House Concurrent Resolution 81

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION TO CREATE AND EMPOWER THE MISSISSIPPI COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF CHILDREN; TO PRESCRIBE THE POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE COMMISSION; TO ESTABLISH A COALITION OF STATE INTERAGENCY AND PRIVATE AGENCIES TO ADDRESS ISSUES AFFECTING THE STATUS OF CHILDREN IN MISSISSIPPI; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

WHEREAS, the State of Mississippi does encourage, promote and foster the success and well-being of all its citizens and desires to provide them with opportunities to realize the quality of life to which they aspire; and

WHEREAS, it is a higher public purpose of state government to ensure that no child in this state is denied the opportunity to succeed and make positive contributions to Mississippi's future and its quality of life; and

WHEREAS, the creation of a Commission on the Status of Children will address issues affecting the status of children in the State of Mississippi:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That there is hereby created the Commission on the Status of Children, hereinafter referred to as "the commission," for the purpose of addressing issues affecting the status of children in the state.

The commission shall be nonpartisan and composed of 13 persons appointed with the advice and consent of the Senate, as follows:

(a) On or before July 1, 2004, the Governor shall appoint four members, including a parent who is a current or former food stamps and/or TANF recipient and a single parent;

(b) On or before July 1, 2004, the Lieutenant Governor shall appoint three members, including a current or formerly licensed social worker with expertise in children's issues;

(c) On or before July 1, 2004, the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint three members, including a health care professional knowledgeable in children's health issues; and

(d) On or before July 1, 2004, the Attorney General shall appoint three members, including a member of the youth court with expertise in children's issues.

The initial term of office of one member appointed by the Governor shall expire on June 30, 2005. The initial terms of office of the remaining members shall be fixed by the appointing authorities so that the term of office of one member appointed by each appointing authority expires on June 30, 2005, the term of office of one member appointed by each expires on June 30, 2006, and the terms of office of the remaining four members expire on June 30, 2007.

The Lieutenant Governor, Speaker of the House and Attorney General shall notify the Governor after they have made their appointments. The Governor then shall designate a place and time in Jackson, Mississippi, for the initial organizational meeting of the commission, which meeting must be on or before September 1, 2004.

It is the intent of the Legislature that the members of the commission shall be women and men of recognized ability and achievement who are representative of the ethnic, geographic, socioeconomic and cultural diversity of the population of this state, and who have a proven record of efforts to improve the status of children.

The commission shall adopt rules for its efficient operation, which may include designation of its organizational structure, including officers and committees, duties of officers and committees, a process for selecting officers, quorum requirements for committees, provisions for special or ad hoc committees and other such procedures as may be necessary. The commission may establish committees responsible for conducting specific commission programs.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the commission shall:

(a) Serve an advocacy and public awareness role with the general public regarding child welfare issues;

(b) Conduct studies on the status of Mississippi's children, child welfare and related issues;

(c) Establish a coalition of state interagency and private agencies to address issues affecting the status of children in Mississippi;

(d) Act as an information center on the status of child welfare needs;

(e) Hold hearings, make and sign any agreements and do or perform any acts that may be necessary, desirable or proper to carry out the purposes of this resolution;

(f) Cooperate with any state agency, authority, board, commission, department or institution to facilitate the implementation of the powers and duties granted to the commission in this resolution; and each such state agency, authority, board, commission, department or institution shall cooperate with the commission in the performance of its duties;

(g) Apply for and accept funds, grants, gifts and services from the state, the government of the United States or any of its agencies, or any other public or private source, for the purpose of defraying costs as may be necessary in carrying out its duties under this resolution;

(h) Recommend to the Governor and the Legislature appropriate policies to improve the educational, economic and health status of children; and

(i) Report annually, not later than December 31 of each year, to the Governor and the Legislature regarding it activities under this resolution, the progress made toward improving the quality of life of Mississippi's children and the actions taken with regard to recommendations previously made.

The commission shall meet and conduct business at least semiannually, but not more often that once a month. All meetings of the commission and any committees of the commission shall be open to the public, with opportunities for public comment provided on a regular basis. Notice of all meetings shall be given as provided in the Open Meetings Act, Section 25-41-1 et seq., Mississippi Code of 1972, and appropriate notice also shall be given to all persons so requesting the date, time and place of each meeting.

Members of the commission may be reimbursed for expenses as provided in Section 25-3-41, Mississippi Code of 1972, and may receive a per diem compensation as provided in Section 25-3-69, Mississippi Code of 1972.