| HOUSE AMENDED |
| PRIOR PRINTER'S NOS. 144, 439, 2076 | PRINTER'S NO. 2289 |
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| THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA |
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| SENATE BILL |
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| INTRODUCED BY FONTANA, PIPPY, BROWNE, TARTAGLIONE, ERICKSON, FARNESE, WILLIAMS, WARD, BOSCOLA, COSTA, FERLO, HUGHES, BREWSTER, WASHINGTON, DINNIMAN, KITCHEN, GREENLEAF, KASUNIC, STACK, YUDICHAK, EARLL, BLAKE AND SOLOBAY, JANUARY 18, 2011 |
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| AS AMENDED ON SECOND CONSIDERATION, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, JUNE 13, 2012 |
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| AN ACT |
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1 | Establishing a task force within the Department of Education, |
2 | providing for its powers and duties and providing for |
3 | administrative support. |
4 | The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania |
5 | hereby enacts as follows: |
6 | Section 1. Task force on homeless children's education. |
7 | (a) Establishment.--There is established within the |
8 | Department of Education a task force on homeless children's |
9 | education. |
10 | (b) Composition.--The task force shall be composed of the |
11 | following members: |
12 | (1) The Secretary of Education, who shall act as |
13 | chairperson of the task force. |
14 | (2) The Secretary of Public Welfare or a designee from |
15 | the Office of Children, Youth and Families. |
16 | (3) Twelve members to be appointed by the Secretary of |
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1 | Education, within 30 days of the effective date of this act, |
2 | to include: |
3 | (i) Five representatives of local agencies assisting |
4 | homeless children and families, one each from |
5 | southwestern, northwestern, central, southeastern and |
6 | northeastern Pennsylvania. |
7 | (ii) Three representatives from the Commonwealth's |
8 | public schools, one of which shall be from a charter |
9 | school, representing urban, suburban and rural areas of |
10 | Pennsylvania. |
11 | (iii) Two representatives from Pennsylvania |
12 | intermediate units. |
13 | (iv) Two representatives from Pennsylvania social |
14 | services organizations or advocacy organizations with |
15 | experience working with homeless children and education |
16 | issues. |
17 | (c) Study.--The task force shall conduct a study of the |
18 | demographics and education of Pennsylvania's homeless child |
19 | population and their educational needs. The Department of |
20 | Education shall develop uniform forms and surveys necessary for |
21 | obtaining the information required for the study. If the | <-- |
22 | department has already collected the data or information |
23 | required, the task force shall incorporate the data or |
24 | information into the report required under subsection (d). The |
25 | study shall include: |
26 | (1) A demographic survey of homeless parents and |
27 | homeless youth. |
28 | (2) An assessment of the difficulties in providing |
29 | educational services to homeless students. |
30 | (3) An assessment of barriers to serving the needs of |
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1 | preschool children experiencing homelessness, including |
2 | access to early intervention services. |
3 | (4) An assessment of successful strategies for serving |
4 | homeless students, including strategies for informing |
5 | parents, homeless shelters, students and school districts of |
6 | the educational services available to homeless students. |
7 | (5) An assessment of best practices used in other states |
8 | to educate homeless students. |
9 | (6) Recommendations regarding the collection and use of |
10 | data currently collected by the department. |
11 | (d) Report to the General Assembly.--The task force shall |
12 | issue a report of its findings and recommendations to the |
13 | Governor, the President pro tempore of the Senate, the Minority |
14 | Leader of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of |
15 | Representatives, the Minority Leader of the House of |
16 | Representatives, the chairman and minority chairman of the |
17 | Education Committee of the Senate and the chairman and minority |
18 | chairman of the Education Committee of the House of |
19 | Representatives. The initial report shall be submitted within 18 |
20 | months of the effective date of this section. The report shall |
21 | be distributed to State and local agencies that work with |
22 | homeless children, as well as to all Pennsylvania school |
23 | districts. |
24 | (e) Meetings.--The task force shall meet at least once each |
25 | quarter and shall hold its first meeting within 60 days of the |
26 | effective date of this section. |
27 | (f) Compensation.--Task force members shall receive no |
28 | compensation for their services but shall be reimbursed for all |
29 | necessary travel and other reasonable expenses incurred in |
30 | connection with the performance of their duties as members. |
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1 | (g) Duties of department.--The Department of Education shall |
2 | provide administrative support, office space and any other |
3 | technical assistance required by the task force to carry out its |
4 | duties under this section, including access to all reports and |
5 | data required by the Federal Government to comply with Title I |
6 | of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (Public |
7 | Law 89-10, 20 U.S.C. Ch. 63, et seq.) and McKinney-Vento |
8 | Homeless Assistance Act of 1986 (Public Law 100-77, 42 U.S.C. § |
9 | 11301, et seq.). |
10 | Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days. | <-- |
11 | Section 2. Expiration. | <-- |
12 | This act shall expire two years following the effective date |
13 | of this section. |
14 | Section 3. Effective date. |
15 | This act shall take effect in 60 days. |
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