[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 211 Introduced in House (IH)]
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 211
To facilitate nationwide availability of 2-1-1 telephone service for
information and referral on health and human services, including
volunteer services, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 4, 2007
Ms. Eshoo (for herself, Mr. Markey, Mr. Upton, Mr. Pickering, Mr.
Terry, Mr. Murtha, Mr. Larson of Connecticut, Mr. Bilirakis, Mr.
Waxman, Mr. Boucher, Mr. Allen, Mr. Gordon of Tennessee, Mr. Pastor,
Mr. Inslee, Mr. Gene Green of Texas, Ms. Hooley, Mrs. Capps, Ms. Solis,
Mr. Towns, Mr. Ross, Mr. Radanovich, Mr. Rogers of Michigan, Mrs.
Wilson of New Mexico, Mr. Lantos, Mr. King of New York, Mr. Ehlers, Mr.
DeFazio, Mr. Oberstar, Mr. Boswell, Mrs. Davis of California, Mr.
Chandler, Mr. Larsen of Washington, Mrs. McMorris Rodgers, Ms. Lee, Mr.
Alexander, Mr. McDermott, Mr. Fattah, Mr. Cuellar, Mr. Brady of
Pennsylvania, Mr. Platts, Ms. McCollum of Minnesota, Mr. Cooper, Ms.
Loretta Sanchez of California, Mr. Blumenauer, Mr. Reichert, Mr. Dicks,
Mr. Holden, Ms. Zoe Lofgren of California, Mr. Weiner, Mr. Wexler, Mr.
Michaud, Mr. Davis of Illinois, and Mr. Gerlach) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and
Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To facilitate nationwide availability of 2-1-1 telephone service for
information and referral on health and human services, including
volunteer services, 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 ``Calling for 2-1-1 Act of 2007''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The Federal Communications Commission has assigned 2-1-
1 as the national telephone number for telephone service for
information and referral on human services, declaring that 2-1-
1 best satisfies the public interest in allotting the limited
resource of this abbreviated number.
(2) The number ``2-1-1'' is an easy-to-remember telephone
number that facilitates critical connections between
individuals and families seeking services, volunteer
opportunities, or both and appropriate human service agencies,
including community-based and faith-based organizations and
government agencies.
(3) There are approximately 1,500,000 nonprofit
organizations in the United States. Individuals and families
often find it difficult to navigate through a complex and ever-
growing maze of human service agencies and programs, spending
inordinate amounts of time trying to identify an agency or
program that provides a service that may be immediately or
urgently required and often abandoning the search from
frustration or a lack of quality information.
(4) At the Federal, State, and local levels, government
funding supports well-intentioned programs that are not fully
utilized because of a lack of access to and information on such
programs by the public. Program administrators have indicated
that there is a need for a simple way to connect those eligible
for programs with available program resources. 2-1-1 telephone
service will reduce the number of inappropriate calls to
government offices by directing consumers to the appropriate
human services agency, resulting in a more effective use of
government services.
(5) A national cost benefit analysis conducted by the
University of Texas estimates a net value to society of a
national 2-1-1 system approaching $130,000,000 in the first
year alone and a conservative estimate of nearly $1,100,000,000
over 10 years.
(6) Many families need information on government and not-
for-profit services that provide high quality health care,
public health information related to bioterrorism threats,
mental health services, drug treatment, elder care, help for
victims of domestic violence, disaster recovery, and volunteer
opportunities.
(7) Individuals often need support, services, or both when
suffering emotional distress, having suicidal thoughts or
behavior, contemplating violence, or using drugs or alcohol.
(8) Americans desire to volunteer and become involved in
their communities. This desire, together with a desire to
donate to organizations which provide human services, are among
the reasons to contact a center which provides information and
referral on volunteer opportunities and human services. A
simple call to 2-1-1 will help a citizen find the volunteer
opportunity they seek.
(9) Following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, an
estimated 400 telephone hotlines were established in New York,
New York, for various funds and services, creating a confusing
network for victims and volunteers to navigate. A Comptroller
General report on charitable aid following the terrorist
attacks found that ``families of victims generally believed
they had to navigate a maze of service providers in the early
months'' and that ``good information about and easy access to
available assistance could help survivors in the recovery
process''.
