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With two weeks left in the Regular Session, legislators
will not have much time to work through budget differences. However,
both sides appear extremely motivated to end session on time - May 1.
On Thursday, the Senate passed its budget bill (SB 2600) and immediately
sent it to the House. Friday, the House took up the Senate bill,
attached amendments and passed it with a vote of 74-45, along party
lines. This move sets the stage for conference committees to begin
Monday next week. Senate President Jeff Atwater and House Speaker Larry
Cretul announced that they plan to have the final budget printed on
April 26. Conference committees will begin meeting Monday, April 20.
Any issues left unresolved will be "bumped" to budget chairs
by noon, Thursday, April 23. Remaining unresolved issues will be "bumped"
to leadership by 6:00pm on Friday, April 24.
Earlier in the week, the House and Senate released their 2009-10
budgets with the House proposal at $65.1 billion and the Senate at
$65.6 billion. The main differences between the two plans occur in
general revenue funding and use of trust funds. The House budget sweeps
more than $900 million from trust funds and uses $800 million in
increased fees. The Senate plan does not sweep trust funds. It does,
however, rely on increased fees ($500 million), as well as revenues from
tobacco ($1 billion) and the gaming compact ($500 million). Both plans
use $3.5 billion in federal stimulus funding.
Despite the fact that the Senate budget raises approximately $1 billion
in tobacco revenues, their funding for health and human services is
nearly $250 million less than the House proposal. This is a serious
concern. Last week, the Senate's top health care budget writer, Sen.
Durell Peaden, learned that the additional money raised from the
tobacco tax would not help him balance the health care budget. He was
informed that roughly the same amount in general revenue was cut from
health and human services for other areas. Peaden said he had been led
to believe that, if the Senate pursued a higher cigarette tax, it could
mean nearly $1 billion more for health care. The move also angered Sen.
Nan Rich who said there will be no additional money from the tobacco
surcharge in the health care budget.
The budget still does not address significant reductions in Community
Based Care, Guardian ad Litem and Juvenile Assessment Centers.
House and Senate Budget Conferees
> House Conferees List
> Senate Conferees List
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Stimulus Funds Flow to Florida
The Joint Legislative Budget Commission met on Wednesday
to consider budget amendments that would inject nearly $4 billion in
stimulus funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into
Florida's economy. The panel gave state agencies the authority to spend
federal funds in many areas including youth employment, school services
to homeless and disabled youth, adoption subsidies, housing weatherization
and transportation projects. In addition, $1.8 billion in increased
Medicaid funding for five state agencies was approved. Other funds,
such as $2.2 billion for education have not yet begun to flow, as
Florida awaits instruction from Federal officials regarding a waiver of
rules requiring school spending to remain at 2006 levels. Some stimulus
funds, such as $20 increases in food stamp weekly amounts, have already
begun to flow. Additional funds ($80 million total - $30 million for
this year) were also approved for AWI for the school readiness program
to maintain and increase the availability of child care to low income
children. Funds will also be held for statewide early learning
activities and quality initiatives. FCSC and the Early Learning Coalitions
are working closely with AWI to determine the best options for
maximizing federal school readiness dollars in serving Florida's
children and their families.
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CSC Public Records Exemption Bills Expected to Pass
Bills that would make CSCs permanently exempt from public
records requirements for personal identifying information are poised
for passage in the House and Senate. The exemption protects a child's
or family's personal identifying information held by a CSC or by a
service provider or researcher under contract with a CSC. Under current
law, the exemption is subject to review under the Open Government
Sunset Review Act, and is scheduled to sunset on Oct. 9, 2009, unless
it is reauthorized. SB 748 by the
Children, Families and Elder Affairs Committee is still in the Rules
Committee waiting to be scheduled for its first floor hearing. The
House version (HB 7021) is on
the calendar for second reading.
Bills Pass to
Reduce Property Tax for First-Time Homebuyers
CS/HJR 97 by
Military and Local Affairs Policy Committee, Rep. Carl Domino (R-Palm
Beach) and others passed unanimously through the Full Appropriations
Council on Education & Economic Development. A proposed constitutional
amendment, the bill would give an additional homestead exemption to
first-time homebuyers of 50 percent of the just value up to $250,000.
The tax-savings amount would be reduced by 20 percent each year.
Projected revenue loss to local government is about $200 million by
2013-14. The Senate companion, SB 532 by Sen.
