March 2011

POVERTY and OPPORTUNITY: STATE GOVERNMENT TASK FORCES MEMBER COMPOSITION AND OPERATIONS

round the nation, state governments have established task forces economic diversity among the membership, such as including a or commissions to develop new strategies and recommendations member with personal experience of or currently living in poverty; A for tackling poverty and providing opportunity. Managed others also specified other diversities. Representatives of the business effectively, the high-level attention of a task force created by a communities and economic development were included in more than a governor or legislature is an important step toward building the third of the task forces. Some commissions augmented the core group political and public will that is essential for policy change. with working groups, advisory groups or subcommittees made up of issue experts and public members. As legislators or governors move forward in establishing a task force, some early questions include who should be on the task force and how After the table of authorizing language is a summary of some of the will the work of the task force itself get funded. The following chart funding and staffing support for the state task forces. This isn’t a lists the composition of the 21 tasks forces established since 2003. comprehensive review of operational supports. The majority of the Some of these are on-going; others have completed their work. The task forces didn’t have explicit funding in their authorizing language, chart is followed by the full authorizing language. The composition of but many of them were able to receive staff support in kind and the task forces ranged from being at the discretion of the Governor to outside funding through public-private partnerships. having each person specified in the authorizing language.

Who is in the room can greatly alter the outcomes and focus of the task Link to full series: force. The compositions of the commissions vary widely across the Poverty and Opportunity: State Government Task Forces states. The majority – fifteen – of the task forces included legislators in their task forces, with some comprised solely of state legislators. Many of the requirements for composition include wording on ensuring

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Poverty and Opportunity: State Government Task Forces 2

STATE AUTHORITY MEMBERS COMPOSITION ADDITIONAL Business/ Executive In Legislators Economic Philanthropic Faith Other Branch Poverty Development AL Legislated 22 14 2 1 5 AR Legislated 22 4 3 4 2 5 2 2 Augmented by subcommittees and CO Legislated 10 10 advisory group CT Legislated 23 4 19 Expert Panel DC Legislated Max 21 Max 9 * * * * Executive 2 at-large members DE 25 4 9 1 5 2 Order IL Legislated Max. 26 (24) 4 2 13 3 1 3 IN Legislated 23 6 4 9 4 KY Legislated 17 17 LA Legislated 19 2 9 1 4 3 5 Ex Officio Members, all Executive ME Legislated 21 6 4 6 3 1 1 Branch MI Legislated 6 to 15 (9) * * * Augmented by an advisory group "two nonvoting members were Legislated 18 18 MN appointed by the governor" Executive 6 Ex Officio Members, all Executive MT Max. 15 Order Branch 7 nonvoting ex-officio members, all NC Legislated 20 14 * 6 Executive Branch Executive NM Flexible (25) 8 (16) Order Executive Over 300 Ohioans participated in five OH (30) * * * Order work groups RI Legislated 8 8 Executive VA 22 3 8 1 7 3 Action VT Legislated 14 6 4 4 Executive VI Min 13 9 * * Order TOT Included Included Included Included 21 States Included (7) Included (12) AL (15) (12) (7) (7) Notes: * Has members in this category but not a set number (#) The number of members at the time of most recent report

