pro tempore of the senate, not more than two (2) of whom
may be from the same political party.
(3) One (1) representative of a labor organization that
represents state employees, appointed by the speaker of the
house of representatives.
(4) One (1) representative of a statewide organization that
represents consumers of human services, appointed by the
president pro tempore of the senate.
(b) If a vacancy on the committee occurs, the person who
appointed the member whose position is vacant shall appoint an
individual to fill the vacancy using the criteria set forth in
subsection (a).
(c) In 2010, the speaker of the house of representatives shall
appoint one (1) of the legislative members appointed by the speaker
as the chairperson of the committee for a two (2) year period. In
2012, the president pro tempore of the senate shall appoint one (1)
of the legislative members appointed by the president pro tempore
as the chairperson of the committee for a two (2) year period.
Subsequently, the speaker of the house of representatives and the
president pro tempore of the senate shall alternate appointing the
chairperson every two (2) years.
Sec. 5. The committee shall do the following:
(1) Review the administration of public assistance in Indiana,
including the process of making eligibility determinations.
(2) Take public testimony on problems or concerns
concerning the administration of public assistance in Indiana.
(3) Receive:
(A) testimony;
(B) responses to committee questions; and
(C) updates;
concerning changes in the public assistance eligibility process
in Indiana from the office of the secretary of family and social
services, or the director of the division of family resources if
the secretary is unavailable, or a contractor for the office of
the secretary.
(4) Make recommendations concerning any changes that the
committee considers necessary concerning the public
assistance process in Indiana.
(5) Make a determination described in IC 12-13-5-3.5(b)
concerning whether an unfavorable evaluation has occurred
within a time determined by the committee.
Sec. 6. Six (6) committee members constitute a quorum. The
affirmative votes of at least six (6) committee members are
necessary for the committee to take official action.
Sec. 7. The legislative services agency shall provide
administrative support for the committee.
Sec. 8. (a) The committee shall meet at the call of the
chairperson. Beginning April 1, 2010, the committee shall meet at
least one (1) time every sixty (60) days.
(b) Except as provided in subsection (c) and section 9 of this
chapter, the committee shall operate under the policies governing
study committees adopted by the legislative council. The committee
shall file an annual report with the legislative council in an
electronic format under IC 5-14-6 if official action is taken by the
committee.
(c) Beginning April 1, 2010, the committee may meet at any time
during the calendar year.
Sec. 9. A member of the committee is not entitled to salary per
diem, travel reimbursement, or other expenses incurred in
connection with the member's duties on the committee.
Sec. 10. The secretary of family and social services, or the
director of the division of family resources if the secretary is
unavailable, shall make an oral and written presentation at each
committee meeting concerning the administration of public
assistance in Indiana. The office of the secretary shall respond to
any question concerning the administration of public assistance
that is provided to the office of secretary by the chairperson before
a scheduled committee meeting.
a majority vote of the committee on the administration of public
assistance established by IC 2-5-31.
(c) The office of the secretary shall include the following in the
office's system for making an eligibility determination for services:
(1) The following methods by which an individual may apply
for services:
(A) In person.
(B) By telephone.
(C) By completing an application over the Internet.
(2) An application for services or an application for renewal
of services that is assigned to one (1) employee who collects all
the information necessary for the application before sending
the application to an employee with the authority to make an
eligibility determination.
(3) The goal that all issues during the eligibility determination
for services are resolved accurately, quickly, and on the first
contact with the applicant.
(4) A review of the primary reasons individuals do not
complete the eligibility determination for services process,
including any barriers that are the result of state policy or
procedures.
(5)The inclusion of improvements to the system as a result of
any findings in the review required under subdivision (4).
(d) Before July 1, 2010, the office of the secretary shall establish
a monitoring system to be administered as an independent entity
by a person other than the office of the secretary for the purpose
of evaluating the quality of the eligibility determination for services
process and subsequent contact with the office by recipients of
services described in subsection (a).
(e) The monitoring system must do the following:
(1) Evaluate every point of contact an individual has from the
initial application for services described in subsection (a) to
the final determination by the office and any appeal by the
individual of the determination.
(2) Track the place in the eligibility determination for services
process, including intake, verification, determination, and
renewal of an application for services, in which an individual
stops participating in the process.
(3) Determine the primary causes for why individuals do not
complete the process, including barriers that are a result of
state policy or procedures.
(4) Review a monthly written accounting of the operational
expenditures spent on eligibility determinations for services
described in subsection (a).
(f) The office of the secretary shall use the monitoring system to
analyze the eligibility determination for services process and
determine places for improvement of the process.