ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Phoenix, Arizona
family programs;
biennial audit cycle
Makes changes to program evaluations of the Early Childhood Education Block Grant, the Healthy Families program, the Family Literacy program and the Health Start program.
Background
In 1994, the Legislature enacted the Children and Families Stability Act (also known as Success by Six), which included the Health Start pilot program, the Healthy Families pilot program and the Family Literacy pilot program. The programs are to create a coordinated effort between state agencies and private organizations to encourage increased prenatal care, reduce and eliminate early childhood diseases, reduce the incidence of low birth weight in infants, reduce child abuse and neglect and reduce family illiteracy.
Legislation adopted in 1998 removed the pilot status of the Healthy Families and the Family Literacy programs. The pilot status of the Health Start program was removed in 1999. Currently, the Auditor General is required to evaluate both the Healthy Families and Family Literacy programs annually. The Auditor General is not required to evaluate the Health Start program. H.B. 2248 requires the Auditor General to evaluate the Healthy Families, Family Literacy and Health Start programs every five years beginning January 1, 2003.
The Early Childhood Education Block Grant, administered through the State Board of Education, promotes improved pupil achievement. The grant provides flexible funding for early childhood programs, including preschool programs for economically disadvantaged children, and programs to serve all public school pupils statewide in kindergarten programs and grades one, two and three. Currently, the Auditor General is required to evaluate the Early Childhood Education Block Grant program every three years. Since the program was established in 1998, an audit has not yet been performed. H.B. 2248 requires Legislative Council to evaluate the Early Childhood Block Grant program instead of the Auditor General.
According to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee staff, there is no anticipated cost to the state general fund associated with the provisions of H.B. 2248.
1. Requires Legislative Council, instead of the Auditor General, to conduct a program evaluation of the State Block Grant for Early Childhood Education program every three years.
2. Requires Legislative Council staff to develop outcome measures for the effectiveness of the Early Childhood Education program.
3. Requires the Department of Education to assist Legislative Council staff with collection of information for the evaluation.
4. Replaces the annual evaluation of the Healthy Families program and the Family Literacy program with an evaluation every five years, beginning January 1, 2003.
5. Requires the next evaluation of the Healthy Families program and the Family Literacy program be submitted by December 31, 2002.
6. Includes the Health Start program in the Auditor General evaluation of the Healthy Families program and the Family Literacy program.
7. Repeals the July 1, 2004 Health Start program termination.
8. Makes conforming and technical changes.
9. Provides for a general effective date.
House Action
HS 2/6/01 DPA 8-0-0-2-0
APPROP 2/13/01 DPA 14-0-1-1-0
3rd Read 2/27/01 43-17-0-0-0
Prepared by Senate Staff
March 19, 2001