Tennessee § 4-29-102 - Legislative findings — Purpose.

§ 4-29-102. Legislative findings — Purpose.

The general assembly finds and declares that state regulation of its citizens, businesses and industries is increasing at an alarming rate and that a method of reviewing such regulation is necessary to ensure that unnecessary and harmful regulation is abolished and that legitimate, necessary regulation is conducted efficiently and economically. It is the intent of the general assembly by this chapter to provide a responsible method to review state governmental entities to ensure that state governmental regulation is beneficial rather than detrimental to the public interest of the citizens of Tennessee. The general assembly declares that the delivery of human and community services to the state's citizens, including, but not limited to, the poor and aged, is a matter of public interest. The general assembly declares that the provision of human and community services should include, but not be limited to, the following goals: reduce and eliminate poverty; help every Tennessean become self-sufficient to improve their quality of life and standard of living; and coordinate, use, and distribute the state's financial, human, program, and other resources in the most effective and efficient manner possible. The general assembly realizes that in many areas of the state, there are duplicate human and community service and action organizations that receive state appropriations, state-administered funds, or contracts with various state departments that could result in an unnecessary duplication of services and administration, thereby resulting in an unnecessary duplication of costs. Such unnecessary duplication could decrease the overall effectiveness of human and community service programs and agencies. The general assembly further realizes that if such unnecessary duplication exists, it is not efficient, effective, or in the public's best interest. Where there are two (2) or more agencies that receive state appropriations, state-administered funds, or contracts with various state departments in the same county or service area upon sunset review the reviewing authority shall make an evaluation of a duplication of services, administration or costs, and report this finding and make recommendations to the general assembly to correct this situation upon reauthorization of such agency or agencies, or reauthorization of state funding. Upon receiving such recommendation, the review committee created in § 4-29-103 may recommend to terminate state funds to the entities. The general assembly concludes that the evaluation of human and community service delivery agencies, their services, and programs is necessary to determine whether they are achieving their goals, using resources as effectively and efficiently as possible, and minimizing any duplication of services, administration, and costs. The general assembly further concludes that there is no systematic ongoing effort, using objective outcome measures, to evaluate human and community service and action organizations. The general assembly further concludes that a statewide strategy for such delivery would enable, promote, and require the effective and efficient coordination of programs, services, and resources among the state's human and community service delivery organizations. The general assembly finds that the state's human and community service and action organizations, including, but not limited to, community action agencies and human resource agencies, were authorized by state law and receive state appropriations, state-administered funds, or contracts with various state departments to provide services to Tennessee residents. Therefore, these agencies should be independently evaluated, using objective outcome measures. Such outcome measures will be defined by the reviewing entity and will include, but not be limited to: The extent to which the low-income clients served by the entities have become more self-sufficient; The extent to which the low-income clients have improved their lives through increased employment; The extent to which agency clients have been able to move to standard, permanent housing from substandard, temporary housing; The extent to which clients participate in community groups; and The extent to which administrative resources are used efficiently in relation to programmatic resources. Acts 1977, ch. 452, § 2; T.C.A., § 4-2902; Acts 1997, ch. 308, § 1. Attorney General Opinions. Constitutionality of termination of community action agencies, OAG 98-0129, 1998 Tenn. AG LEXIS 131(7/27/98). Community action agencies' status as private or governmental entities, OAG 98-0129, 1998 Tenn. AG LEXIS 131 (7/27/98).