The senate members of the task for ce shall be appointed by the pr esident pr o
57 tempor e of the senate and the house members by the speaker of the house of
58 r epresent atives. There shall be at least one member fr om the minority party of the
59 senate and at least one member fr om the minority party of the house of repr esentatives.
60 The members appointed by the governor shall include one member fr om the children's
61 division, one member who is involved in family law , and one member who is a foster
62 par ent.
63 6. The task for ce shall select a chairperson and a vice-chairperson, one of whom
64 shall be a member of the senate and one a member of the house of r epresent atives. A
65 majority of the members shall constitute a quorum. The task for ce shall meet at least
66 once during each legislative session and at all other times as the chairperson may
67 designate.
68 7. The task for ce's purpose is to implement the provi sions of the charity
69 pr ogram, safeguard childr en by pr oviding rigor ous oversight of preven tion efforts, and
70 ensur e accountability , transpar ency , and continuous impro vement acr oss all systems
71 r esponsible for pr otecting children fr om abuse.
72 8. The task forc e may make reas onable req uests for staff assistance fr om the
73 r esear ch and appr opriations staffs of the senate and house of rep res entatives and the
74 joint committee on legislative res earch. In the performance of its duties, the task for ce
75 may req uest assistance or information fr om all branches of government and state
76 departments, agencies, boards, commissions, and offices.
77 9. The task for ce shall r eport to the general assembly and the governor no later
78 than December 30, 2027. The repo rt shall include updates on the implementation of the
79 charity pr ogram and recomm endations pertaining to:
80 (1) Child rem oval, including guidelines and timelines ther eof;
81 (2) The pr otection or termination of paren tal rights;
82 (3) Pr oposed visitation pr ogress ion policies;
83 (4) Guidelines for monthly reviews and case assessment;
84 (5) The rights of biological par ents;
85 (6) The rights of foster par ents; and
86 (7) Reporting req uirements for child abuse and neglect.
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87 10. The task forc e shall be in effect for one year to assist in the implementation of
88 this section. The task for ce shall expire on December 31, 2027.
✔
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