(10) During the Hurricane Katrina disaster in 2005, 2-1-1
served as a crucial backup in areas of the Gulf Coast where 9-
1-1 centers went down, providing access to emergency responders
as well as serving as a source for information about loved
ones, food, shelter, and other vital services.
(11) The 107th Congress recognized the importance of 2-1-1
telephone service in community preparedness and response by
including use of that telephone number for public information
as an allowable use of funds under grants for preparedness and
response to bioterrorism and other public health emergencies
under section 319C-1 of the Public Health Service Act (42
U.S.C. 247d-3a), as added by section 131 of the Public Health
Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002
(Public Law 107-188).
(12) While 69 percent of the population has access to 2-1-1
telephone service in 41 States, inadequate funding prevents
access to that telephone service throughout each of the States.
2-1-1 telephone service is currently available statewide in
only 17 States.
(13) Rapid deployment nationwide of 2-1-1 telephone service
as a means of access to information about and referral on human
services requires collaboration among State governments,
comprehensive and specialized information and referral centers,
including Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, human
service organizations and service providers, emergency
management and homeland security officials, telephone
companies, and other relevant entities.
(14) 2-1-1 telephone service facilitates the availability
of a single repository where comprehensive data on all
community services is collected, maintained, and updated
regularly, reducing costs and duplication of efforts. The
reliable data provided through 2-1-1 telephone service helps to
better assess the needs of our communities and to immediately
mobilize resources toward those needs.
SEC. 3. GRANTS TO FACILITATE NATIONWIDE AVAILABILITY OF 2-1-1 SERVICE
FOR INFORMATION AND REFERRAL ON HUMAN SERVICES.
(a) Grants Required.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services
shall award a grant to each State to carry out a program for the
purpose of making 2-1-1 telephone service available to all citizens in
the State for information and referral on health and human services,
including volunteer services. These grant dollars shall not supplant
existing funding streams or services.
(b) Grant To Be Available for Each State.--In awarding grants under
this section, the Secretary shall develop a formula for allocating
grant amounts among the States so that a grant may be awarded to each
State seeking a grant.
(c) Requirement on Share of Activities.--
(1) Requirement.--A State may not be awarded a grant under
this section unless the State ensures that at least 50 percent
of the resources of the program funded by the grant will be
derived from other sources.
(2) In-kind contributions.--The requirement in paragraph
(1) may be satisfied by in-kind contributions of goods or
services.
(d) Lead Entity.--
(1) In general.--A State seeking a grant under this section
shall carry out this section through a lead entity meeting the
requirements of this subsection.
(2) 2-1-1 collaborative.--An entity shall be treated as the
2-1-1 Collaborative for a State under this subsection if the
entity--
(A) exists for such purpose under State law;
(B) exists for such purpose by order of the State
public utility commission; or
(C) is a collaborative entity established by the
State for such purpose from among representatives of--
(i) an informal existing 2-1-1 statewide
collaborative, if any, in the State;
(ii) State agencies;
(iii) community-based organizations;
(iv) faith-based organizations;
(v) not-for-profit organizations;
(vi) comprehensive and specialized
information and referral providers, including
current 2-1-1 call centers;
(vii) foundations; and
(viii) businesses.
(3) Requirements for preexisting lead entities.--An entity
described by subparagraph (A) or (B) of paragraph (2) may be
treated as a lead entity under this subsection only if such
entity collaborates, to the extent practicable, with the
organizations and entities listed in subparagraph (C) of that
paragraph.
(e) Application.--
(1) In general.--The lead entity on behalf of each State
seeking a grant under this section shall submit to the
Secretary an application therefore in such form as the
Secretary shall require.
(2) Information.--An application on behalf of a State under
this subsection shall contain information as follows:
(A) Information on the program to be carried out by
the lead entity of the State so that every citizen with
phone service may dial the 2-1-1 telephone service in
order to plan to make available throughout the State 2-
1-1 telephone service for information and referral on
human services, including information on the manner in
which the lead entity will develop, sustain, and
evaluate the program.
(B) Information on the sources of resources for the
program for purposes of meeting the requirement in
subsection (c).