Evelyn Lynn (R-Volusia), also passed unanimously through the Finance
and Tax Committee this week. The Senate version provides an additional
exemption of 25 percent of the just value up to $100,000, and is phased
out over five years. The bill also limits increases in property tax for
rental property to 5 percent (current limit is 10%). Gov. Charlie Crist
attended this week's Finance and Tax committee to urge legislators to
support the bill. He did the same in the House a few weeks earlier.
TABOR Bill Stalls
for Fifth Time
SJR 1906 by Sen.
Mike Haridopolos (R-Brevard) was on the agenda this week, but not voted
on for the fifth time in Governmental Oversight and Accountability. The
controversial bill, vocally opposed by local governments, would limit
revenue increases to inflation plus population growth unless voters
approve it or a supermajority of local officials take a vote.
Property Tax Cap
Bills See No Movement
There was no
movement this week on HJR 385 by Rep.
Rivera (R-Miami-Dade) or its Senate companion (SJR 738). The
bills propose a constitutional amendment to limit ad valorem taxes
levied by all jurisdictions (schools, cities, counties and districts)
to 1.35 percent of the taxable value (the equivalent of 13.5 mills).
Senate, House
Support Different Versions of Gaming Compact
The Senate passed
its Seminole Gaming bill (SB 836) Thursday
on a 27-11 vote. The Senate plan allows the Seminoles to install full
casinos with blackjack, craps and roulette at its seven resorts. In
exchange, the tribe would pay the state at least $400 million a year --
enough to pay for 27,000 teachers, said bill sponsor Sen. Dennis Jones
(R-Orange). Meanwhile, the House is maintaining a "no
expansion" position, which will generate less revenue for the
state, roughly $100,000. As both sides move into conference next week,
the final terms of the Gaming Compact will become clearer.
Senate Approves
Tobacco Tax
The Senate passed its proposed tobacco tax, SB 1840 by Sen.
Ted Deutch (D-Palm Beach), without an exemption for hand-rolled cigars,
and with a prohibition on Floridians buying cheaper, non-taxed
cigarettes from Indian reservations. Sens. Victor Crist and Arthenia
Joyner withdrew an amendment that would have exempted hand-rolled
cigars from the tax after being assured the senators who negotiate with
the House over the budget would seek to get an exemption in conference
negotiations. The Senate bill has been placed on the House calendar.
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KidCare Passes 2nd Senate Committee, Stalled on
House Side
KidCare bill, SB 918 by Sen.
Nan Rich (D-Broward), passed its second committee of reference, the
Banking and Insurance Committee, on Tuesday by unanimous vote. SB 918
will remove barriers to KidCare and make it easier for families to
enroll uninsured eligible children, and help eligible children
currently enrolled not lose their coverage. The House bill, HB 1329 by Rep.
Jimmy Patronis (R-Bay), has yet to be heard.
TAKE ACTION: Contact House Speaker Larry Cretul and
let him know how important improved access to children's health
insurance is. Urge him to ensure HB 1329 is heard right away.
KidCare Outreach
SB 338 by Sen.
Frederica Wilson (D-Miami-Dade) was passed by the Health Regulation
Committee. The bill would require OPPAGA to perform a study of the
outreach efforts of the KidCare program, and submit a report to the
Legislature by a specified date. The bill is now on the agenda for
Health and Human Services Appropriations. The House bill, HB 807 by Reps.
Clarke-Reid and Rogers, is on the calendar on second reading.
Vaccination Bill
Threatens Children's Health
SB 242 by
Children, Families and Elder Affairs and Sen. Jeremy Ring (D-Broward)
may be coming out of committee soon and could cripple regulations
supporting timely and effective childhood immunizations. It revises
requirements for the administration of certain vaccines required for
school entry. It also allows a parent, legal guardian, or authorized
person to choose an alternative immunization schedule under certain
conditions. While these provisions may seem reasonable, the law of
unintended consequences is in full play and could have a profound
negative impact on children's health. The companion in the House is HB 33 by
Healthcare Regulation Policy and Rep. Kevin Ambler (R-Hillsborough).
It is not
infrequent that a child is brought to a pediatrician by a grandmother,
nanny, older adult, sibling or stepfather. While a doctor may have
known the family for years, without legal authorization, vaccines will
not be given, putting the child at risk, as well as those in contact
with the child. Even more concerning, the bill has no exemption
for disease outbreaks declared by the Department of Health (DOH). Even
if a disease is rampant in a community, and if DOH deems a rapid
response is necessary, preventive programs would be severely
restricted. The current vaccine schedule developed by the Center for
Disease Control is determined by science, expert consensus and public
health realities.
