There were highs and lows and a couple things didn’t happen like we wanted it to, but this session was definitely a success in so many ways, both for the Coalition and for the community we are a part of. Every bill was successful in either codifying change, or starting an important conversation.
Legislative Update #3
Hello, PPC Members! This week was important for homeless services in the legislature. I had a special part in one of these bills. Up until this point, I’ve been following legislation from the time it is numbered until it reaches the desk of the governor. In the past two weeks, we had the opportunity to help a legislator with a bill before it was publicly available. It is amazing to see the process from the very beginning. Legislators put so much care and thought into their bills—they reach out to so many people for input on their work and are open to all viewpoints. We are honored to have relationships with these leaders that are rooted in trust and respect.
I wanted to breakdown six major bills that we are following in the 2020 session, that you should pay particular attention to.
SB 39 1st Substitute, Affordable Housing Amendments, is a result of a yearlong effort by the Utah Commission on Housing Affordability co-chaired by Senator Jake Anderegg and Representative Val Potter. SB 39 1st Substitute tries to address the shortage of affordable housing in Utah and the lack of rental assistance for low-income individuals and families. The bill request for $35,300,000 will be appropriated to Olene Walker Housing Loan Fund, which currently receives $2,200,000 ongoing from the general fund. The Department of Workforce Services (DWS) estimates that the gap financing will create 2,300 rental units in 2021 and 3,063 households will be helped in 2021 and 2020 respectively. The bill just passed the Senate and moves to the House for deliberation.
HB 32 2nd Substitute, Crisis Service Amendments, sponsored by Rep. Steve Eliason and Sen. Daniel Thatcher authorizes each county to operate local mental health services. These operations include providing mental health services, cooperating with efforts of the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health to promote integrated programs that address individuals’ substance abuse, mental health, and physical healthcare needs. Each county will review the mental health needs of individuals who are incarcerated or in correctional facilities and individuals who require outpatient treatment. Programs will include services for adults, youth, and children. Service providers have the option to utilize Medicaid waivers. The bill requests $12,725,000 for ongoing funding and $12,596,900 of one-time costs. This money will go to mental health programs, personnel costs, and infrastructure changes. The bill just passed in the House and moves to the Senate for further discussion.
HB 299 Second Substitute, Opportunity Zone Enhancements, Sponsored by Rep. Mike Winder and Sen. Curtis Bramble, creates tax credits for eligible construction costs in an opportunity zone. These opportunity zones include low-income housing. The Utah Housing Corporation will determine the amount of the tax credit to allocate under the allocation plans. H.B. 0299S02 just passed the House and awaits discussion in the Senate.
HB 394, Homeless and Transitional Housing Program Amendments, sponsored by Representative Kim Coleman is the result of a long effort from homeless advocates to ensure accountability from service providers. HB 394 addresses the lack of coordination between service providers and accurate data. The bill appoints a homeless service director to oversee staffing and recommendations of the Homeless Coordination Committee. The homeless services director will work to ensure that services provided to the homeless by state agencies, local governments, and private organizations are done in a safe, cost-effective, and efficient manner. The bill requests $165,900 of ongoing funding for personnel costs. This is a direct response to our meetings with Dr. Marbut and his call to appoint a leader who we can hold accountable. Rep. Coleman’s bill awaits committee meetings in the House.
SB 165, Emergency Response Plans for Homelessness, sponsored by Senator Luz Escamilla ensures that there are emergency response plans that have guidelines for emergencies. The bill requires that the needs of individuals and families experiencing homelessness are met by locally appropriate agencies by expanding local capacity and infrastructure in emergency situations including development, construction, and emergency shelters. The bill also expands outreach for families and individuals who are experiencing homelessness. This week the bill passed the Senate Economic Development and Workforce Services Committee with a favorable recommendation and moves to be read on the Senate floor.
