,i  #aaith ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #hebj  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,april #bg1 #bjbf,mr4
 ,mc,garvey 7for himself1 ,mr4          
,fitzpatrick1 ,mr4 ,correa1 ,mr4 ,garcia
 of ,california1 ,mr4 ,tonko1 ,mrs4     
,sykes1 ,mr4 ,frost1 and ,mr4 ,morelle7 
introduced the following bill2 which was
 referred to the ,committee on ,energy  
and ,commerce  ,a ,,bill  ,to facilitate
 nationwide accessibility and           
coordination of #baa services in order  
to provide information and referral to  
all individuals in the ,united ,states  
for health and human services needs1 and
 for other purposes4  #a4 ,short title  
,this ,act may be cited as the          
,human-,services ,emergency ,logistics  
,program ,act of #bjbf or the ,,help    
,act of #bjbf4  #b4 ,strengthening      
nationwide accessibility and            
coordination of #baa services for       
information and referral for health and 
human services  7a7 ,in general ,the    
,secretary of ,health and ,human        

,services 7in this ,act referred to as  
the ,secretary7 shall establish a       
program for the following purposes3 7#a7
 ,to increase the capacity of #baa      
services in the ,states1 to ensure #baa 
services are directly accessible to all 
individuals in each ,state4  7#b7 ,to   
increase coordination between #baa1     
#ihh1 and #iaa service providers4  7#c7 
,to increase awareness and use of #baa  
services by the public4  7b7            
,administration ,in carrying out the    
program under subsection 7a71 the       
,secretary shall select one             
administering agency to assist the      
,secretary in implementing such program4
  7c7 ,allotments  7#a7 ,in general ,for
 the purpose specified in subsection    
7a77#a71 the ,secretary shall1 using    
funds made available under section #f   
and in consultation with the            
administering agency1 determine the     
amount to be made available for grants  
to qualified #baa service entities in   
each ,state4  7#b7 ,formula ,the        

,secretary shall develop a formula for  
determining the total amount to be      
allotted for each ,state for the grants 
referred to in paragraph 7#a74 ,such    
formula shall be based on population1   
population density1 poverty rate1 and   
other evidence-based predictive data    
related to the needs in the ,state for1 
and access to1 health and human         
services4  #c4 ,administering agency    
7a7 ,eligibility ,an entity is eligible 
to be selected as the administering     
agency under this section if such entity
 is an organization that--  7#a7 is     
described in section #eja7;c7 of the    
,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf and   
exempt from taxation under section      
#eja7;a7 of such ,code2  7#b7 has       
experience working with1 and providing  
technical assistance to1 #baa service   
providers2  7#c7 has established        
relationships with local1               
community-based organizations in each   
,state2 and  7#d7 has experience in     
disaster response and ,federal grants   

management 7and the infrastructure      
required to manage such grants74  7b7   
,duties of administering agency ,the    
duties of the administering agency shall
 be-- 7#a7 with respect to the purpose  
specified in section #b7;a77#a7--  7,a7 
to advise the ,secretary on1 and make   
recommendations to1 the ,secretary with 
respect to ,state allotments from       
amounts made available under section #f1
 including the amount of each ,state    
allotment2  7,b7 to determine the amount
 of funding1 on a ,state-by-,state      
basis1 using the amount of each such    
,state allotment1 to be made available  
to each of the qualified #baa service   
entities in such ,state2 and  7,c7 to   
award grants to such qualified #baa     
service entities in each ,state under   
section #d2  7#b7 beginning with        
calendar year #bjbf and not less        
frequently than once every #e calendar  
years thereafter1 to submit to the      
,secretary an evaluation of the network 
of #baa service providers throughout the

