A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to establish an initiative for the successful transition of foster care youth to adulthood.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  Article 1A of Chapter 131D of the General Statutes is amended by adding the following new Part to read:
"Part 3. Partnership for Successful Transition of Foster Care Youth to Adulthood.
"§ 131D‑10.9F.  Purpose.
It is the intent of the General Assembly to fund and support transitional living services that demonstrate positive outcomes for youth, attract significant private sector funding, and will lead to the development of evidence‑based programs to serve the at‑risk population described in this Part.
"§ 131D‑10.9G.  Foster Care Transitional Living Initiative Fund.
(a)	There is created the Foster Care Transitional Living Initiative Fund that will support a demonstration project with services provided by Youth Villages to (i) improve outcomes for youth ages 17‑21 years who transition from foster care through implementation of outcome‑based Transitional Living Services, (ii) identify cost-savings in social services and juvenile and adult correction services associated with the provision of Transitional Living Services to youth aging out of foster care, and (iii) take necessary steps to establish an evidence‑based transitional living program available to all youth aging out of foster care. In implementing these goals, the Foster Care Transitional Living Initiative Fund shall support the following strategies:
(1)	Transitional Living Services, which is an outcome‑based program that follows the Youth Villages Transitional Living Model. Outcomes on more than 7,000 participants have been tracked since the program's inception. The program has been evaluated through an independent Randomized Controlled Trial. Results indicate that Youth Villages Transitional Living Model had positive impacts in a variety of areas, including housing stability, earnings, economic hardship, mental health, and intimate partner violence in comparison to the control population.
(2)	Public‑Private Partnership, which is a commitment by private‑sector funding partners to match one hundred percent (100%) of the funds appropriated to the Foster Care Transitional Living Initiative Fund for the 2015‑2017 fiscal biennium for the purposes of providing Transitional Living Services through the Youth Villages Transitional Living Model to youth aging out of foster care.
(3)	Impact Measurement and Evaluation, which are services funded through private partners to provide independent measurement and evaluation of the impact the Youth Villages Transitional Living Model has on the youth served, the foster care system, and on other programs and services provided by the State which are utilized by former foster care youth.
(4)	Advancement of Evidence‑Based Process, which is the implementation and ongoing evaluation of the Youth Villages Transitional Living Model for the purposes of establishing the first evidence‑based transitional living program in the nation. To establish the evidence‑based program, additional randomized controlled trials may be conducted to advance the model.
(b)	The Social Services Commission shall adopt rules to implement the provisions of this section.
(c)	This program shall not constitute an entitlement and is subject to the availability of funds."
SECTION 2.  G.S. 131D‑10.9A reads as rewritten:
"§ 131D‑10.9A.  Permanency Innovation Initiative Oversight Committee created.
(a)	Creation and Membership. – The Permanency Innovation Initiative Oversight Committee is established. The Committee shall be located administratively in the General Assembly. The Committee shall consist of 12 members serving staggered terms. In making appointments, each appointing authority shall select members who have appropriate experience and knowledge of the issues to be examined by the Committee and shall strive to ensure racial, gender, and geographical diversity among the membership. The initial Committee members shall be appointed on or after July 1, 2013, as follows:
(1)	Four members shall be appointed by the General Assembly upon recommendation of the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Of the members appointed under this subdivision, at least one shall be a member of the judiciary who shall serve for a term of two years and at least one shall be a representative from the Children's Home Society of North Carolina who shall serve for a term of three years. One member of the House shall be appointed for a one‑year term. The remaining appointee shall serve a one‑year term.
(2)	Four members shall be appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the President Pro Tempore of the Senate. Of the members appointed under this subdivision, at least one shall be a representative from the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Social Services, who shall serve for a term of two years and at least one shall be a representative from The Duke Endowment who shall serve for a term of three years. One member of the Senate shall be appointed for a one‑year term. The remaining appointee shall serve a one‑year term.
(3)	Four members shall be appointed by the Governor. Of the members appointed under this subdivision, at least one shall be a representative from a county department of social services who shall serve for a term of three years, at least one shall be a representative from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who shall serve for a term of two years, and at least one shall be a representative from Youth Villages who shall serve for a term of two years. The remaining member shall serve a one‑year term.
(b)	Terms. – Upon the expiration of the terms of the initial Committee members, each member shall be appointed for a term of three years and shall serve until a successor is appointed. No member may serve more than two consecutive full terms. A vacancy shall be filled within 30 days by the authority making the initial appointment.
(c)	Purpose and Powers. – The Committee shall:
(1)	Design and implement a data tracking methodology to collect and analyze information to gauge the success of the initiative established under this section as well as an initiative for foster care youth transitioning to adulthood in accordance with Part 3 of this Article.
(2)	Develop a methodology to identify short‑ and long‑term cost‑savings in the provision of foster care and foster care transitional living services and any potential reinvestment strategies.
(3)	Oversee program implementation to ensure fidelity to the program models identified under subdivisions (1) and (2) of G.S. 131D‑10.9B(a) and under subdivisions (1) through (4) of G.S. 131D‑10.9G(a).
(4)	Study, review, and recommend other policies and services that may positively impact permanency, well‑being outcomes, and youth aging out of the foster care system.
(d)	Reports. – The Committee shall report its analysis and any findings and recommendations to the General Assembly by September 15 of each year.
(e)	Organization. – The President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall each designate a cochair of the Committee. The Committee shall meet at least once a quarter upon the joint call of the cochairs. A quorum of the Committee is seven members. No action may be taken except by a majority vote at a meeting at which a quorum is present.
(f)	Funding. – From funds available to the General Assembly, the Legislative Services Commission shall allocate monies to fund the work of the Committee. Members of the Committee shall receive subsistence and travel expenses as provided in G.S. 120‑3.1 and G.S. 138‑5.
(g)	Staff. – The Legislative Services Commission, through the Legislative Services Officer, shall assign professional staff to assist the Committee in its work. Upon the direction of the Legislative Services Commission, the Director of Legislative Assistants of the Senate and of the House of Representatives shall assign clerical staff to the Committee. The expenses for clerical employees shall be borne by the Committee."
SECTION 3.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Social Services, the sum of one million three hundred thousand dollars ($1,300,000) for the 2015‑2016 fiscal year and the sum of one million seven hundred fifty thousand dollars ($1,750,000) for the 2016‑2017 fiscal year to be used solely for the Foster Care Transitional Living Initiative Fund for services provided by Youth Villages as established by G.S. 131D‑10.9G, enacted under Section 1 of this act.
SECTION 4.  This act is effective when it becomes law.