Pennsylvania Act 2014-143 — EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES SYSTEM ACT - CHILD IDENTIFICATION, ASSESSMENT AND TRACKING SYSTEM

Act text

Session of 2014

No. 2014-143

HB 2204

AN ACT

Amending the act of December 19, 1990 (P.L.1372, No.212), entitled "An act providing for early intervention services for infants, toddlers and preschool children who qualify; establishing the Interagency Coordinating Council and providing for its powers and duties; and conferring powers and duties upon the Department of Education and the State Board of Education, the Department of Health and the Department of Public Welfare," further providing for definitions and for child identification, assessment and tracking system.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1. Section 103 of the act of December 19, 1990 (P.L.1372, No.212), known as the Early Intervention Services System Act, is amended by adding a definition to read:

Section 103. Definitions.

The following words and phrases when used in this act shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

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"Homeless." An individual who lacks a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence. The term includes:

(1) Children and youth in any of the following:

(i) Who are sharing the housing of another person due to loss of housing, economic hardship or a similar reason.

(ii) Who are living in a motel, hotel, trailer park or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations.

(iii) Who are living in an emergency or transitional shelter.

(iv) Who are abandoned in a hospital.

(v) Who are awaiting foster care placement.

(vi) Who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or a private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.

(vii) Who are living in a car, park, public space, abandoned building, substandard housing, bus or train station or similar setting.

(2) Migratory children who qualify as homeless for the purposes of this chapter because the child is living in one of the circumstances in paragraph (1).

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Section 2. Section 305(b) of the act is amended to read:

Section 305. Child identification, assessment and tracking system.

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(b) At-risk children.--For the purposes of child identification, assessment and tracking for infants and toddlers, the Department of Public Welfare shall establish, by regulation, population groups to be included in these activities. The population groups shall include, but not be limited to, children whose birth weight is under 1,500 grams; children cared for in neonatal intensive care units of hospitals; children born to chemically dependent mothers and referred by a physician, health care provider or parent; children who are seriously abused or neglected, as substantiated and referred by the county children and youth agency under the act of November 26, 1975 (P.L.438, No.124), known as the Child Protective Services Law; [and] children with confirmed dangerous levels of lead poisoning as set by the Department of Health ; and children who are homeless . The Department of Public Welfare may establish other population groups by regulation as it deems necessary.

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Section 3. This act shall take effect immediately.

APPROVED--The 14th day of October, A.D. 2014.

TOM CORBETT