 ,united ,states that is conducted in   
accordance with subsection 7d72  7#c7   
beginning with calendar year #bjbf and  
each calendar year thereafter1 to submit
 to the ,secretary the report under     
subsection 7d72  7#d7 with respect to   
the purpose specified in section        
#b7;a77#b71 to increase coordination    
among #baa service providers1 #iaa      
service providers1 #ihh service         
providers1 and other entities providing 
similar services2 and  7#e7 with respect
 to the purpose specified in section    
#b7;a77#c71 to develop and implement a  
public awareness campaign that-- 7,a7   
educates the public with respect to the 
purpose1 function1 and use of #baa      
services2 and  7,b7 ensures consistent  
messaging and branding across #baa      
service providers4  7c7 ,shared data    
platforms ,the administering agency may 
use funds reserved under section #f to  
support shared data platforms1 including
 with respect to the integration or     
sharing of #baa resource and            

service-level data4  7d7  ,application  
,an eligible entity seeking to be       
selected as the administering agency    
under this section shall submit to the  
,secretary an application not less      
frequently than once every #aj years1 at
 such time1 in such manner1 and         
containing such information as the      
,secretary may require1 including the   
following3  7#a7 ,how the eligible      
entity intends to-- 7,a7 meet the goal  
of ensuring that every individual in the
 ,united ,states with phone or internet 
service can connect to #baa services at 
no charge2 and  7,b7 meet the goal of   
ensuring availability1 throughout each  
,state1 of #baa information and referral
 services with respect to health and    
human services4  7#b7 ,information about
 the manner in which the entity will--  
7,a7 select qualified #baa service      
entities to receive a grant 7or         
subgrant7 under this ,act2  7,b7        
develop1 sustain1 and evaluate the #baa 
services provided in the ,united ,states

 and work to ensure sufficient #baa     
service provider capacity for answering 
and responding to calls to #baa2  7,c7  
provide for increased coordination      
between #baa1 #iaa1 and #ihh systems and
 other entities providing similar       
services to divert calls to mental      
health and human services responders who
 can assist individuals and link        
individuals with voluntary1             
community-based services1 as            
appropriate2 and  7,d7 use annual #baa  
operational data to inform the eligible 
entity's approach to assessing the      
program and establishing oversight      
metrics4  7#c7 ,a certification that the
 entity will take all steps necessary to
 ensure that all activities and         
information provided by the qualified   
#baa service entities receiving grants  
7or eligible #baa service provider      
receiving a subgrant7 pursuant to this  
,act will be directly accessible for    
purposes of the ,americans with         
,disabilities ,act of #aiij 7#db        

,u4,s4,c4 #abaja et seq471 section #ejh 
of the ,rehabilitation ,act of #aigc    
7#bi ,u4,s4,c4 #gid;d71 and part #aaid  
of title #cf1 ,code of ,federal         
,regulations 7or any successor          
regulations74  7e7 ,evaluation and      
reports  7#a7 ,evaluation  7,a7 ,in     
general ,the administering agency shall 
award a contract to an independent      
entity to conduct the evaluation        
specified in subsection 7b77#b74  7,b7  
,content ,the evaluation under          
subsection 7b77#b7 shall address--  7i7 
barriers to access to #baa services2    
7ii7 effectiveness of #baa services at  
connecting individuals to needed health 
and human services2  7iii7 the          
effectiveness of collaborations among   
#baa1 #ihh1 and #iaa systems1 and other 
entities providing similar services2    
7iv7 the comprehensiveness of the       
information in the #baa databases2  7v7 
public awareness of #baa services2 and  
7vi7 user satisfaction with #baa        
services4  7#b7 ,report ,the            

administering agency shall submit to the
 ,secretary a report on the program     
carried out under this section1 with    
information disaggregated by ,state and 
by each eligible #baa service provider1 
which shall-- 7,a7 describe the         
activities or services funded through a 
grant by each qualified #baa service    
entity receiving such a grant 7or each  
eligible #baa service provider receiving
 a subgrant72  7,b7 assess the          
effectiveness of such activities and    
services in making available1 to all    
residents of the ,state1 #baa services  
for information and referrals with      
respect to health and human services2   
7,c7 assess the effectiveness of        
collaboration with resource and referral
 entities and service providers2 and    
7,d7 describe the services to which     
individuals were referred by eligible   
#baa service providers receiving funding
 under this ,act and any efforts to     
track the effectiveness of such         
referrals4  #d4 ,grants to #baa service 