Poverty and Opportunity: State Government Task Forces 3

STATE MEMBERSHIP & COMPOSITION AUTHORIZING LANGUAGE The commission shall consist of the chair and vice chair of the House Education Appropriations Committee or their designees; the chair and vice chair of the House Government Appropriations Committee or their designees; the chair and vice chair of the Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee or their designees; the chair and vice chair of the Senate Finance and Taxation General Fund Committee or their designees; three members of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker; AL three members of the Senate appointed by the Lieutenant Governor; one member appointed by the Alabama Poverty Project; one member appointed by Alabama Arise; one member appointed by Alabama Community Action Agencies; one member representing the faith community appointed by the Governor; one member appointed by the Low Income Housing Coalition; two individuals living in poverty appointed by the Governor; and one member appointed by VOICES. The membership of the commission shall be inclusive and reflect the racial, gender, geographic, urban/rural, and economic diversity of the state. There is created the “Arkansas Legislative Taskforce on Reducing Poverty and Promoting Economic Opportunity” to consist of twenty-two (22) members as follows: (1) Seven (7) members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives as follows: (A) Two (2) members of the House of Representatives; (B) Two (2) members of the business community or economic development organizations; (C) One (1) member of a faith-based organization; (D) One (1) member who is an individual living at or near poverty; and (E) One (1) member who is a city or county government official; (2) Seven (7) members appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate as follows: (A) Two (2) members of the Senate; (B) Two (2) members of the business community or economic development organizations; (C) One (1) member of a faith-based organization; (D) One (1) member who is an individual living in or near poverty; and (E) One (1) member who is a city or county government official; (3) One (1) member to represent Arkansas Advocates for Children & Families; AR (4) One (1) member to represent the Southern Good Faith Fund; (5) One (1) member to represent the Arkansas Public Policy Panel; (6) One (1) member to represent the labor community; (7) One (1) member to represent the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance; (8) One (1) member to represent the Arkansas Association of Community Action Agencies; (9) One (1) member to represent Arkansas Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now; and (10) One (1) member to represent a local community development corporation. (2) (a) The task force shall consist of ten members of the General Assembly selected as follows: (I) Five members of the House of Representatives, three of whom are appointed by Speaker of the House of Representatives and two of whom are appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives; CO (II) Five members of the Senate, three of whom are appointed by the President of the Senate and two of whom are appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate (b) The Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate annually shall jointly designate one member of the task force to serve as chairperson of the task force. The first chairperson shall be a member of the House of Representatives, and, thereafter, the position of Task Force Chair shall alternate between the House of Representatives and the Senate. (a)(1) There shall be a Child Poverty and Prevention Council consisting of the following members or their designees: The Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, the president pro tempore of the Senate, the speaker of the House of Representatives, the minority leader of the Senate and the minority leader of the House of Representatives, the Commissioners of Children and Families, Social Services, Correction, Mental Retardation, Mental Health and Addiction Services, Transportation, CT Public Health, Education, Economic and Community Development and Health Care Access, the Labor Commissioner, the Chief Court Administrator, the Chairman of the Board of Governors for Higher Education, the Child Advocate, [the chairperson of the State Prevention Council,] the chairperson of the Children's Trust Fund and the executive directors of the Commission on Children and the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities. The Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, or the secretary's designee, shall be the chairperson of the council. (a) (1) The Commission shall be composed of no more than 21 members appointed by the Mayor with the advice and consent of the Council. (2) No more than nine (9) members shall be employees of the government of the District of Columbia. (3) The public members of the Commission may be representatives of organizations providing services to District residents living in poverty, the faith-based community, the business community, academic or policy research institutions, advocacy organizations, or DC persons with other relevant interest or expertise. (4) No fewer than five (5) of the public members shall be persons who live in census tracts with poverty rates of at least 20 percent or who have personal experience living in poverty. (b) The Mayor shall transmit to the Council proposed resolutions to approve the appointment of each member of the Commission for a 45-day period of review, excluding days of Council recess. If the Council does not approve or disapprove a proposed resolution within the 45-day review period, the proposed resolution shall be deemed

