[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 5378 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 5378
To establish a grant program to facilitate nationwide accessibility and
coordination of 211 services relating to developmental disabilities,
and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
November 21, 2024
Mr. Booker introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a grant program to facilitate nationwide accessibility and
coordination of 211 services relating to developmental disabilities,
and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Enhancing Access to Support and
Emergency Services for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities
through 211'' or the ``EASE with 211 Act''.
SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM FACILITATING NATIONWIDE ACCESSIBILITY AND
COORDINATION OF 211 SERVICES RELATING TO DEVELOPMENTAL
DISABILITIES.
(a) 211 Grant Program.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services
(referred to in this Act as the ``Secretary''), shall carry out a
program under which the Secretary awards grants to improve the capacity
of 211 services to support individuals with developmental disabilities.
(b) Applications.--
(1) In general.--An eligible entity desiring a grant under
this section shall submit an application to the Secretary at
such time, in such manner, and containing such information as
the Secretary may require, including a description of an
advisory council that the eligible entity will establish for
purposes of advising on the implementation and oversight of the
eligible entity that will be supported by the grant.
(2) Advisory council.--
(A) Members.--An advisory council described in
paragraph (1) shall be comprised of individuals
selected by the eligible entity, including--
(i) individuals with developmental
disabilities;
(ii) family members and caregivers of
individuals with developmental disabilities;
(iii) representatives of stakeholder groups
with experience administering 211 services,
such as United Way Worldwide; and
(iv) representatives of other relevant
stakeholder groups, including relevant
nonprofit and advocacy groups such as State
developmental disabilities councils, centers of
excellence on developmental disabilities of
institutions of higher education, protection
and advocacy systems, centers for independent
living, parent training and information
centers, and family-to-family health
information centers.
(B) Duties.--An advisory council described in
paragraph (1) shall advise the eligible entity
receiving the grant with respect to--
(i) developing training standards for 211
specialists;
(ii) compiling reports required under
subsection (f), and policy improvement
recommendations;
(iii) increasing the awareness and
effectiveness of 211 services in all
communities of the area served;
(iv) developing accessible resource
materials and making accessibility improvements
to phone, text, and other communication
interfaces and systems; and
(v) other appropriate topics.
(C) Priority.--In selecting members for an advisory
council described in paragraph (1), an eligible entity
shall prioritize selecting members described in
subparagraph (A)(i).
(c) Use of Funds.--An eligible entity shall use amounts awarded
under this section to carry out any of the following:
(1) Establishing, improving, or maintaining the 211
database of the eligible entity with respect to developmental
disability resources.
(2) Hiring and training 211 specialists to assist
individuals with developmental disabilities in navigating
services.
(3) Developing and implementing data collection protocols
ensuring that data is disaggregated by race and type of
disability.
(4) Upgrading technology and data management systems to
track and analyze service referrals.
(5) Conducting resource mapping to identify gaps in
resources relating to developmental disabilities in the area
served.
(6) Conducting accessible outreach and public awareness
campaigns targeting individuals with developmental disabilities
and their families and caregivers regarding the availability
and use of 211 services for such individuals, families, and
caregivers.
(d) Data Collection.--The Secretary shall establish data collection
protocols for use by eligible entities in monitoring the use of 211
services by individuals with developmental disabilities, including with
respect to the collection of--
(1) information on referral outcomes and barriers
encountered; and
(2) disaggregated and deidentified data on race and type of
disability to identify disparities in service access and
quality.
(e) Technical Assistance.--The Secretary, in consultation with
other applicable Federal agencies, shall--
(1) award 1 or more grants to entities, determined by the
Secretary to be qualified for such grants, to establish
technical assistance centers; and
(2) work in coordination with each entity carrying out such
a center to provide technical assistance to recipients of
awards under subsection (a) to facilitate the planning,
development, and implementation of activities described in
subsection (c).
(f) Recipient Reports.--Each recipient of an award under this
section shall submit an annual report to the Secretary on activities
carried out under this section, for the duration of the award.
(g) Report to Congress.--Not later than 1 year after the end of the
grant program under this section, the Secretary shall issue a report
containing information regarding--
(1) best practices for States desiring to expand their 211
services, including how to make the services more accessible;
(2) the most common needs relating to developmental
disabilities for which individuals use 211 services;
(3) how many individuals and families are assisted by the
211 service helplines;
(4) the demographics, including age, race, language, and
support needs, of individuals with developmental disabilities
utilizing the 211 service helpline, or on whose behalf such
helpline is utilized; and
(5) best practices for establishing a resource database
with resources relating to developmental disabilities.
(h) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) 211 service.--The term ``211 service'' means a service
providing residents with information and referrals with respect
to health and human services and other provider agencies--
(A) via voice telephone, text telephone, short
message service, text, internet phone, or other
telecommunication methods; or
(B) by utilizing the 211 public-facing, online
social service directory.
(2) Developmental disability.--The term ``developmental
disability'' has the meaning given such term in section 102 of
the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights
Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 15002).
(3) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means--
(A) a State; or
(B) a local or regional entity, or other entity,
providing a 211 service for a State.
(4) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the several
States of the United States and the District of Columbia.
(i) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section,
there is authorized to be appropriated $75,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2025 through 2029.
SEC. 3. DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY PEER AND FAMILY NAVIGATOR GRANT
PROGRAM.
(a) Program Authorized.--The Secretary shall carry out a program
under which the Secretary awards grants to eligible entities described
in subsection (b), to enable the eligible entities to provide peer or
family navigators to help individuals with developmental disabilities
and families and caregivers providing support for such individuals to
access services and resources relating to developmental disabilities.
The navigators shall take a person-centered approach in providing
services under this section.
(b) Eligible Entities.--An eligible entity described in this
subsection shall be a State, Tribal, or local health or human services
department, or a nonprofit entity that is family-led, disabled peer-
led, or disabled family-staffed.
(c) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this
section, an eligible entity shall submit to the Secretary an
application at such time, in such manner, and containing such
information as the Secretary may require.
(d) Prioritization.--In making grants under this section, the
Secretary shall give priority to eligible entities that indicate in
their applications an intention to provide services to underserved or
underrepresented communities or to secondary schools underperforming in
providing transition planning described in subsection (e)(2).
(e) Use of Funds.--An eligible entity receiving a grant under this
section--
(1) shall provide peer or family navigators to help
individuals with developmental disabilities and families and
caretakers providing services or support for such individuals
to connect to, and access, appropriate resources and services;
and
(2) may be used to coordinate with local educational
agencies (as defined in section 8101 of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801)) for purposes
of transition planning with respect to individuals with
developmental disabilities, such as planning for--
(A) postsecondary education and employment;
(B) housing;
(C) legal and financial matters (such as supported
decisions-making and alternatives to guardianship);
(D) use of Federal benefit programs and
eligibility;
(E) self-direction and self-advocacy;
(F) health and behavioral health, including home
and community-based services;
(G) building and maintaining community ties and
friendships;
(H) planning and visioning a life course; and
(I) disaster and emergency preparedness and safety.
(f) Report.--An eligible entity that receives a grant under this
section shall, not later than 1 year after the activities carried out
under the grant are completed, submit to the Secretary a report that
contains data on how the grant funds were used.
(g) Developmental Disability.--In this section, the term
``developmental disability'' has the meaning given such term in section
2.
(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section,
there is authorized to be appropriated $50,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2025 through 2029.
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