SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 24

(By Senators Stollings, Ojeda, Beach, and Plymale)

[Introduced February 15, 2018]

Requesting the Joint Committee on Children and Families to conduct an interim study on how to more effectively organize those agencies of state government that are currently included within the current Department of Health and Human Resources in order to more efficiently deliver services to the citizens of this state.

Whereas, Virtually every West Virginian has contact with some segment of the Department of Health and Human Resources during their lifetime, whether that contact involves the obtaining of a birth certificate, eating in a restaurant that has been inspected for health and safety issues, establishing paternity for a child, visiting a friend or loved one residing in a state-inspected nursing home, or obtaining treatment for a behavioral health issue from a provider licensed by the state; and

Whereas, It is the duty of the state to provide these services to its citizens and to do that in an efficient and cost-effective manner; and

Whereas, Because of competing state and federal enactments which have, in recent years, piled numerous obligations and duties upon this agency of state government, the department has grown to a size where there are numerous challenges to its ability to provide services in a timely and efficient manner; and

Whereas, Because many of the agencies currently housed within the Department of Health and Human Resources have shared technology, such as costly mainframe computer systems, the development of a new delivery system must ensure that the technology which enables the delivery of services and which is used to provide required recordkeeping for eligibility purposes is maintained and preserved until new technology can be obtained; and

Whereas, Because there are over 100 different sources of funding that come to one bureau alone within the current configuration of the Department of Health and Human Resources, the development of a new delivery system model must be undertaken carefully, to preserve the ability of the state to maximize all sources of revenue; and

Whereas, Changes in technology have made it possible to create new methods of providing these services to the public in more cost-effective ways; and

Whereas, The Joint Committee on Children and Families could obtain the services of a consultant to advise the Department of Health and Human Resources and this Legislature as to more efficient and effective ways to reorganize the work currently assigned to this department, and to report back to the Legislature and the Department of Health and Human Resources no later than January 1, 2019; therefore, be it

Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:

That the Joint Committee on Children and Families is hereby requested to conduct an interim study on how to more effectively organize those agencies of state government that are currently included within the current Department of Health and Human Resources in order to more efficiently deliver services to the citizens of this state; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Joint Committee on Children and Families shall obtain the services of a consultant to advise the Department of Health and Human Resources and this Legislature as to more efficient and effective ways to reorganize the work currently assigned to this department, and to report back to the Legislature and the Department of Health and Human Resources no later than January 1, 2019; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the expenses necessary to conduct this study, to prepare a report and draft necessary legislation are requested to be paid from legislative appropriations to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the Senate is hereby directed to forward a copy of this resolution to Governor Jim Justice and the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.