HB 401, Homeless Center Drug-Free Zone, sponsored by Representative Steve Eliason Modifies the penalty for certain crimes committed at a homeless resource center. It is prohibited from producing, manufacturing, or dispensing, or possessing with an intent to produce a controlled or counterfeit substance, or engaging in criminal enterprises that violate the Utah Controlled Substances Act at the site of a homeless resource center. It is prohibited to engage in the aforementioned activities in or on the grounds of a homeless shelter that can provide temporary shelter to between twenty and two hundred people depending on the county. The penalty is a first-degree felony. This bill is awaiting deliberation in committee meetings before going on the floor of the house.
All six of these bills provide positive steps in homeless services policy. In our visits with Dr. Marbut, he stressed a formula for stable housing: The two components being trauma-informed care and affordable housing. All of these bills connect back to those ideas.
We have two weeks left of the session, which promise to be very busy and fast-paced. If there are any questions about these bills or other legislation please email us at info@pioneerpark.co. You can also follow us on Instagram @pioneerparkco, for live story updates at the Capitol!
Legislative Update #2
Hello, PPC Membership! Last week we had the incredible opportunity to host Dr. Robert Marbut, the Executive Director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. He spoke to us about a new initiative of helping homeless populations that puts the focus on trauma-informed care and accessibility to affordable housing. He invited leaders from Salt Lake City, County, and the State Legislature to demand accountability from the service providers. For example, the Pioneer Park Coalition has the opportunity to learn daily from the students at The Other Side Academy. These brave men and women are the perfect illustration of the power that accountability and integrity have to change lives. The program is different from any other rehabilitation program you will ever see, and Dr. Marbut was very impressed when he paid a visit.
Dr. Marbut implored us to shift our policies and actions to those that align with sincere integrity. Utah needs a leader against homelessness to head a concerted effort to hold service providers accountable. This leadership will be supplemented with accurate and descriptive data. Data often cuts through the loudest of noise to show harsh realities.
Following the visit of Dr. Marbut, we had the opportunity to attend a roundtable hosted by The Other Side Academy with Senator Mike Lee. Senator Lee and the students engaged in dialogue on the realities of being homeless and of incarceration. Senator Lee explained the Cobra effect and the parallels it has with homelessness.
During the British colonial rule of India, the government was concerned about the number of venomous Cobras in New Delhi. In an effort to decrease the population, a bounty was offered for every dead cobra. Initially, this policy was successful because the population of deadly snakes decreased dramatically. However, this policy soon backfired when it was discovered that people were making a lot of money operating a cobra-breeding enterprise! When this was made known to the government, they shut down the program, rendering snakes worthless. Instead of solving the problem, this caused cobras to be released back into the wild, thereby increasing the population.
Current homeless systems are facilitating the vicious cycle of cobra breeding. Fortunately, Marbut’s approach breaks the vicious cycle of homelessness. With his plan, there is clear coordination of efforts and specific goals that all providers follow. Senator Lee explained that the federal government is disconnected from the roots of the problems. He is determined to advocate for a system that stops breeding cobras.
In this legislative session, the Pioneer Park Coalition is following legislation that fights homelessness from all sides. In the past two weeks, exciting legislation supporting reducing homelessness was introduced and passed.
Senator Anderegg’s Affordable Housing Bill, SB 39, passed through appropriation committee meetings. He explained his funding structure and broke down where the $20 million will go. Many of the questions from fellow representatives addressed the data disparities. Senator Anderegg stressed that his data is influenced by real people and their specific needs. After this committee meeting, SB 39 has moved to the Senate for its second reading.
H.B. 32, Crisis Services Amendments, sponsored by Rep. Eliason increases Mental Health Services for individuals and families. Rep. Eliason has stressed the importance of this bill in filling care gaps for mental health care. These services include providing mental health services, cooperating with efforts of the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health to promote integrated programs that address individuals’ substance abuse, mental health, and physical healthcare needs. This bill passed unanimously in the House and will now move to be introduced in the Senate.
