[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 2 (Friday, January 5, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E22]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E22]]
       INTRODUCTION OF H.R. 211, THE CALLING FOR 211 ACT OF 2007

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ANNA G. ESHOO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 4, 2007

  Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I'm very proud to introduce the Calling for 
211 Act of 2007, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on 
the Energy and Commerce Committee to move this legislation through 
Committee and bring it to the House floor. I have cosponsored this bill 
in previous Congresses with former Rep. Mike Bilirakis, and I'm 
confident that we now have the momentum to pass this legislation and 
send it to the President.
  Every hour of every day, someone in the United States needs essential 
services for themselves or someone close to them. These services can 
range from finding an after-school program for a child, to securing 
care for an aging parent, to finding drug or alcohol counseling. Faced 
with a myriad of agencies and help lines, many people end up going 
without services they need just because they don't know where to begin.
  When someone calls 2-1-1, an information and referral specialist 
assesses the caller's needs and determines which service provider is 
best equipped to handle their problem or crisis. These specialists are 
also trained to determine whether a caller may be eligible for other 
programs. 2-1-1 service providers maintain comprehensive databases of 
resources, including federal, state, and local government agencies, 
community-based organizations, and private non-profits.
  In 2000, the FCC designated 2-1-1 for community information and 
referral purposes. Today, 2-1-1 reaches 193 million Americans--about 69 
percent of the U.S. population--with call centers operational in 41 
states and the District of Columbia. However, inadequate funding 
prevents universal access to 2-1-1 service in every state. 2-1-1 
service is currently available statewide in only 17 states. The goal of 
the Calling for 211 Act of 2007 is to ensure that all Americans have 
access to quality community information and referral services through 
2-1-1 wherever they live.
  The largest barriers for communities seeking to implement 2-1-1 are 
funding and awareness. In many states, limited resources have slowed 
the process of connecting communities with this vital service. Current 
funding where 2-1-1 is operational comes from diverse sources including 
non-profits, state governments, foundations, and businesses.
  The Calling for 211 Act is strongly supported by the United Way and 
builds on existing efforts to make it easier to connect people with 
important community services and volunteer opportunities. The 
legislation provides federal matching grants to enable much-needed 
changes to the way people connect to community social services, 
including:
  Providing the infrastructure to connect individuals with precise 
information and social services that address their needs;
  Empowering the nation to better respond to large-scale emergencies 
and homeland security needs by relieving pressure on overwhelmed 9-1-1 
call centers. During the Hurricane Katrina disaster, 2-1-1 served as a 
crucial backup in areas where 9-1-1 centers went down;
  Providing aggregated data from 2-1-1 systems nationwide to better 
assess the needs of our communities.
  I believe the 2-1-1 system has great potential; this legislation will 
establish a federal partnership with states and local communities to 
give more Americans access to 2-1-1 services. By augmenting existing 
funding from state and local governments, nonprofits, and the business 
community, we can ensure that 2-1-1 can finally be a truly national 
system. A small investment at the national level would pay immediate 
dividends in terms of faster, more efficient responses to non-emergency 
but still critical situations.
  In a crisis no one has time to flip through their phonebook. When an 
urgent medical or safety issue arises, we dial 9-1-1 knowing we can get 
help anywhere and at anytime. We should expect the same when it comes 
to tracking down important social services as well.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation and help to 
implement this critical safety net for all Americans.

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