| R 412 |
| 2015 -- S 0097 SUBSTITUTE A Enacted 06/23/2015 |
| S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N |
| CREATING A SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION TO STUDY AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE REGULATIONS AND ENFORCEMENT NECESSARY FOR THE PROPER OPERATION OF HOMELESS SHELTERS |
| Introduced By: Senators Crowley, Jabour, Sosnowski, Metts, and Pichardo |
| Date Introduced: January 22, 2015 |
| RESOLVED, That a special legislative commission be and the same is hereby created |
| consisting of eleven (11) members: three (3) of whom shall be members of the Senate, not more |
| than two (2) from the same political party, to be appointed by the President of the Senate; one of |
| whom shall be the Chief of the Rhode Island Office of Housing and Community Development, or |
| designee; one of whom shall be the Executive Director of the Rhode Island Coalition for the |
| Homeless, or designee; one of whom shall be a member of the Rhode Island Homeless Advocacy |
| Project (RIHAP), to be appointed by the President of the Senate; one of whom shall be a |
| homeless shelter provider operating a shelter for individuals in Rhode Island, to be appointed by |
| the President of the Senate; one of whom shall be a homeless shelter provider operating a shelter |
| for families in Rhode Island, to be appointed by the President of the Senate; one of whom shall be |
| a domestic violence shelter provider, to be appointed by the President of the Senate; one of whom |
| shall be a homeless or formerly homeless person, to be appointed by the President of the Senate; |
| and one of whom shall be a resident or former resident of a domestic violence shelter, to be |
| appointed by the President of the Senate. |
| In lieu of any appointment of a member of the legislature to a permanent advisory |
| commission, a legislative study commission, or any commission created by a General Assembly |
| resolution, the appointing authority may appoint a member of the general public to serve in lieu |
| of a legislator, provided that the majority leader or the minority leader of the political party which |
| is entitled to the appointment consent to the member of the general public. |
| The purpose of said commission shall be to make a comprehensive study and develop |
| model legislation and recommendations necessary for the regulation and enforcement of the |
| proper operation of homeless shelters for individuals and families in Rhode Island. This study |
| should include, but not be limited to: |
| ( Baseline organizational standards that any agency operating a homeless shelter must |
| meet; |
| ( Access to shelter guidelines, including admission and discharge, bed registration, |
| substance use, and service restrictions (barrings); |
| ( Residents' rights and responsibilities, including resident input, complaints and |
| appeals, and grievance procedures; |
| ( Program standards including the provision of essential services, counseling supports, |
| daytime access, confidentiality, sharing of resident information, safeguarding resident files, and |
| staff code of conduct; |
| ( Health and safety standards including basic health and safety protocols, the safeguard |
| of, and access to, resident medication, a policy on weapons, and requirements for staff training on |
| health and safety issues; and |
| ( Emergency and winter shelter standards including the definition of inclement weather |
| events, in all seasons, that trigger requirements for homeless shelters to stay open for the |
| protection of residents. |
| Forthwith upon passage of this resolution, the members of the commission shall meet at |
| the call of the President of the Senate, who shall appoint a chairperson. |
| Vacancies in said commission shall be filled in like manner as the original appointment. |
| The membership of said commission shall receive no compensation for their services. |
| All departments and agencies of the state shall furnish such advice and information, |
| documentary and otherwise, to said commission and its agents as is deemed necessary or |
| desirable by the commission to facilitate the purposes of this resolution. |
| The Joint Committee on Legislative Services is hereby authorized and directed to provide |
| suitable quarters for said commission; and be it further |
| RESOLVED, That the commission shall report its findings and recommendations to the |
| President of the Senate no later than January 19, 2016, and said commission shall expire on |
| March 19, 2016. |
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| LC000518/SUB A/3 |
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