Poverty and Opportunity: State Government Task Forces 4 approved. 2. The Task Force shall consist of twenty-five (25) members as follows: a. The Secretary of the Department of Education or his/her designee; b. The Secretary of the Department of Health and Social Services or his/her designee; c. The Secretary of Labor or his/her designee; d. The Secretary of the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families or his/her designee; e. The Executive Director of the Delaware State Housing Authority or his/her designee; f. The Chief Judge of the Delaware Family Court or his/her designee; g. The four Co-Chairs of the “Kid’s Caucus” in the State Legislature; h. The Child Advocate or his/her designee; DE i. The Governor’s Policy Advisor for Health; j. The Governor’s Policy Advisor for Education; k. Three members of the Delaware non-profit community whose organizations serve children and families, to be appointed by the Governor; l. A representative of the University of Delaware’s Center for Community Research and Service; m. A KIDS COUNT Delaware Board member or Data Committee Member or his/her designee; n. A member of the business community appointed by the State Chamber of Commerce; o. The President of the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League or his/her designee; p. A representative from the City of Wilmington, designated by the Mayor of the City of Wilmington; q. One at-large member appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Delaware Senate; and r. One at-large member appointed by the Speaker of the Delaware House of Representatives. Section 15. Members. The Commission on the Elimination of Poverty shall be composed of no more than 26 voting members including 2 members of the Illinois House of Representatives, one appointed by the Speaker of the House and one appointed by the House Minority Leader; 2 members of the Illinois Senate, one appointed by the Senate President and one appointed by the Senate Minority Leader; one representative of the Office of the Governor appointed by the Governor; one representative of the Office of the Lieutenant Governor appointed by the Lieutenant Governor; and 20 public members, 4 of whom shall be appointed by the Governor, 4 of whom shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House, 4 of whom shall be appointed by the House Minority Leader, 4 of whom shall be appointed by the Senate President, and 4 of whom shall be appointed by the Senate Minority Leader. It shall be determined by lot who will appoint which public members of the Commission. The public members shall include a representative of a service-based human rights organization; 2 representatives from anti-poverty organizations, including one that focuses on rural poverty; 2 individuals who have experienced extreme poverty; a representative of an organization that advocates for health care access, affordability and availability; a representative of an organization that advocates for persons with mental illness; a representative of an organization that advocates for children and youth; a representative of an organization that advocates for quality and equality in education; a representative of an organization that advocates for people who are homeless; a representative of a IL statewide anti-hunger organization; a person with a disability; a representative of an organization that advocates for persons with disabilities; a representative of an organization that advocates for immigrants; a representative of a statewide faith-based organization that provides direct social services in Illinois; a representative of an organization that advocates for economic security for women; a representative of an organization that advocates for older adults; a representative of a labor organization that represents primarily low and middle-income wage earners; a representative of a municipal or county government; and a representative of township government. The appointed members shall reflect the racial, gender, and geographic diversity of the State and shall include representation from regions of the State experiencing the highest rates of extreme poverty. The following officials shall serve as ex-officio members: the Secretary of Human Services or his or her designee; the Director of Corrections or his or her designee; the Director of Healthcare and Family Services or his or her designee; the Director of Human Rights or his or her designee; the Director of Children and Family Services or his or her designee; the Director of Commerce and Economic Opportunity or his or her designee; the State Superintendent of Education or his or her designee; the Director of Aging or his or her designee; the Director of Public Health or his or her designee; and the Director of Employment Security or his or her designee. The State Workforce Investment Board, the African-American Family Commission, and the Latino Family Commission shall each designate a liaison to serve ex-officio on the Commission. (c) The commission consists of the following members: (1) The dean of the Indiana University School of Social Work, or the dean's designee, who shall serve as IN chairperson of the commission. (2) The state superintendent of public instruction, or the superintendent's designee. (3) The director of the division of family resources, or the director’s designee. (4) The director of the Indiana housing and community development authority, or the director’s designee. (5) The director of the department of

Poverty and Opportunity: State Government Task Forces 5 workforce development, or the director’s designee. (6) The commissioner of the state department of health, or the commissioner’s designee. (7) The director of the office of faith-based and community initiatives. (8) One (1) representative from the National Association of Social Workers - Indiana Chapter. (9) One (1) representative from the Indiana Community Action Association. (10) One (1) representative from the Children’s Coalition of Indiana. (11) One (1) representative from the Indiana Youth Services Association. (12) One (1) representative from the Indianapolis Urban League. (13) One (1) representative from the Coalition for Homelessness, Intervention, and Prevention. (14) One (1) representative from the Indiana Association of United Ways. (15) One (1) representative from Indiana Legal Services. (16) One (1) representative from the Purdue University Department of Early Childhood and Family Development. (17) One (1) representative from the University of Notre Dame, Institute for Latino Studies. (18) One (1) representative from an Indiana branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. (19) One (1) representative from the Riley Hospital for Children, Department of Pediatrics. (20) Two (2) members of the senate appointed by the president pro tempore of the senate. The member s appointed under this subdivision may not be members of the same political party. (21) Two (2) member s of the House of Representatives appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives. The members appointed under this subdivision may not be member s of the same political party. KY 6 senators and 11 representatives were appointed individually. B. The council shall be composed of the following members: (1) The secretary of the Department of Social Services, or his designee. (2) The secretary of the Department of Economic Development, or his designee. (3) The secretary of the Department of Revenue, or his designee. (4) The superintendent of the Department of Education, or his designee. (5) The secretary of the Department of Labor, or his designee. (6) The director of the Louisiana Workforce Commission, or his designee. (7) The secretary of the Department of Health and Hospitals, or his designee. (8) The chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare, or his designee. (9) The chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Health and Welfare, or his designee. (10) One member representing and appointed by the Louisiana Association of Nonprofit Organizations. LA (11) One member representing and appointed by the Louisiana Association of United Ways. (12) One member representing and appointed by the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry. (13) One member representing and appointed by the Louisiana AFL-CIO. (14) One member of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College faculty with expertise in the area of poverty to be appointed by the Chancellor of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College. (15) One member of the faculty of the Southern University System with expertise in the area of poverty to be appointed by the president of the Southern University System. (16) One member representing and appointed by Agenda for Children. (17) The executive director of the Children's Cabinet or his designee. (18) The chairman of the Children's Cabinet Advisory Board or his designee. (19) The director of the Louisiana office of the Children's Defense Fund. 1. Membership; terms; meetings. The council consists of 21 appointed, voting members and 5 ex officio, nonvoting members. A. Voting members of the council are as set out in this paragraph: (1) Two members of the Senate, who may not be from the same political party, appointed by the President of the Senate; (2) Four members of the House of Representatives, of whom no more than 2 may be members of the same political party, appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; (3) One member of the nonprofit community serving individuals living in or near poverty, appointed by the Governor based on recommendations of statewide organizations serving ME low income persons; (4) One member representing faith-based organizations, appointed by the Governor based on recommendations of statewide faith-based organizations; (5) Two individuals living in or near poverty, one of whom has had experience with homelessness, appointed by the Governor based on recommendations of statewide poverty advocacy organizations; (6) One representative of an advocacy organization specializing in public policy related to poverty, appointed by the Governor based on recommendations of statewide advocacy organizations;

