SB 1062 - This act creates the "Hope Missouri" Act. The act establishes the Hope Missouri Office within the Office of Administration, with the Commissioner of Administration acting as the director of the office. The Office is charged with the following responsibilities:

• Establish goals and strategies to accomplish the mission of Hope Missouri;

• Facilitate coordination and collaboration among participating state agencies to achieve these goals;

• Expand the Hope Missouri partner network to meet the needs of participants;

• Empower and assist participants in need to help identify and achieve immediate, intermediate, and long-term goals and remove barriers to personal goal achievement through the development and implementation of care plans in partnership with hope navigators;

• Use hope navigators to assist participants in identifying personal goals, developing individualized plans for achieving immediate, intermediate, and long-term goals, identifying and addressing barriers, and actively connecting participants to community resources and opportunities to achieve their goals;

• Use participating state agencies to serve families holistically in achieving self-sufficiency, maximizing community integration, and building a prosperous future.

• Refer participants requiring assistance with employment or vocational training to appropriate entities to prepare, train, and place the participants in meaningful employment.

Participation in Hope Missouri is limited to legal residents who are 18 years of age or older, except as otherwise provided in the act.

State departments and agencies are required to participate in Hope Missouri at the direction of the Commissioner of Administration. In order to use government resources more effectively and efficiently, participating state departments and agencies shall use existing resources and personnel, to the extent possible, to operate Hope Missouri.

SCOTT SVAGERA