entities to increase capacity  7a7 ,in  
general ,the administering agency shall 
make grants to qualified #baa service   
entities in a ,state to expand the      
availability and accessibility of #baa  
services in the ,state4  7b7 ,use of    
funds ,the administering agency shall1  
as a condition on the receipt of funding
 under this ,act1 ensure that any       
qualified #baa service entity selected  
by the administering agency to receive a
 grant using such funds1 only use such  
grant for-- 7#a7 the provision of #baa  
services via voice1 short message       
service1 or other messaging1 internet1  
or other communication methods1         
including--  7,a7 the operation and     
maintenance of #baa contact centers2    
7,b7 increasing public awareness of #baa
 services in the ,state in collaboration
 with #iaa and #ihh services and other  
entities providing similar services2    
7,c7 coordination of the ,state's #baa  
services1 including the collection1     
accessibility1 and display of           

information through information and     
referral databases2  7,d7 the conduct of
 statewide and regional planning for the
 provision of #baa services2 and  7,e7  
any activities necessary to ensure that 
#baa services are directly accessible1  
consistent with the ,americans with     
,disabilities ,act of #aiij 7#db        
,u4,s4,c4 #abaja et seq471 section #ejh 
of the ,rehabilitation ,act of #aigc    
7#bi ,u4,s4,c4 #gid;d71 and part #aaid  
of title #cf1 ,code of ,federal         
,regulations 7or any successor          
regulations72  7#b7 the start-up costs  
of extending #baa services to unserved  
areas1 including costs of software and  
hardware upgrades and telecommunications
 and internet costs2  7#c7              
administrative costs1 such as staffing1 
training1 and activities related to     
accreditation2  7#d7 infrastructure     
costs1 including internet hosting and   
site development and maintenance for an 
information and referral database and   
the development and maintenance of      

cloud-based data and messaging capacity2
  7#e7 the evaluation of #baa service   
provider activities and capacity2  7#f7 
increasing coordination and             
collaboration--  7,a7 among #baa        
services within the ,state2  7,b7 with  
local #iaa and #ihh service providers2  
and  7,c7 with shared data platforms1   
including with respect to the           
integration or sharing of resource and  
service-level data2  7#g7 the           
preparation and submission of reports   
under ,state reporting requirements and 
to the administering agency for purposes
 of section #c7;b77#d72  7#h7           
innovations that support service        
delivery2 and  7#i7 carrying out such   
other activities determined to be       
appropriate by the administering agency4
  7c7 ,selection  7#a7 ,in general  7,a7
 ,state #baa networks ,except as        
provided in subparagraph 7,b71 the      
administering agency shall award the    
,state allocation determined under      
section #c7;b77#a7 to the eligible      

,state #baa network in each ,state4     
7,b7 ,exception ,if the administering   
agency determines there is no eligible  
,state #baa network in a ,state1 the    
administering agency shall award grants 
from the ,state allotment determined    
under section #c7;b77#a7 directly to all
 eligible #baa service providers in such
 ,state4  7#b7 ,considerations ,in      
awarding grants to all eligible #baa    
service providers in a ,state under     
paragraph 7#a77;,b71 the administering  
agency shall consider-- 7,a7 the ability
 of the #baa service provider seeking   
the grant to carry out activities in    
furtherance of the provision of #baa    
services2  7,b7 the extent to which the 
award of the grant will facilitate      
equitable geographic distribution of    
grants to ensure that rural communities 
have access to #baa services2 and  7,c7 
the extent to which the award of the    
grant will further the goals of--  7i7  
making available #baa services to all   
individuals in a ,state via voice1 short

 message service1 or other messaging1   
internet1 or other communication        
methods2 and  7ii7 increasing the       
provision of community information and  
referral with respect to health and     
human services1 among individuals1      
families1 agencies seeking such services
 and the providers of such services4    
7#c7 ,conditions ,the administering     
agency shall ensure that each qualified 
#baa service entity submits an          
application and agrees1 as a condition  
on the receipt of funds under this      
section-- 7,a7 in making #baa services  
available1 to the maximum extent        
practicable1 to--  7i7 abide by the most
 recently issued version of the ,inform 
,,usa ,standards and ,quality           
,indicators for ,professional           
,information and ,referral or a         
comparable set of standards2  7ii7      
collaborate with public and private     
organizations that provide health and   
human services and existing national1   
regional1 and local information and     