Poverty and Opportunity: State Government Task Forces 6 (7) One person who has experienced poverty who is disabled, appointed by the Governor based on the recommendations of statewide disability organizations; (8) One representative of children living in or near poverty, appointed by the Governor based on the recommendations of statewide children's advocacy organizations; (9) Two members representing the business community, appointed by the Governor based on the recommendations of statewide business organizations; (10) One person who has experienced poverty who is a woman, appointed by the Governor based on the recommendations of statewide women's organizations with expertise in issues related to poverty; (11) One representative of a statewide organization with expertise in economic policy analysis relating to challenges faced by low-income persons, appointed by the Governor based on the recommendations of statewide organizations with expertise in issues related to poverty; (12) Two representatives of economic development organizations, appointed by the Governor based on the recommendations of economic development organizations; (13) One person who has experienced poverty who is elderly, appointed by the Governor based on the recommendations of statewide organizations representing or serving elderly individuals; and (14) One representative of Native Americans, appointed by the Governor based on the recommendations of the Aroostook Band of Micmacs, the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, the Passamaquoddy Tribe and the Penobscot Nation. B. The following individuals, or their designees, shall serve on the council as ex officio, nonvoting members: the Director of the State Planning Office within the Executive Department; the Commissioner of Health and Human Services; the Commissioner of Labor; the Commissioner of Education; and the Director of the Maine State Housing Authority. (2) The commission shall consist of 6 to 15 members appointed by the governor by and with the advice and consent of the senate. The commission shall be comprised of equal numbers of elected public officials, private sector members, and low income individuals or as nearly equal in number as possible. At least 1/3 of the commission MI members shall be community action agency representatives as either staff or board members. The governor shall designate the chairperson of the commission. The chairperson shall serve at the will of the governor. The executive director or designee of the commission shall serve as executive secretary to the commission. Subdivision 1. Membership. The Legislative Commission to End Poverty in Minnesota by 2020 consists of nine members of the senate appointed by the Subcommittee on Committees of the Committee on Rules and Administration, including four members of the minority, and nine members of the house of representatives appointed by the MN speaker, including four members of the minority. Appointments must be made by members elected to the 85th session of the legislature and no later than February 15, 2007. The governor may appoint two nonvoting members to sit with the commission. The Council shall consist of not more than 15 members, appointed by and, serving at the pleasure of the Governor. The Director of the Department of Health and Human MT Services, the Commissioner of, the Department of Labor and Industry, the Director of the Department of Commerce and a designee of the Governor's office shall serve as ex-officio members. The Council is attached to the Governor's Office of Economic Development for administrative purposes. SECTION 41.2. The Commission shall consist of 20 voting members appointed as follows: (1) Ten members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to include: a. Seven members of the House of Representatives. b. Three members of the general public, including persons with expertise in the fields of business and economic development, public health, and affordable housing. (2) Ten members appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, to include: a. Seven members of the Senate. b. Three members of the general public, including persons with expertise in the fields of education, public safety, and child welfare. SECTION 41.3. The President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives may by mutual agreement vary the size and membership of the NC Commission. SECTION 41.4. The Commission shall also include the following nonvoting, ex-officio members: (1) The Commissioner of Labor, or that officer's designee. (2) The Superintendent of Public Instruction, or that officer's designee. (3) The Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, or that officer's designee. (4) The Secretary of the Department of Transportation, or that officer's designee. (5) The Secretary of the Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, or that officer's designee. (6) The Secretary of the Department of Commerce, or that officer's designee. (7) The Chairman of the Employment Security Commission, or that officer's designee. 2. The Task Force shall be co-chaired by Rick Homans, Secretary of the Taxation and Revenue Department and Susan Tiano, Professor of Sociology at the University of New NM Mexico. The Governor shall appoint the remaining members of the Task Force as follows:

