TRAINING FOR FIA FIELD WORKERS - H.B. 4099 (S-1): FLOOR ANALYSIS
House Bill 4099 (Substitute S-1 as reported)
Sponsor: Representative Alan Sanborn
House Committee: Family and Children Services
Senate Committee: Families, Mental Health and Human Services
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Social Welfare Act to require that the Family Independence Agency (FIA) develop, implement, and provide a training program for each FIA employee required to perform a field investigation or home visit. The training program would have to include mandatory training on defusing threatening behavior and on how to perform a safe investigation or home visit and recognize a potentially dangerous situation.
In addition, if an FIA employee who was required to perform a field investigation or home visit had documented a risk that led to a reasonable apprehension regarding the safety of performing a field investigation or home visit, the bill would require the employee to complete the field investigation or home visit either with another FIA employee who had been trained under the program proposed by the bill or with a law enforcement officer.
The bill would take effect on September 1, 2001, and is tie-barred to Senate Bills 72 and 73, which would amend the Michigan Penal Code to provide criminal penalties for threatening or harming an FIA employee while the individual was performing his or her duties as an FIA employee or because of the individual's status as an FIA employee, and to specify a felony penalty for impersonating an FIA employee.
Proposed MCL 400.115q - Legislative Analyst: P. Affholter
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have an indeterminate fiscal impact on State government. Currently, the FIA spends funds on and provides training to employees for worker safety issues. Employees currently perform home visits in pairs when they determine that it is required.
The FY 2000-01 appropriation includes $780,000 Gross, $234,000 GF/GP for expanding Child Welfare Institute classes for about 4,000 additional hours in required training for State child welfare workers and private child caring agency workers. The funds are in the Governor's recommended budget for FY 2001-02.
Date Completed: 5-3-01 - Fiscal Analyst: C. ColeFloor\hb4099 - Bill Analysis @ http://www.senate.state.mi.us/sfa
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.