PREGNANT & PARENTING STUDENTS - S.B. 878: COMMITTEE SUMMARY



Senate Bill 878 (as introduced 11-29-01)

Sponsor: Senator Alan Sanborn

Committee: Families, Mental Health and Human Services


Date Completed: 2-26-02


CONTENT


The bill would create the "Pregnant and Parenting Student Services Act" to do all of the following:


-- Establish the "Pregnant and Parenting Student Services Fund".

-- Allow the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) to award grants from the Fund to institutions of higher education that established and operated a "Pregnant and Parenting Student Services Office".

-- Specify requirements that an Office would have to meet.

-- Allow an Office to provide referrals to adoption agencies or for pregnancy prevention, but not for abortion services.

-- Require the MDCH to identify specific performance criteria and standards that an Office would have to use in preparing its annual report.

-- Allow the MDCH to promulgate rules to implement and administer the bill.


Fund


The "Pregnant and Parenting Student Services Fund" would be established in the Department of Treasury. The Fund would consist of appropriations; money allocated, donated, or paid to the Fund from any source; and interest and earnings from Fund investments. The State Treasurer would have to direct the investment of the Fund.


Money in the Fund at the close of a fiscal year would remain in the Fund and could not revert to the General Fund. Money in the Fund could be appropriated for grants under the bill and the administrative costs of the MDCH in implementing and administering the bill. The State Treasurer would have to make a grant from the Fund to an institution of higher education upon receiving a written notice from the MDCH.


Grants


An institution of higher education that had established and operated or agreed to establish and operate a Pregnant and Parenting Student Services Office that met the requirements of the bill would be eligible for and could receive a grant. ("Institution of higher education" would mean a degree- or certificate-granting public or private college or university, junior college, or community college in Michigan.) The MDCH could establish the form or format of a grant application and could require that an institution of higher education provide additional information after the Department had reviewed its grant application.


The MDCH could award a grant to one or more eligible institutions of higher education, but could not award more than four grants, for pilot programs, during the first year after the bill's effective date. The MDCH would have to determine which, and how many, eligible institutions would receive a grant to establish and operate an Office.

If the MDCH awarded a grant under the bill, it would have to give the State Treasurer a written notice that contained both the name of the institution of higher education receiving the grant and the amount of the grant, and that requested payment of the grant amount from the Fund.


Office


An institution of higher education could establish and operate a Pregnant and Parenting Student Services Office. An Office would have to be located on the institution's campus and annually would have to assess the performance of the institution and the Office in meeting the following needs of pregnant and parenting students on campus:


-- Comprehensive student health care.

-- Family housing.

-- Child care.

-- Flexible or alternative academic scheduling.

-- Education concerning responsible parenting for mothers and fathers.


An Office also would have to identify public and private service providers that were qualified to meet the needs described above, both on campus and within the local community, and establish programs with qualified providers it selected to meet those needs. An Office also would have to assist students in locating and obtaining services that met one or more of those needs. If appropriate, an Office would have to provide referrals to adoption agencies or for pregnancy prevention. An Office could not provide referrals for abortion services.


By the date determined by the MDCH, an Office would have to provide the Department with an annual report that itemized the Office's expenditures during the preceding fiscal year and contained a review and evaluation of the Office's performance in fulfilling its obligations. The MDCH would have to identify specific performance criteria and standards that an Office would have to use in preparing the annual report. The Department could establish the form or format of the report and could require that an Office provide additional information after the MDCH reviewed the report.


- Legislative Analyst: Patrick Affholter


FISCAL IMPACT


The bill would have an indeterminate fiscal impact on the State depending on the level of Fund activity and the number of postsecondary education institutions that might apply for a grant. There could be a fiscal impact on local units of government because public community colleges would be eligible to receive grants from the Fund. The bill would allow money from the Fund to cover costs of the Department of Community Health for the implementation and administration of the grant program. There is no FY 2001-02 appropriation for this Fund in the Department of Community Health budget, nor has the Governor recommended one for FY 2002-03.


- Fiscal Analyst: Ellen Jeffries

- Dana PattersonS0102\s878sa

This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.