First Regular Session Seventieth General Assembly STATE OF COLORADO INTRODUCED LLS NO. 15-0762.01 Jane Ritter x4342 SENATE BILL 15-131 SENATE SPONSORSHIP Newell, Aguilar, Kerr, Todd HOUSE SPONSORSHIP Pettersen, Senate Committees House Committees State, Veterans, & Military Affairs Finance A BILL FOR AN ACT Concerning establishing a collaborative between multiple agencies to ensure success for youth connected with the foster care system. Bill Summary (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this bill passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at http://www.leg.state.co.us/billsummaries.) The bill establishes a multi-agency, multi-organizational fostering success collaborative (collaborative). The collaborative will include and promote participation across departments, offices, and programs to align existing and new educational and support services for youth ages 13 and older who are currently or were formerly in the care of the state or who were victims of human trafficking. The collaborative consists of representatives from, at a minimum, the department of human services, the department of education, the department of higher education, the department of labor and employment, representatives from county social services associations, the Colorado work force development council within the department of labor and employment, and the office of the governor. The bill also allows each public institution of higher education to establish a fostering success program (program) on campus and have an academic advisor to support the program. The responsibilities of the collaborative and the programs are defined. The bill establishes a cash fund for the receipt and distribution of gifts, grants, and donations. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado: SECTION 1. In Colorado Revised Statutes, add article 75 to title 23 as follows: ARTICLE 75 Fostering Success Collaborative Program 23-75-101. Legislative declaration. (1) The general assembly finds that: (a) Fewer than one in three Colorado students who were in foster care during high school graduated from high school within four years of entering ninth grade; (b) Students who are in foster care drop out earlier in their educational careers than other unique populations; (c) One in eleven students who are in foster care dropped out of high school at least once; (d) Students who are in foster care have the highest mobility rate of any unique population, including homeless and migrant populations; (e) Youth who are or were in foster care have higher support needs to achieve independent living because of numerous adverse childhood experiences; (f) Students who are or were in foster care often have a higher need for remedial education upon entering an institution of higher education, thus increasing their cost for higher education; (g) Because students who are or were in foster care often deal with continuing barriers to a postsecondary education, they often take longer to graduate, thus further increasing their cost for higher education; and (h) Youth who were involved in some way with the child welfare system are twice as likely to not graduate from high school or postsecondary education, twice as likely to become involved in the criminal juvenile justice system, and more likely to ultimately receive lifelong benefits from the state. Together, these factors cost the state an average of more than three hundred thousand dollars per child over his or her lifetime. (2) Therefore, it is the intent of the general assembly to provide older youth who are in the care of the state, as well as youth formerly in foster care, with the tools and resources to support them as they transition into successful independent living. To ensure the best postsecondary education and transition to self-sufficiency for these youth, it is critical that the state develop a process to align and integrate secondary and postsecondary education; child welfare; and workforce development efforts across agencies, systems, and programs. 23-75-102. Fostering success collaborative - established - purpose - plans for statewide higher education fostering success programs - reporting - gifts, grants, and donations. (1) (a) There is established in the department of higher education a multi-agency, multi-organizational fostering success collaborative, referred to in this article as the "collaborative". The collaborative will include and promote participation across departments, offices, and programs to align existing and new educational and support services by the beginning of the 2016-17 academic year for youth thirteen years of age and older who are currently or were formerly in the care of the state. (b) The collaborative consists of representatives from, at a minimum, the department of human services, the department of education, the department of higher education, the department of labor and employment, the Colorado work force development council within the department of labor and employment, representatives from county social services associations, appropriate nonprofit associations, private foundations, and the office of the governor. (2) (a) On or before September 1, 2015, the college in Colorado program within the department of higher education, developed pursuant to section 23-3.1-304 (1) (p), shall convene the first meeting of the collaborative. College in Colorado shall supervise, coordinate, and provide support to the collaborative. (b) College in Colorado shall coordinate the creation and signing of a memorandum of understanding between the agencies participating in the collaborative. (3) The purposes of the collaborative are to: (a) Align, integrate, and streamline programs and services to result in the best educational and independent living outcomes for eligible youth and young adults; (b) Gain efficiencies through sharing data, knowledge, and human and financial resources; (c) Collaborate and align programs and services between, at a minimum, the Colorado state youth development plan pursuant to section 26-1-111.3, C.R.S.; college in Colorado in the department of higher education; the Colorado opportunity scholarship initiative created in section 23-3.3-1003; the federal children's bureau education and training voucher program created through the federal "Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoption Act