Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS -- (Senate - January 31, 2005)

By Mrs. CLINTON (for herself, Mrs. DOLE, Mr. NELSON of Nebraska, Mr. BURR, Ms. STABENOW, Mr. HAGEL, Ms. CANTWELL, Mr. LUGAR, Mr. NELSON of Florida, Mr. COLEMAN, Mr. LAUTENBERG, Mr. LEVIN, Ms. LANDRIEU, Mrs. MURRAY, Mrs. BOXER, Mr. BAYH, Mr. INOUYE, and Mr. BENNETT):

S. 211. A bill to facilitate nationwide availability of 2-1-1 telephone service for information and referral on human services, volunteer services, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the calling for a 2-1-1 Act with my colleague Senator ELIZABETH DOLE. This bill will make an invaluable difference for the citizens of New York and the country.

Just last week I was in Rochester helping to launch a 2-1-1 call center that will serve the citizens of the Finger Lakes region of New York. This call center will provide a simple, efficient, and convenient way for individuals to obtain vital information about government services. It is the first step in an ambitious plan to provide 365 day, 24 hour 2-1-1 service throughout all of New York, and ultimately, the entire country.

The Calling for 2-1-1 Act, which I am introducing today, will create at least one 2-1-1 call center just like the one in Rochester in every state in the country, and will link every regional call center together to ensure Statewide coverage. Last Congress, 31 members of the Senate and 149 members of the House of Representatives co-sponsored the Calling for 2-1-1 Act. In the 109th, we are working to appeal to even more.

The best part of the 2-1-1 system is that it is equally available to everyone. From the mother whose child is about to go off to war, to the veteran returning from service, 2-1-1 will help people access the information they need when they need it. It helps teens who are in crisis and young mothers who have nowhere else to turn. Single mothers trying to find a job in a tough economy, frail senior citizens who need help with transportation but have no family or friends to call, and substance-abusing teens who in a moment of lucidity decide to seek a way out can all find what they need by dialing 2-1-1.

This number also helps people who want to give back to their communities. 2-1-1 provides lots of information about volunteer opportunities and helps direct people who want to give donations. At times of disaster, like the recent tsunami, 2-1-1 will be there to help get everyone the information they need to make sure their donations are directed effectively.

2-1-1 is not only good for New Yorkers; it is also good for our Nation's bottom line. 2-1-1 saves money because it eliminates duplicative services. The service will replace the existing maze of individual numbers for individual services: hotlines for shelter from abusive spouses, vaccinations for children, or information about where to obtain hospice services for ailing parents or loved ones. 2-1-1 will be a ``one-stop shop'' for all of these services. According to a recent study by the Ray Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resources at the University of Texas' Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, 2-1-1 call centers can save as much as $130 million in the first year of operation and as much as $1.1 billion over ten years.

I would add that 2-1-1 saves lives. Every time someone calls 9-1-1 with a non-emergency call, the operators spend time with that caller that they could be spending dealing with a true emergency. 2-1-1 will replace 9-1-1 as the non-emergency point of reference because it is so easy to recall.

We learned on September 11th how important 2-1-1 can be. In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, most people did not know where to turn for information about their loved ones. Fortunately for those who knew about it, 2-1-1 was already operating in Connecticut during September 11th, and it was critical in helping identify the whereabouts of victims, connecting frightened children with their parents, providing information on terrorist suspects, and linking ready volunteers with coordinated efforts and victims with necessary mental and physical health services. 2-1-1 provided locations of vigils and support groups, and information on bioterrorism for those concerned about future attacks.

As time went by, many people needed help getting back on their feet. More than 100,000 people lost their jobs. Close to 2,000 families applied for housing assistance because they couldn't pay their rent or mortgage. 90,000 people developed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder or clinical depression within eight weeks of the attacks. Another 34,000 people met the criteria for both diagnoses. And 2-1-1 was there to help in Connecticut.

It wasn't available in far too many other areas, however. In fact, a Brookings Institution and Urban Institute study of the aftermath of September 11th found that many dislocated workers struggled to obtain available assistance. People ``found it difficult to connect with resources due to a social-services infrastructure that does not support a simple and efficient method for people to learn about and access services and for agencies to coordinate their activities.''

And that is what 2-1-1 is all about. It provides a single, efficient, coordinated way for people who need help to connect with those who can provide it.

The Federal Communications Commission laid the groundwork for a 2-1-1 number in 2000 when it directed that telephone number to be reserved for information and referral to social and human-services agencies. The 2-1-1 system opens the way to a user-friendly social-services network, by providing an easy-to-remember and universally available phone number that links individuals and families in need to the appropriate non-profit and government agencies.

In Rochester, New York and throughout the Finger Lakes, 2-1-1 will do just that. Whatever the need, 2-1-1 can help point you in the right direction. That is why I am so pleased to be introducing this legislation today, and why I am so optimistic that this will be an important first step in the road to bringing 2-1-1 to communities throughout the Empire State and the entire U.S.A. Thank you.

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