Rep. Norm Thurston — Voting Record

Bill

Number

H.B. 328 (2016GS)

Sponsor

Rep. Chavez-Houck, R.

Final action

Governor Signed 3/22/2016

Outcome

Became law — signed by Gov. Gary R. Herbert

Summary

What it does

• This bill:
• requires the Homeless Coordinating Committee to review data gathering and reporting efforts related to homelessness in the state; and
• makes technical and conforming changes.

Every vote on this bill

Bill text

HOUSING AND HOMELESS AMENDMENTS
GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Rebecca Chavez-Houck
Senate Sponsor: 
Jim Dabakis
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This bill modifies provisions related to the Homeless Coordinating Committee.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
▸ requires the Homeless Coordinating Committee to review data gathering and
reporting efforts related to homelessness in the state; and
▸ makes technical and conforming changes.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
None
Other Special Clauses:
None
Utah Code Sections Affected:
AMENDS:
35A-8-602
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2014, Chapter 371
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1. Section 
35A-8-602
 is amended to read:
35A-8-602.
Purposes of Homeless Coordinating Committee -- Uses of Pamela
Atkinson Homeless Account.
(1) (a) The Homeless Coordinating Committee shall work to ensure that services
provided to the homeless by state agencies, local governments, and private organizations are
provided in a cost-effective manner.
(b) Programs funded by the committee shall emphasize emergency housing and
self-sufficiency, including placement in meaningful employment or occupational training
activities and, where needed, special services to meet the unique needs of the homeless who:
(i) have families with children;
(ii) have a disability or a mental illness; or
(iii) suffer from other serious challenges to employment and self-sufficiency.
(c) The committee may also fund treatment programs to ameliorate the effects of
substance abuse or a disability.
(d) Before October 1, 2016, the committee shall conduct a needs assessment or
contract with another state agency or private entity to conduct a needs assessment that:
(i) identifies desired statewide outcomes related to minimizing homelessness;
(ii) reviews technology used for data gathering by state, county and local governments
and private organizations for reporting information about, and providing service to, homeless
individuals in the state, including an evaluation of:
(A) the functionality of existing databases;
(B) the ability to expand and tailor existing databases to better serve the needs of
homeless individuals; and
(C) the ability of the technology to ensure proper privacy restrictions and sharing
between reporting entities, including those addressing domestic violence, as allowed by federal
privacy regulations;
(iii) identifies gaps between the data described in Subsection (1)(d)(i) and the data
needed to implement best practices in minimizing homelessness and achieve the outcomes
identified in accordance with this Subsection (1)(d);
(iv) evaluates the technical capacity of existing databases and information technology
systems used to gather and report data related to homelessness and identifies improvements
needed to better serve the homeless population and meet the needs of all stakeholders;
(v) identifies opportunities to align data gathering and reporting related to
homelessness with state efforts to reduce intergenerational poverty, incarceration, and
recidivism rates; and
(vi) makes recommendations regarding the needed improvements related to this
Subsection (1)(d) and outlines steps for implementing the recommendations.
(e) Before October 1, 2016, the committee shall report to the department the findings
and recommendations of the needs assessment described in Subsection (1)(d) for inclusion in
the annual written report described in Section 
35A-1-109
.
(2) The committee members designated in Subsection 
35A-8-601
(2) shall:
(a) award contracts funded by the Pamela Atkinson Homeless Account with the advice
and input of those designated in Subsection 
35A-8-601
(3);
(b) consider need, diversity of geographic location, coordination with or enhancement
of existing services, and the extensive use of volunteers 
in awarding contracts described in
Subsection (2)(a)
; and
(c) give priority for funding to programs that serve the homeless who have a mental
illness and who are in families with children.
(3) (a) In any fiscal year, no more than 80% of the funds in the Pamela Atkinson
Homeless Account may be allocated to organizations that provide services only in Salt Lake,
Davis, Weber, and Utah Counties.
(b) The committee may:
(i) expend up to 3% of its annual appropriation for administrative costs associated with
the allocation of funds from the Pamela Atkinson Homeless Account, and up to 2% of its
annual appropriation for marketing the account and soliciting donations to the account; and
(ii) pay for the initial costs of the State Tax Commission in implementing Section
59-10-1306
 from the account.
[
(4) (a) The committee may not expend, except as provided in Subsection (4)(b), an
amount equal to the greater of $50,000 or 20% of the amount donated to the Pamela Atkinson
Homeless Account during fiscal year 1988-89.
]
[
(b)
] 
(4)
 If there are decreases in contributions to the account, the committee may
expend money held in the account to provide program stability, but the committee shall
reimburse the amount of those expenditures to the account.
(5) The committee shall make an annual report to the department regarding the
programs and services funded by contributions to the Pamela Atkinson Homeless Account for
inclusion in the annual written report described in Section 
35A-1-109
.
(6) The state treasurer shall invest the money in the Pamela Atkinson Homeless
Account according to the procedures and requirements of Title 51, Chapter 7, State Money
Management Act, except that interest and other earnings derived from the restricted account
shall be deposited in the restricted account.