211 Bill Moves To Senate Appropriations

INDIANAPOLIS – A bill that could help funnel state money into a social service referral program is headed to the Senate Appropriations Committee for additional review.

The Senate Utilities Committee passed House Bill 1010, which would require state regulators and the board of the 211 referral program to create an annual plan to spend any money the General Assembly might give the program.

Indiana 211 is a nonprofit phone service providing information and referral help for people with issues such as domestic abuse, infant mortality, disaster response, healthcare, senior citizens, and veterans. The hotline is supported by public and private donations and does not currently receive any funding from the state.

However, the budget bill passed earlier this year by the House includes money for 211. The Senate version of the budget is expected to be released next week.

House Bill 1010, authored by Rep. Jud McMillin, R-Brookville, creates the mechanism to spend state money if it’s approved.

It would also require the annual report to include statistics, data, or results concerning the effectiveness of 211 services in regards to specific human services issues.

Andrew Cullen, representative for a broad coalition of stakeholders and funders who support 211, said the “bill was created to put additional requirements on the 211 system to justify our request for state funding.”

Attorney General Greg Zoeller spoke in support of the bill. “I can’t stress enough the need for this and that the current system has fully developed with no support of Indiana,” he said. “I think this is the appropriate time to show that we care for our own citizens.”

The committee passed the bill 7-0 and sent it to the Senate Appropriations Committee for additional review.

Kiara Patton is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.