TAKE ACTION:
Contact members of the Policy & Steering Committee
on Ways and Means and urge them to take a closer look at the
science and the public health implications passing this bill may cause.
Booster Seat Bill On Agenda for Monday
SB 1404 by Sen. Thad Altman
(R-Brevard) is on the Transportation and Economic Development
Appropriations Committee agenda to be heard Monday next week. The bill requires
booster seats for children aged 4 through 7. Unfortunately, the House
bill, HB 357 by Rep. Steinberg,
still has yet to be heard.
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House Bill to Expand Detention
Postponed
The Senate companion to Rep. Sandy Adams' detention bill, SB 654 by Sen.
Charlie Dean (R-Citrus), was temporarily postponed in the Senate
Criminal Justice Committee (its first committee hearing) after Sens.
Wilson, Siplin and King expressed concerns and asked what the
Department of Juvenile Justice's (DJJ) position was on the bill. In the
absence of DJJ Secretary Frank Peterman, committee members were told
that the Department had no position on substantive legislation. The
bill will likely be reconsidered on April 20. Advocates and
organizations representing youth, including Public Defenders, the
Children's Campaign, Southern Poverty Law Center and NAACP continue to
express concerns with the bill's increased detention time and
over-reaching impact on some pre-adjudicated youth. Law enforcement and
many judges would like to give judges final authority for the placement
of youth and support the legislation. House companion, HB 173, is on
second reading on the House floor.
DJJ
Blueprint Commission Bill Awaits Hearing
SB 2128 by Sen. Victor Crist (R-Hillsborough)
remains in the Criminal & Civil Justice Appropriations Committee.
The bill seeks reform recommendations made by the Blueprint Commission
regarding the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. The House
companion, HB 1211 by Rep. Luis Garcia (D-Miami-Dade) was
passed earlier this week by the Criminal & Civil Justice
Appropriations Committee. It is now in Full Appropriations Council on
General Government & Health Care. The legislation aims to begin
reforms of Florida's juvenile justice system by diverting youth,
protecting victims of juvenile crime and addressing issues surrounding
over-representation of minority youth.
Zero
Tolerance Revisions Need Hearings
Bills revising
zero tolerance policies in the Senate, SB 1540 by Sen. Stephen Wise (R-Duval), and in the
House, HB 997 by Rep.
Jennifer Carroll (R-Duval), are in the PreK-12 Appropriations committee
in each chamber. The bills seek to revise zero-tolerance policies and
prohibit reporting of petty acts of misconduct and misdemeanors to law
enforcement.
TAKE
ACTION: Please contact the members of these committees and urge
their positive support.
Bill
Seeks to Improve Services for Youth in Juvenile Justice
SB 2094 by Sen. Victor Crist (R-Hillsborough)
remains on the Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations agenda for
early next week. The bill would make changes to the juvenile justice
chapter, along with conforming changes to a few other relevant statutes
such as the "Children and Families in Need of Services"
(CINS/FINS) statute and the "Comprehensive Child and Adolescent
Mental Health Services Act" in an effort to enhance services for
youth in the juvenile justice system. The House companion (HB 1475) is awaiting a hearing in the Criminal
& Civil Justice Appropriations Committee.
Bill
Raises License Renewal Fee, Uses Funds for Prevention
SB 1724 by
Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations and Sen. Victor Crist
(R-Hillsborough) had its third reading and is in House Messages. The
bill would raise the surcharge on license tax when an owner renews
his/her registration for a motor vehicle, moped or motorized bicycle.
The money generated would go to the Grants and Donations Trust Fund
within DJJ to be used for prevention programs. The fee increase is
estimated to generate an additional $8.4 million in revenues annually.
For Fiscal Year 2009-2010, the surcharge is estimated to generate
approximately $7.7 million.
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INDEPENDENT LIVING / FOSTER CARE
Concurrent
Custody Bill Moves in House
HB 1519 by Rep.
Rich Glorioso unanimously passed the Policy Council Tuesday, its final
committee of reference. The bill authorizes a court to order concurrent
(as well as temporary) custody of a minor child to a family member who
has physical custody of the child. The bill provides petition
requirements for requesting concurrent custody and provides that if one
of the minor child's parents objects to the petition, the petitioner
may convert the petition to one for temporary custody. The bill also
provides that the court must terminate an order for concurrent custody
if one of the minor child's parents objects to the order. The companion
bill, SB 1888 by Sen.