Senator Escamilla introduced SB 165, Emergency Response Plan for Homelessness, that will develop an emergency response plan that is locally appropriate with the council of governments in which guidelines are established during an emergency response. It also ensures that the needs of individuals and families experiencing homelessness are met in emergencies. The bill expands local capacity and infrastructure in emergencies including development, construction, and improvement of emergency shelters. It facilitates access to emergency services and support for families and individuals in an emergency and expands outreach and education efforts for these individuals and families. This bill is a positive step towards the accountability that Dr. Marbut stressed in our meetings.
These past two weeks have been very important for the Pioneer Park Coalition. I commend you all for doing your part to ensure that no more cobras are bred! If there are any questions or comments about the legislative session or the membership events please contact us at info@pioneerpark.co. If you would like additional updates more frequently, follow us @pioneerparkco, I will be posting Instagram stories in real time while I am at the Capitol!
Legislative Update #1
Hello, PPC members! I wanted to introduce myself and talk about exciting updates with the Legislative Session. My name is Caroline deLannoy. I am the Legislative intern for the 2020 session. I am studying political science and on a pre-law track at the University of Utah. When I'm not studying or working I love to run, dance, watch basketball and eat! This internship has been such an exciting opportunity for me. I've been able to meet many incredible legislators, professionals, and passionate advocates. I was unsure of how I wanted to present myself and my voice in this new job. The people who work with the Utah Legislature and the PPC are the fiercest fighters for being one’s true authentic self. They are courageous in their decision-making, advocacy, and fight to help people who are on the margins of society. I have fallen into an extraordinary pocket of learning that is priceless to my University education as well as my journey in becoming a good human.
These values are evident in the legislation that we are following. This was a particularly exciting week because we had three bills go to committee. The week started with the introduction of S.B. 39. The bill, sponsored by Senator Anderegg, will put $15 million towards the construction of affordable housing, $15 million towards rental assistance, and $5 million towards continued affordable housing mechanisms. The bill is bridging the gap between homeless services and at-risk families. It passed committee 2-1.
The next bill to go into committee meetings was H.B. 83. The bill sponsored by Rep. Stoddard introduced a new system of expunging records. The legislation is advocating for the protection of domestic violence victims. This new approach ensures that they are notified when their abusers request the expungement of their records. This bill passed the committee unanimously with a favorable recommendation!
Our last bill in committee was SB 89 The bill is sponsored by Senator Thatcher and seeks to establish a fund for University Neuropsychiatric Institute that will provide affordable mental health care for people who have slipped between the cracks. Senator Thatcher said that he believes this is the most important bill he will sponsor the whole session because it will provide extensive help to Utahns who are in dire need of mental health care. This bill passed unanimously in the committee with a very favorable recommendation!
We are so happy to see that the issues of mental health, domestic violence, and affordable housing are a priority to our legislators. I got an amazing opportunity this past week to connect with Representative Suzanne Harrison. I wrote a research paper on the effectiveness of electronic prescriptions of controlled substances to decrease fraudulent activity and "doctor shopping" for her. Rep. Harrison's bill H.B. 177 passed unanimously in committee! This moment was so special to me. Rep. Harrison and the PPC were able to work together to pass a bill that will help so many struggling people.
The work that we are doing is incredibly meaningful to all Utahns, but more specifically, the underserved populations. Every week in the legislature provides a new time to make important decisions. As I continue to work with these incredible people, I am confident that we are in good hands. This is the first weekly update of many to come. There will be a new one each week so you can be up to date with the bills the PPC is supporting.
I am so excited to have to opportunity to write these weekly updates! I am also going to be doing live updates on the @pioneerparkco Instagram if you’d like to stay even more current. If there are any questions about the legislative session, specific bills, or the PPC that you’d like me to cover specifically please leave a comment here or email us at info@pioneerpark.co