of 2008", Pub.L. 110-351; and the federal John H. Chafee foster care independence program; (d) Identify a common agenda and share measurement collection and reporting, thereby mutually reinforcing activities and increasing and maintaining communication across programs, services, and entities; (e) Improve college success rates and postsecondary outcomes for students coming from foster care through systems collaboration; (f) Identify an effective support model throughout the higher education system, the department of human services, and the department of labor and employment, with the inclusion of community organizations, foundations, independent living programs, and policymakers; (g) On or before January 31, 2016, design a plan that includes short- and long-term actions and recommendations for statewide accessibility. The plan must include, at a minimum: (I) A plan for creating fostering success and scholarship programs for youth, who are currently or were formerly in the care of the state, at every institution of higher education; (II) Development of training and mentoring options for students, academic advisors, staff, faculty, and housing specialists; (III) Development of training and mentoring options through the department of human services' child welfare training academy for relevant child welfare caseworkers; (IV) A plan for developing and establishing best practices for the identification of youth in foster care and homeless youth, including the use of data sharing between county departments of human and social services, secondary schools, and institutions of higher education to enhance outreach services and methods; (V) A plan for providing existing or new students with housing, food, and health care options that are affordable and open during holidays and school breaks; (VI) Development of a coaching and mentoring model with a single point of contact for the student through graduation and transition to the work place; (VII) A plan for the creation of tuition assistance programs in all two- and four-year institutions of higher education in Colorado, including tuition waivers for remedial education; (VIII) An expansion plan for fostering success programs to allow the programs to expand into a community of scholars for peer support; and (IX) A plan for long-term sustainable funding for fostering success programs; (h) Align and expand the confirmation of foster care dependency form for youth from foster care that verifies residency for in-state tuition; (i) Align and collaborate with the Colorado opportunity scholarship initiative and federal and private foundation grants and scholarships; and (j) Coordinate with court-ordered special advocates when relevant. (4) On or before January 31, 2016, the collaborative shall prepare a written report, including recommendations, concerning the short- and long-term plans required pursuant to paragraph (g) of subsection (3) of this section. College in Colorado shall make the report available on its web site and submit it to the education committees of the senate and house of representatives, the health and human services committee of the senate, the public health care and human services committee of the house of representatives, or any successor committees. (5) The department of higher education is authorized to accept gifts, grants, or donations for the implementation of this article. Gifts, grants, or donations received for the purpose of the direct or indirect implementation of this article shall be deposited in the fund created in section 23-75-104. 23-75-103. Fostering success programs in higher education - academic advisors - duties - eligibility for program. (1) College in Colorado shall establish a fostering success program, referred to in this section as a "program", for campus support and academic advisement. Each program shall launch a web site to provide information and resources to youth, students, higher education faculty and staff, human services, workforce development programs, and housing navigators and staff. (2) Academic advisors for the programs have the following responsibilities: (a) Provide outreach services to potential student participants to encourage enrollment in the program; (b) Provide pre-college advising and mentoring including financial aid advising; provide assistance with navigating appropriate resources, including workforce development, career and industry coaching, housing and independent living resources, life skills training and coaching, and food vouchers; (c) Coordinate with academic faculty and staff, as well as staff from departments of human and social services, the department of higher education, and the department of labor and employment; (d) Connect youth to resources for unforseen needs, including care packages or emergency funding; (e) Assist with degree mapping, intentional advising, and scheduling; (f) Coordinate campus program events with campus staff; and (g) Coordinate donations to the program on individual campuses. (3) A person is eligible to participate in the program if he or she is at least thirteen years of age and currently or formerly in foster care, or at least thirteen years of age and a victim of human trafficking, as defined in section 18-3-502 (12), C.R.S. 23-75-104. Fostering success collaborative cash fund. There is created in the state treasury the fostering success collaborative cash fund, referred to in this article as the "fund", consisting of any gifts, grants, or donations received for the purposes of the direct and indirect costs associated with the implementation of this article. The moneys in the fund are continuously appropriated to the department of higher education for the direct and indirect costs associated with implementing this article. The state treasurer may invest any moneys in the fund not expended for the purpose of this article as provided by law. The state treasurer shall credit all interest and income derived from the investment and deposit of moneys in the fund to the fund. Any unexpended and unencumbered moneys remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year remain in the fund and shall not be credited or transferred to the general fund or another fund. SECTION 2. Safety clause. The general assembly hereby finds, determines, and declares that this act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, and safety.