Poverty and Opportunity: State Government Task Forces 7 a. One member shall be the Cabinet Secretary of the Human Services Department, or designee; b. One member shall be the Cabinet Secretary of the Children, Youth, and Families Department, or designee; c. One member shall be the Cabinet Secretary of the Indian Affairs Department, or designee; d. One member shall be the Director of the Office on African American Affairs, or designee; e. One member shall be the Cabinet Secretary of the Department of Workforce Solutions, or designee; f. One member shall be the Director of the Workers’ Compensation Administration, or his designee or designees; and h. A representative group of public members, taking into consideration experience and knowledge related to hunger and food security, child care, rental housing and homeownership, energy assistance, fair wages, unemployment insurance, tax credits, higher education affordability and completion, jobs, training, and consumer protection. 4. Task Force Composition. The Director of the Governor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives will serve as chair of the Task Force and I [the Governor] will appoint to the Task Force representatives from the following constituencies: a. Ohioans living at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level OH b. Anti-poverty stakeholders from faith-based and broader non-profit community c. Business and organized labor entities d. Others as recommended to me by the Chair That a special legislative commission be and the same is hereby created consisting of eight (8) members; four (4) of whom shall be members of the House of RI Representatives, not more than three (3) from the same political party, to be appointed by the Speaker; four (4) of whom shall be members of the Senate, not more than three (3) from the same political party, to be appointed by the Senate President. VA Governor individually appointed Taskforce members, and assigned working groups (b)(1) The council shall consist of the following members or their designees: (A) the president pro tempore of the senate; (B) the speaker of the house of representatives; (C) the chair of the senate committee on health and welfare; VT (D) the chair of the house committee on human services; (E) the chair of the senate committee on education; (F) the chair of the house committee on education; (G) the commissioners of the departments for children and families; of health; of education; and of labor; and (H) one representative each from Voices for Vermont’s Children, the Vermont low income advocacy council, Vermont Legal Aid, and the Vermont superintendents’ association. SECTION 3. The Council shall consist of a chairperson and members appointed by the Governor. The Children and Families Council members shall include the following: a. The Chairperson, who shall be the First Lady of the United States Virgin Islands or other person designated by the Governor b. Commissioner of the Department of Human Services c. Commissioner of the Department of Health d. Commissioner of the Department of Education e. Commissioner of the Department of Labor f. Commissioner of the Virgin Islands Police Department VI g. Commissioner of the Department of Housing, Parks and Recreation h. The Attorney General i. Coordinator or representative of the Committee on Early Childhood and Education and Care j. Representative (s) of the private sector community k. Representative (s) of the non-profit community l. Representative (s) of the faith-based community m. Senior policy advisor to the Governor In addition, the Governor may at his discretion remove or appoint additional members to serve on the Council.

Poverty and Opportunity: State Government Task Forces 8

FUNDING AND STAFFING

The following draws from readily available materials on the state task forces, such as executive orders, legislation, and final reports. This is not comprehensive for any given state or for all the states with task forces overall. These are some trends that we were able to glean from the information available.

Funding The majority (15) of the states had no explicit funding source in their authorizing language Two states were given specific budgets in their authorizing language (AL, MN), The authorizing language of many of the states allowed outside funding to support the work of the task force. Fundraising efforts won grants from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Kids Count, Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, National Governors Association and other sources. Staffing The majority of the task forces (12) were authorized to receive staff support through existing state offices. Six states were authorized to access staff through the legislative branch (AL, AR, CO, KY, NC, VT), and the other six through the executive branch (CT, DC, IL, ME, NM, OH). Indiana’s authorization specified staff support from a public state university, Indiana University School of Social Work Public-private partnerships provide staff support for some task forces. For example the Illinois Commission on the Elimination of Poverty is supported through the work of Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights; other states have similar partnerships with varying degrees of support (AL, AR, CO, DE, IL, (IN))