A05004
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
1425
Session of
2023
INTRODUCED BY PARKER, MADDEN, KINSEY, KAZEEM, SANCHEZ, PROBST,
SCHLOSSBERG, HILL-EVANS AND MAYES, JUNE 20, 2023
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES, JUNE 20, 2023
AN ACT
Providing for a universal maternal home visiting program; and
conferring powers and imposing duties on the Office of Child
Development and Early Learning.
Providing for plan for maternal home visiting programs; and
conferring powers and imposing duties on the Department of
Human Services.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Short title.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the Universal
Maternal Home Visiting Act.
Section 2. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Department." The Department of Human Services of the
Commonwealth.
"Eligible family." A family who is eligible for home
visiting services under a maternal home visiting program.
"Maternal home visiting program." An evidence-based home
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visiting model proven to improve child health and be cost
effective., as measured by the Home Visiting Evidence of
Effectiveness (HomVEE) Program.
"Office." The Office of Child Development and Early
Learning.
Section 3. Universal maternal home visiting. Plan for maternal
home visiting programs.
(a) Purpose.--It is the goal of the Commonwealth to offer an
expansion of maternal home visiting programs universally to
eligible families.
(b) Home visiting plan.--Within 100 days of the effective
date of this subsection, the office department shall establish a
five-year plan, subject to available funding, to offer
voluntary, evidence-based maternal home visiting programs to
eligible families. The office department shall publish the plan
on its publicly accessible Internet website.
(c) Contents of plan.--
(1) The plan may include the following:
(i) Expansion of Whether existing maternal home
visiting programs should be expanded.
(ii) Proposed applications for Federal and
foundation grant funding.
(iii) Social impact bonds outcomes.
(iv) Other programs the office identifies that would
result in an efficient expansion of maternal home
visiting service offerings.
(2) The plan shall target expansion of address the
potential to expand maternal home visiting programs by at
least up to 20% per year.
(d) Office actions.--The plan shall detail actions that the
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office may pursue without additional legislative action. Within
60 days of the plan's publication on the office's publicly
accessible Internet website, the office shall commence those
actions.
(e) Action by General Assembly.--For aspects of the plan
that require additional action by the General Assembly, the
office shall include in the plan specific requests and outlines
of legislative action needed, including budget requests.
(d) Report.--No later than December 31 of each year the plan
is in effect, the department shall submit an annual report to
the General Assembly regarding the implementation of the plan
and access to maternal home visiting programs. The department
shall include recommendations for legislative action in each
report, if applicable.
Section 4. Effective date.
This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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