referral systems to provide an          
exhaustive and comprehensive database of
 services that is maintained and updated
 on a consistent basis from which to    
provide information or referrals to     
individuals using #baa services2 and    
7iii7 ensure ,state-level coordination  
across all #baa service providers in    
such ,state2 and  7,b7 to provide       
matching funds1 in the form of cash or  
in-kind contributions1 from non-,federal
 sources in an amount equal to not less 
than #be percent of the amount of funds 
received by the entity under this       
section4  7d7 ,administrative costs for 
certain states ,in the case of a ,state 
described in subsection 7c77#a77;,b71   
the administering agency may use1 of the
 amount of the allocation determined for
 such ,state under section #b7;c71 an   
amount determined by the administering  
agency necessary to cover additional    
administrative expenses incurred by the 
administering agency resulting from the 
lack of an eligible ,state #baa network 

in such ,state4  #e4 ,definitions ,in   
this ,act3  7#a7 #baa service ,the term 
#baa service means providing individuals
 with information and referrals1 via    
voice telephone1 text telephone1 short  
message service1 text1 internet phone1  
or other communication methods1 with    
respect to health and human services and
 referrals to agencies providing health 
and human services4  7#b7 ,eligible #baa
 service provider ,the term eligible    
#baa service provider means a provider  
of #baa services that--  7,a7 is a      
nonprofit or governmental entity2  7,b7 
has the capability 7directly or through 
contract with another entity7 to provide
 such services via phone at no charge to
 the consumer2 and  7,c7 has access to  
the applicable ,state or local #baa     
dialing code4  7#c7 ,qualified #baa     
service entity ,the term qualified #baa 
service entity means--  7,a7 an eligible
 ,state #baa network2 and  7,b7 in the  
case of a ,state described in section   
#d7;c77#a77;,b71 an eligible #baa       

service provider4  7#d7 ,eligible state 
#baa network ,the term eligible ,state  
#baa network means a nonprofit entity   
that-- 7,a7 represents all eligible #baa
 service providers in a ,state2 and     
7,b7 provides coordination or           
infrastructure for providers of #baa    
services1 including-- 7i7 acting as a   
fiscal agent for ,state #baa funding2 or
  7ii7 supporting information and       
referral databases1 phone systems1      
dashboards1 web access1 or text and     
website chat tools4  7#e7 ,health and   
human services ,the term health and     
human services means services provided  
with respect to homelessness and housing
 supports1 veterans resources1 food     
assistance1 disaster response and       
recovery resources1 workforce           
development1 community health resources1
 mental health resources1 caregiving    
resources1 domestic violence resources1 
and other health and human service      
needs1 that-- 7,a7 assist individuals in
 becoming more self-sufficient1 in      

preventing dependency1 and in           
strengthening family relationships2     
7,b7 address social determinants of     
health2  7,c7 support personal and      
social development2 or  7,d7 help ensure
 the health and well-being of           
individuals1 families1 and communities4 
7#f7 ,indian ,tribe2 ,tribal            
organization ,the terms ,indian ,tribe  
and ,tribal organization have the       
meanings given such terms in section #d 
of the ,indian ,self-,determination and 
,education ,assistance ,act 7#be        
,u4,s4,c4 #ecjd74  7#g7 ,state ,the term
 ,state means the several ,states1 the  
,district of ,columbia1 the             
,commonwealth of ,puerto ,rico1 the     
,united ,states ,virgin ,islands1 ,guam1
 ,american ,samoa1 and the ,commonwealth
 of the ,northern ,mariana ,islands1 or 
an ,indian ,tribe or ,tribal            
organization4  #f4 ,funding  7a7        
,authorization of appropriations ,there 
are authorized to be appropriated to    
carry out this ,act #bej1jjj1jjj for    

each of fiscal years #bjbf through      
#bjcb1 to remain available until        
expended4  7b7 ,reservation ,of the     
amount made available under paragraph   
7#a7 to carry out this ,act for a fiscal
 year1 the ,secretary may reserve not   
more than #aj percent for administrative
 and coordinating activities by the     
administering agency 7including the     
expenditures referred to in section     
#d7;d774