File No. 598

Senate, April 14, 2008

The Committee on Appropriations reported through SEN. HARP of the 10th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on the part of the Senate, that the substitute bill ought to pass.

AN ACT ESTABLISHING AN ADULT LITERACY BOARD.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2008) As used in sections 1 to 7, inclusive, of this act:

(1) "Board" means the Adult Literacy Leadership Board;

(2) "Adult literacy programs" and "adult literacy services" means services aimed at improving the ability of persons sixteen years of age or over who are not enrolled in secondary school to read, write and speak in English, compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job, in the family of the individual and in society;

(3) "Adult education" means a program established pursuant to sections 10-67, 10-69 to 10-71a, inclusive, and 10-73a to 10-73c, inclusive, of the general statutes;

(4) "Vision statement" means a written projected overview of the state's adult literacy programs and services at a specified future date; and

(5) "Mission statement" means a written declaration of the purpose of the state's adult literacy programs and services, including elements that address the goals of helping adults develop the reading, critical thinking, problem solving skills and communication skills they need to be self-sufficient, active citizens, effective parents and qualified, competitive workers.

Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2008) (a) There is established the Adult Literacy Leadership Board, within the Office of Workforce Competitiveness. The board shall consist of ten voting members and nine ex-officio nonvoting members.

(1) The voting members shall be appointed as follows: (A) Four appointed by the Governor, (i) one of whom shall be a director of a local adult education program, (ii) one of whom shall be a director of a regional adult education program, (iii) one of whom represents a public library, and (iv) one of whom represents a business that has employees who lack basic literacy skills or proficiency in the English language; (B) one appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives who represents a regional workforce development board; (C) one appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate who represents organized labor; (D) one appointed by the majority leader of the House of Representatives who represents a voluntary literacy organization; (E) one appointed by the majority leader of the Senate who represents an adult literacy advocacy group; (F) one appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives who shall represent the interests of persons receiving adult literacy services provided by the community-technical colleges; and (G) one appointed by the minority leader of the Senate who represents a community organization that operates an adult literacy program.

(2) The ex-officio nonvoting members shall consist of the following members, or their designees: The Commissioners of Correction, Education, Higher Education, Economic and Community Development and Social Services, the Labor Commissioner, the director of the Office of Workforce Competitiveness, the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management and the chancellor of the regional community-technical colleges.

(3) The voting members shall serve for a term of four years. The members of the commission shall serve without compensation but shall, within the limits of available funds, be reimbursed for expenses necessarily incurred in the performance of their duties.

(b) The Governor shall appoint the chairperson of the board from among its voting members. The board may create other positions it deems necessary and may fill such positions from among its members. The powers of the board shall be vested in and exercised by not less than five members of the board. Five members of the board shall constitute a quorum. The board may solicit and receive funds from any public or private sources to carry out its activities.

(c) The board shall terminate on July 1, 2012.

Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2008) The Adult Literacy Leadership Board shall:

(1) Create vision and mission statements by January 1, 2009;

(2) Develop and update a three-year strategic plan, in accordance with section 4 of this act;

(3) Report recommendations annually to the Governor and General Assembly for sources and levels of funding to meet the goals and objectives outlined in the strategic plan, in accordance with section 4 of this act;

(4) Establish performance measures for the adult literacy system and use them to track progress toward the goals and objectives outlined in the strategic plan;

(5) Develop and maintain an online centralized inventory of all adult literacy programs and services offered in the state that includes a description of the type of service, the time and place it is offered and any eligibility requirements or fees;

(6) Establish standards for adult literacy service providers, including requirements for waiting lists;

(7) Require each adult literacy service provider in the state to maintain a waiting list and report the information to the board, in accordance with standards the board establishes;

(8) Promote coordination and collaboration of delivery of adult literacy programs and services through regionalized service delivery and community partnerships; and

(9) Prepare an annual state report card on the status of adult literacy in this state, in accordance with section 5 of this act.

