II

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. 2815

To provide for the nationwide designation of 2–1–1 as a toll-free telephone

number for access to information and referrals on human services, to

encourage the deployment of the toll-free telephone number, and for

other purposes.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

JUNE 29, 2000

Mr. CLELAND (for himself and Ms. SNOWE) introduced the following bill;

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce,

Science, and Transportation

A BILL

To provide for the nationwide designation of 2–1–1 as a

toll-free telephone number for access to information and

referrals on human services, to encourage the deployment

of the toll-free telephone number, and for other purposes.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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1 SECTION 1. NATIONWIDE DESIGNATION OF TOLL-FREE

2 TELEPHONE NUMBER FOR ACCESS TO

3 HUMAN SERVICES INFORMATION AND RE4 FERRAL.

5 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find6 ings:

7 (1) N–1–1 codes, or 3-digit abbreviated dialing

8 telephone numbers, provide Americans with easy, ef9 ficient, nationwide access to emergency and non10 emergency information that serves the public inter11 est.

12 (2) Individuals and families often find it dif13 ficult to navigate the complex and ever growing

14 maze of human services agencies and programs and

15 often spend inordinate amounts of time in trying to

16 identify the agency or program that provides a serv17 ice that may be immediately or urgently required.

18 (3) Americans desire to volunteer and become

19 involved in their communities, and this desire, to20 gether with a desire to donate to organizations

21 which provide human services, are among the rea22 sons to call a center which provides information and

23 referrals on human services.

24 (4) The number ‘‘2–1–1’’ is easy-to-remember

25 and universally recognizable and would serve well as

26 the designation of a telephone service for linking in-
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1 dividuals and families to information and referral

2 centers which could, in turn, make critical connec3 tions between individuals and families in need and

4 appropriate human services agencies, including both

5 community-based organizations and government

6 agencies.

7 (5) United Ways and other non-profit and gov8 ernmental centers that provide information about

9 and referrals to human services have secured fund10 ing for the establishment, implementation, and cur11 rent operation in the United States of three centers

12 that provide such information and referrals and are

13 accessed through the telephone number 2–1–1.

14 (6) United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta, Con15 tact Helpline of Columbus, Georgia, and United

16 Way of Connecticut currently utilize the telephone

17 number 2–1–1 for the purpose of access to informa18 tion about and referral to human services.

19 (7) Since United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta

20 and United Way of Connecticut switched from 10-

21 digit telephone numbers for access to their centers

22 of information and referral on human services to the

23 telephone number 2–1–1 for access to such centers,

24 the volume of calls received at such centers has in25 creased by approximately 40 percent. The centers of
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1 United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta and United

2 Way of Connecticut each handled approximately

3 200,000 calls in 1999.

4 (8) Rapid deployment nationwide of the tele5 phone number 2–1–1 as a means of access to infor6 mation about and referral to human services re7 quires coordination among State governments and

8 the information and referral centers of many local9 ities.

10 (9) Alabama, Massachusetts, North Carolina,

11 and Utah have approved petitions for the implemen12 tation of the telephone number 2–1–1 statewide for

13 that purpose, and implementation of the use of that

14 number for that purpose is underway. Jurisdictions

15 in Louisiana and Tennessee have also designated the

16 use of 2–1–1 for that purpose.

17 (10) Ohio, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin

18 are considering petitions to designate the telephone

19 number 2–1–1 for that purpose.

20 (11) Florida and Virginia have developed state21 wide models for telephone access for that purpose.

22 (12) The use of 2–1–1 for that purpose is being

23 considered by nearly every other State.

24 (b) DESIGNATION OF TOLL-FREE HUMAN SERVICES

25 ACCESS TELEPHONE NUMBER.—
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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 251(e) of the Com2 munications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 251(e)) is

3 amended by adding at the end the following new

4 paragraph:

5 ‘‘(3) HUMAN SERVICES ACCESS TELEPHONE

6 NUMBER.—

7 ‘‘(A) DESIGNATION.—The Commission,

8 and each commission or other entity to which

9 the Commission has delegated authority under

10 this subsection, shall designate 2–1–1 as a toll11 free telephone number within the United States

12 for access to information and referral centers

13 for information about and referral to providers

14 of human services, including information and

15 referrals for purposes of volunteering and mak16 ing donations.

17 ‘‘(B) APPLICABILITY.—The designation

18 under subparagraph (A) shall apply to wire and

19 wireless telephone service.

20 ‘‘(C) PAYMENT OF COSTS.—The costs of a

21 telecommunications carrier in providing access

22 to a provider of information and referrals

23 through the telephone number designated under

24 this paragraph shall be borne by the provider of

25 such information and referrals.
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1 ‘‘(D) CALL LOCATION INFORMATION.—

2 Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to

3 require any telecommunications carrier to pro4 vide call location information to a provider of

5 information or referrals on human services

6 through the telephone number designated under

7 this paragraph.

8 ‘‘(E) DEFINITIONS.—In this paragraph:

9 ‘‘(i) HUMAN SERVICES.—The term

10 ‘human services’ means services as follows:

11 ‘‘(I) Services that assist individ12 uals in becoming more self-sufficient,

13 in preventing dependency, and in

14 strengthening family relationships.

15 ‘‘(II) Services that support per16 sonal and social development.

17 ‘‘(III) Services that help ensure

18 the well-being of individuals, families,

19 and communities.

20 ‘‘(ii) INFORMATION AND REFERRAL

21 CENTER.—The term ‘information and re22 ferral center’ means a center that—

23 ‘‘(I) maintains a database of pro24 viders of human services in a State or

25 locality; and
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1 ‘‘(II) assists individuals, families,

2 and communities in identifying, un3 derstanding, and accessing such pro4 viders and the human services offered

5 by such providers.’’.

6 (2) TRANSITION.—The Federal Communica7 tions Commission shall provide for the implementa8 tion within a reasonable period of time of the des9 ignation required by paragraph (3) of section 251(e)

10 of the Communications Act of 1934, as added by

11 paragraph (1) of this subsection, throughout the

12 areas of the United States where the designation is

13 not in effect as of the date of the enactment of this

14 Act.

15 (c) SUPPORT FOR STATE EFFORTS.—

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall en17 courage and support efforts by States to develop and

18 implement the use of the toll-free telephone number

19 2–1–1 for access to providers of information and re20 ferrals on human services.

21 (2) ACTIVITIES.—In providing encouragement

22 and support under paragraph (1), the Commission

23 shall—

24 (A) consult with appropriate State offi25 cials, including State human services agencies,
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1 and appropriate representatives of the tele2 communications industry, United Ways, Alli3 ance of Information and Referral Systems

4 (AIRS), AIRS affiliates, law enforcement and

5 emergency service providers, and local non-prof6 it and governmental information and referral

7 centers; and

8 (B) encourage States to coordinate state9 wide implementation of the use of the telephone

10 number in consultation with such representa11 tives.

12 (3) PROHIBITION ON IMPOSITION OF OBLIGA13 TIONS OR COSTS.—Nothing in this subsection shall

14 be construed to authorize or require the Commission

15 to impose an obligation or cost on any person.

16 (d) PROVISION OF CALL INFORMATION.—Section

17 222(d) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C.

18 222(d)) is amended—

19 (1) by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end of paragraph

20 (2);

21 (2) by striking the period at the end of para22 graph (3) and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and

23 (3) by adding at the end the following:
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1 ‘‘(4) to provide call information when required

2 by applicable law.’’.

Æ