MS HB612

Creates a Children's Advocacy Commission with seventeen members to coordinate and streamline Mississippi's efforts to provide services to children, focusing on abuse and neglect prevention, foster care, adoption, and public awareness.

Commission membership includes the Governor's appointee, executive directors from human services, health, and mental health departments, education representatives, and members from counselor, social worker, therapist, and healthcare associations.

Commission must design resource maps of all federal and state funding for children's programs, assess program effectiveness, determine feasibility of merging or discontinuing services, and report findings to legislative committees by December 1 each year.

Requires all state agencies, departments, and political subdivisions providing services to children to submit itemized lists of programs, funding sources, and service data to the John C. Stennis Institute of Government by September 1 annually; the Institute compiles information for the Commission by November 1.

Commission meets at least quarterly, operates with public meetings allowing public comment, and members receive no compensation but may be reimbursed for travel expenses; takes effect July 1, 2010.