Ronda Storms (R-Hillsborough) remains in Criminal and Civil Justice
Appropriations.
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Bill Calls for White House Conference on Children &
Youth
Sen. Stephen Wise (R-Duval) filed SB 2784
this week, which calls on the United States Congress to authorize, and
President Barak Obama to convene, a White House Conference on Children
and Youth in 2010. The White House Conference on Children and Youth is
dedicated to critical child welfare issues, including child abuse and
neglect, keeping families together, health and mental care, tribal
children's issues and homelessness.
"Double
Dipping" Bill Awaits Next Hearing
SB 1182
by Sen. Mike Fasano (R-Pasco), which would prohibit a retired state
employee from getting retirement benefits and a salary at the same
time, is on the Governmental Oversight and Accountability
Committee agenda Tuesday next week. The bill is aimed at "double
dipping," where employees leave to take retirement benefits, and
then get re-hired. The bill would require any person who retires under
the Florida Retirement System after 2010 to forgo retirement benefits
as long as they are re-employed by the state.
Senate Committee
Approves Autism Spectrum Disorder Screening for Minors
SB 242
by Sens. Jeremy Ring (D-Broward) and Mike Fasano (R-Pasco) passed the
Children, Families, & Elder Affairs Committee this week. SB 242
requires that a physician refer a minor to an appropriate specialist
for screening for autism spectrum disorder under certain circumstances.
The terms, "appropriate specialist" and
"neuropsychologist," are also defined in the bill text.
Bill Facilitates
Electronic Exchange of Health Records
SB162
by Sen. Jeremy Ring (D-Broward) was passed by the Judiciary Committee.
It is now on the Health and Human Services Appropriations Committee
agenda. The bill expands access to a patient's health records in
order to facilitate the exchange of data between certain health care
facility personnel. It also requires the AHCA to operate an electronic
health record technology loan fund, subject to a specific
appropriation.
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U.S. Lawmakers Introduce Juvenile Justice
Reauthorization Bill
Senior members of the Senate Judiciary Committee
reintroduced legislation to reauthorize expiring programs in the
Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA). Senate
Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ranking Member
Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), Committee members Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) and Richard
Durbin (D-Ill.) introduced the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention Reauthorization Act to authorize key programs designed to
protect children. The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Reauthorization Act will increase federal funding of prevention,
intervention and treatment programs designed to reduce the incidence of
juvenile crime. The reauthorization legislation aims to balance
providing federal support and guidance to state programs, and
respecting the individual criminal justice policies of states. Learn more.
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TAKE
NOTE
Children & Youth
Cabinet Meeting
May 5 - United Way of Miami
Dade
The Ansin Building-Ryder
Room
3250 SW Third Avenue
Miami, FL 33129-2712
Children's Trust
Reauthorization: The Video
In addition to the printed
version of a well-organized and comprehensive case study of The
Children's Trust reauthorization campaign, now there is an 8-minute video
about the campaign available online. See the video.
Broward CSC and KidVision VPK Bring Innovation to the Classroom
The CSC of Broward has
partnered with WPBT2, a south Florida public media outlet, to use the
power of the internet to foster innovation in the classroom. The
initiative was created to support the professional development of Voluntary
Prekindergarten (VPK) teachers, and has already seen tremendous success.
More than 1,000 registered users are taking advantage of the free online
professional development program. Learn more. Also,
visit the KidVision VPK web site.
"After the
School Bell Rings" Short Video Online
BrightHouse Networks has
produced an abbreviated version of the afterschool video, titled
"After the School Bell Rings." The video can be viewed online
at the FAN web site at www.myfan.org. Go
to the "Advocacy" section and select "Media" from the
dropdown menu.
FAN to Offer
In-Service Training for Afterschool Providers
The Florida Afterschool Network is excited to announce a
partnership among the Agency for Workforce Innovation, the
Children's Forum, the Children's Services Councils, and the Early
Learning Coalitions to deliver a series of in-service training
opportunities for afterschool providers and practitioners. The statewide in-service
training opportunities are based on the FAN "Florida Standards for
Quality Afterschool Programs." For the training dates and locations,
please visit the Calendar section of the FAN web site at www.myfan.org.
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Capitol
Connection is also available online at the FCSC web site.
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