Sec. 4. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2008) (a) On or before January 1, 2009, the board shall develop a three-year strategic plan for an adult literacy system in this state.

(b) The strategic plan shall: (1) Include goals for an adult literacy system including a goal of reducing by a certain percentage each year over a specified period of time the number of adults in this state who lack a high school diploma or proficiency in the English language; (2) define the roles of all adult literacy service providers in the state, examining in particular, (A) governance responsibility for adult education, (B) discrepancies in service delivery and ways to promote regionalized service delivery and community partnerships, and (C) resources for system-wide administration, management, research and coordination; (3) include priorities for services that (A) improve the quality of instruction, (B) improve access and retention, and (C) identify target populations for services; (4) include an analysis of funding requirements of all adult literacy services, identifying (A) estimated resources needed to implement the plan's goals, (B) current sources of funding and possibilities for reallocation, and (C) potential alternatives and new sources of funding; and (5) outline funding policies that provide (A) financial support and incentives to support collaborative delivery of services, and (B) adequate resources for state-funded agencies with adult literacy responsibilities, including public libraries, to carry out data collection, analysis, evaluation and research related to program effectiveness and best practices.

(c) The board shall designate regional planning workgroups consisting of representatives of adult literacy service providers and persons receiving adult literacy services to assist in developing and reviewing the strategic plan for adult literacy. The board shall review annually the implementation of the strategic plan and make any necessary revisions. The board shall update the strategic plan every three years.

Sec. 5. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2008) The state report card, prepared pursuant to subdivision (9) of section 3 of this act, shall provide information on the status of adult literacy in the state. The report card shall identify each major component of the adult literacy system, including, but not limited to, adult education, family literacy and workplace literacy, and provide for each component: (1) The number and demographics of persons served, (2) a description of sources of funding, and (3) performance measures for adult literacy services.

Sec. 6. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2008) On or before January 1, 2009, and annually thereafter, the board shall report, in accordance with section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the Governor and to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to the judiciary, education, higher education, economic and community development, labor and human services on (1) the progress made in developing and implementing the strategic plan, (2) recommendations for sources and levels of funding to meet the goals outlined in the strategic plan, and (3) the report card prepared pursuant to subdivision (9) of section 3 of this act.

Sec. 7. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2008) The board may request other state agencies, including, but not limited to, the Departments of Education, Higher Education, Economic and Community Development and Social Services, the Labor Department, the Office of Workforce Competitiveness and the Board of Trustees of the Community-Technical Colleges to provide information, reports and other assistance in carrying out its duties.

Statement of Legislative Commissioners:

In subdivision (3) of section 1, the references to the sections of the statutes were substituted for "part V of chapter 164" for accuracy.

The following fiscal impact statement and bill analysis are prepared for the benefit of members of the General Assembly, solely for the purpose of information, summarization, and explanation, and do not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose:

OFA Fiscal Note

State Impact:

Note: GF=General Fund

Municipal Impact: None

Explanation

The bill, which establishes the Adult Literacy Leadership Board within the Office of Workforce Competitiveness (OWC), implements the budget. Funding in the amount of $176,784 is included in sHB 5021, the budget bill, as favorably reported by the Appropriations Committee. This funding will support the activities of the board, such as researching and developing a three-year strategic plan as well as a centralized inventory of all adult literacy programs and services offered in the state.

The Out Years

The board will terminate on July 1, 2012.



OLR Bill Analysis

sSB 465

AN ACT ESTABLISHING AN ADULT LITERACY BOARD.

SUMMARY:

This bill creates a 19-member Adult Literacy Leadership Board within the Office of Workforce Competitiveness (OWC) and requires the board, among other things, to (1) develop a three-year strategic plan for an adult literacy system, (2) prepare an annual report card on the status of adult literacy in the state, and (3) report annually to the governor and legislature on its activities. The board terminates on July 1, 2012.

EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2008

ADULT LITERACY LEADERSHIP BOARD

Board Membership

The board consists of 10 voting members and nine ex-officio nonvoting members. The governor appoints four, and legislative leaders appoint six, voting members based on the bill's criteria. Table 1 shows the board's members and their appointing authorities.

Table 1: Adult Literacy Leadership Board Membership

The voting members serve four-year terms. Members serve without compensation but must be reimbursed within available appropriations for any necessary expenses incurred while performing their duties. The governor appoints the board's chairperson from among its voting members. The board may (1) create other positions and for its members and (2) solicit and receive funds from public or private sources to carry out its activities. Any five members of the board constitute a quorum and can exercise the board's powers. (The bill does not specify whether they must be voting members.)

Strategic Plan

The bill requires the board to develop a three-year strategic plan for an adult literacy system in the state by January 1, 2009. The plan must:

1. include goals for an adult literacy system, including reducing the number of adults in the state lacking a high school diploma or English proficiency by a certain percentage each year for a specified time;

2. define the roles of adult literacy service providers in the state, particularly the (a) governance responsibility for adult education, (b) discrepancies in service delivery and ways to promote regionalized service delivery and community partnerships, and (c) resources for system-wide administration, management, research, and coordination;

3. prioritize services that improve quality of instruction, access, and retention, and identify target populations for services;

4. analyze funding requirements and identify (a) estimated resources needed to implement the plan's goals, (b) current funding sources and reallocation possibilities, and (c) alternatives and new sources of funding; and

5. outline funding policies that provide (a) financial support and incentives supporting collaborative delivery of services, and (b) adequate resources for state-funded agencies with adult literacy responsibilities, including public libraries, to perform data collection, analysis, and program effectiveness and best practices evaluation and research.

The board must annually review and revise the implementation of the plan and update it every three years. It must also designate regional planning workgroups consisting of adult literacy service provider representatives and recipients of adult literacy services to help develop and review the plan.

State Report Card

The bill requires the board to prepare a annual state report card on the status of adult literacy in the state. The report must identify the major components of the adult literacy system, including adult education, family, and workplace literacy, and provide for each (1) the number and demographics of people served, (2) a description of its sources of funding, and (3) performance measures.

Annual Report

The board must annually report, by January 1, 2009, to the governor and the Judiciary, Education, Higher Education, Commerce, Labor, and Human Services committees on (1) progress in developing and implementing the strategic plan, (2) recommendations for sources and funding levels to meet the strategic plan's goals, and (3) the report card.

Other Requirements

The bill also requires the leadership board to:

1. create a vision and mission statement by January 1, 2009;

2. establish system performance measures and use them to track progress towards the strategic plan's goals and objectives;

3. develop and maintain an online inventory of all adult literacy programs and services offered in the state, including a description of the type of service, the time and place it is offered, and any eligibility requirements or fees;

4. establish standards for adult literacy service providers, including waiting list requirements;

5. require each adult literacy service provider to maintain a waiting list and report it to the board, according to the standards the board develops; and

6. promote coordination and collaboration among service providers through regionalized service delivery and community partnerships.

The board may ask state agencies for information, reports, and assistance it needs to carry out its duties.

Definitions

The bill defines “adult literacy services” as services aimed at improving the ability of people age 16 or over who are not enrolled in secondary school to (1) read, write, and speak English, and (2) compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job, in the family, and in society. It defines “vision statement” as a written projected overview of the state's adult literacy programs and services at a specified future date. It defines “mission statement” as a written declaration of the purpose of the state's adult literacy programs and services, including those that address the goals of helping adults develop reading, critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills necessary to be self-sufficient, active citizens, effective parents, and qualified, competitive workers.

COMMITTEE ACTION

Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee

Joint Favorable Substitute Change of Reference

Appropriations Committee

Joint Favorable Substitute