State of South Dakota  
SEVENTY-EIGHTH SESSION
LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY,  2003  

499I0051  
SENATE BILL   NO.     7  

Introduced by:     Senators Koskan, de Hueck, Ham, Kleven, Moore, and Nachtigal and Representatives Hennies, Konold, Madsen, Murschel, Van Gerpen, and Wick at the request of the Interim Juvenile Offenses and Sentencing Committee  

            

         FOR AN ACT ENTITLED, An Act to  require an inventory of parenting programs and to establish a volunteer mentor program for parents.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA:
     Section  1.  Terms used in this Act mean:
             (1)    "Department," the Department of Social Services;
             (2)    "Secretary," the secretary of the Department of Social Services.
     Section  2.  For the purposes of this Act, a parenting program is any state program that educates or trains people for the benefit of a child's health, safety, or mental well-being.
     Section  3.  The secretary shall take an inventory of each parenting program that is offered by the Department of Social Services, the Department of Health, the Department of Human Services, the Department of Education and Cultural Affairs, and the Cooperative Extension Service of the South Dakota State University. Each agency listed in this section shall cooperate in providing the information requested by the secretary. The provisions of §  4-8-4 do not apply to this Act.
     Section  4.  The inventory of each program shall include:
             (1)    The program's name;
             (2)    The mission;
             (3)    The type of information or skills taught;
             (4)    The means by which services are delivered;
             (5)    The number of parents and children served;
             (6)    The current budget and the funds used to finance the program;
             (7)    The number of FTE assigned to the program;
             (8)    Any additional information that the secretary may consider beneficial to the Legislature.
     Section  5.  The secretary shall report the inventories to the Legislature at the start of the 2004 Legislative Session.
     Section  6.  There is hereby established in the Department of Social Services the volunteer mentor program for parents. The program shall offer advice and skill to parents.
     Section  7.  The department may recruit and train volunteers to be mentors for parents. The agencies and programs identified in the inventory authorized by section 4 of this Act may provide assistance with recruitment and training.
     Section  8.  A volunteer mentor may offer assistance to a parent if requested by the parent or other family member, a teacher or other school district personnel, state personnel, or the Unified Judicial System.
     Section  9.  The department shall promulgate rules, pursuant to chapter 1-26, for the administration of sections 6 to 8, inclusive, of this Act.