(C) There should be a statewide database available
to all citizens as well as all human service programs,
through the Internet, that will allow them to search
for programs or services that are available according
to the data gathered by the 2-1-1 programs in the
State.
(D) Any additional information that the Secretary
may require for purposes of this section.
(f) Subgrants.--
(1) Authority.--In carrying out a program to make 2-1-1
telephone service available throughout a State at no charge to
the caller, the lead entity of the State may make subgrants to
such persons or entities as the lead entity considers
appropriate for purposes of the program, including subgrants to
provide funds--
(A) for the provision of 2-1-1 telephone service;
(B) for the operation and maintenance of 2-1-1 call
centers; and
(C) for the collection and display of information
for the statewide database.
(2) Considerations.--In awarding a subgrant under this
subsection, a lead entity shall consider--
(A) the ability of the person or entity seeking the
subgrant to carry out activities or provide services
consistent with the program;
(B) the extent to which the award of the subgrant
will facilitate equitable geographic distribution of
subgrants under this section to ensure that rural
communities have access to 2-1-1 telephone service; and
(C) the extent to which the recipient of the
subgrant will establish and maintain cooperative
relationships with specialized information and referral
centers, including Child Care Resource Referral
Agencies, crisis centers, 9-1-1 call centers, and 3-1-1
call centers, if applicable.
(g) Use of Grant and Subgrant Amounts.--
(1) In general.--Amounts awarded as grants or subgrants
under this section shall be used solely to make available 2-1-1
telephone service for community information and referral on
human services to all citizens of the State with phone access,
including telephone connections between families and
individuals seeking such services and the providers of such
services.
(2) Particular matters.--In making 2-1-1 telephone service
available, the recipient of a grant or subgrant shall, to the
maximum extent practicable--
(A) abide by the Key Standards for 2-1-1 Centers as
specified in the Standards for Professional Information
and Referral Requirements for Alliance of Information
Referral Systems (AIRS) Accreditation and Operating 2-
1-1 Systems; and
(B) collaborate with human service organizations,
whether public or private, to provide an exhaustive
database of services with which to provide information
or referral to individuals utilizing 2-1-1 telephone
service.
(3) Use of funds.--Amounts of a subgrant under subsection
(f) may be used by grantees for Statewide and regional
planning, start-up costs (including costs of software and
hardware upgrades and telecommunications costs), training,
accreditation, public awareness, evaluation of activities,
Internet hosting and site development and maintenance for a
statewide database, database integration projects that
incorporate data from different 2-1-1 programs to a single
statewide database, and the provision of 2-1-1 telephone
service.
(h) Requirement on Allocation of Grant Amounts.--Of the amounts
awarded under this section, an aggregate of not more than 15 percent
shall be allocated for evaluation, training, and technical assistance,
and for management and administration of subgrants awarded under this
section.
(i) Reports.--The lead entity of each State awarded a grant under
this section for a fiscal year shall submit to the Secretary, not later
than 60 days after the end of such fiscal year, a report on the program
funded by the grant. Each report shall--
(1) describe the program funding by the grant;
(2) assess the effectiveness of the program in making
available to all citizens with phone service State 2-1-1
telephone service for information and referral on human
services in accordance with the provisions of this section; and
(3) assess the effectiveness of collaboration with human
service resource and referral entitles and service providers.
(j) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Human services.--The term ``human services'' means
services as follows:
(A) Services that assist individuals in becoming
more self-sufficient, in preventing dependency, and in
strengthening family relationships.
(B) Services that support personal and social
development.
(C) Services that help ensure the health and well-
being of individuals, families, and communities.
(2) Information and referral center.--The term
``information and referral center'' means a center that--
(A) maintains a database of providers of human
services in a State or locality;
(B) assists individuals, families, and communities
in identifying, understanding, and accessing the
providers of human services and the human services
offered by the providers of such services; and
(C) tracks types of calls referred and received to
document the demands for services.
(3) State.--The term ``State'' means the several States,
the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the
Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of
the Northern Mariana Islands.
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated to carry
out this Act, for each of fiscal years 2008 and 2009, $150,000,000, and
for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2013, $100,000,000.
(b) Availability.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to the
authorization of appropriations in subsection (a) shall remain
available until expended.
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