43-4202. Nebraska Children's Commission; created; duties; members; expenses; meetings; staff; consultant.

(1) The Nebraska Children's Commission is created as a high-level leadership body to monitor and evaluate the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. The commission shall provide a permanent forum for collaboration among state, local, community, public, and private stakeholders in child welfare and juvenile justice programs and services.

(2)(a) The Governor shall appoint fifteen voting members. The members appointed pursuant to this subdivision shall represent stakeholders in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems and shall include: (i) A biological parent currently or previously involved in the child welfare system or juvenile justice system; (ii) a young adult previously in foster care; and (iii) a representative of a federally recognized Indian tribe residing within the State of Nebraska and appointed from a list of three nominees submitted by the Commission on Indian Affairs.

(b) The Nebraska Children's Commission shall have the following nonvoting, ex officio members: (i) The chairperson of the Health and Human Services Committee of the Legislature or a committee member designated by the chairperson; (ii) the chairperson of the Judiciary Committee of the Legislature or a committee member designated by the chairperson; (iii) the chairperson of the Appropriations Committee of the Legislature or a committee member designated by the chairperson; (iv) three persons appointed by the State Court Administrator; (v) the executive director of the Foster Care Review Office; (vi) the Director of Children and Family Services of the Division of Children and Family Services of the Department of Health and Human Services or his or her designee; (vii) the Director of Behavioral Health of the Division of Behavioral Health of the Department of Health and Human Services or his or her designee; (viii) the Commissioner of Education or his or her designee; and (ix) the Inspector General of Nebraska Child Welfare.

(3) The nonvoting members may attend commission meetings and participate in the discussions of the commission, provide information to the commission on the policies, programs, and processes within their areas of expertise, and gather information for the commission. The commission may hire staff to carry out the responsibilities of the commission.

(4) For administrative purposes, the offices of the staff of the commission shall be located in the Foster Care Review Office. The commission may hire a consultant with experience in facilitating strategic planning to provide neutral, independent assistance in updating the statewide strategic plan.

(5) The commission, with assistance from the executive director of the Foster Care Review Office, shall employ a policy analyst to provide research and expertise to the commission relating to the child welfare system. The policy analyst shall work in conjunction with the staff of the commission. His or her responsibilities may include, but are not limited to: (a) Monitoring the Nebraska child welfare system and juvenile justice system to provide information to the commission; (b) analyzing child welfare and juvenile justice public policy through research and literature reviews and drafting policy reports when requested; (c) managing or leading projects or tasks and providing resource support to commission members and committees as determined by the chairperson of the commission; (d) serving as liaison among child welfare and juvenile justice stakeholders and the public and responding to information inquiries as required; and (e) other duties as assigned by the commission.

(6) Members of the commission shall be reimbursed for their actual and necessary expenses as members of such commission as provided in sections 81-1174 to 81-1177. No member of the commission shall have any private financial interest, profit, or benefit from any work of the commission.

(7) It is the intent of the Legislature to fund the operations of the commission using the Nebraska Health Care Cash Fund for fiscal years 2019-20 and 2020-21.

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