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Dates
to Watch
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January
3, 2009
Start of 111th Congress
January
13, 2009
Children & Youth Cabinet Meeting
January
20, 2009
New U.S. President sworn in
March
3, 2009
Florida Regular Session Convenes
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Send
Me More
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CSCs
strategically invest in primary prevention and early intervention
programs and services.
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 Wishing
you a healthy and prosperous 2009!
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LEGISLATIVE WATCH
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Governor Issues Recommendations for
2008-09 General Revenue Budget
Gov. Charlie Crist issued a letter with attachments last
week containing his recommendations for a balanced 2008-09 General
Revenue Budget. The letter also outlined suggested options for balancing
the current year budget. Governor Crist encouraged legislators to
quickly consider the compact between the State of Florida and the
Seminole Tribe of Florida, as well as an economic stimulus package.
Highlights of the Governor's recommendations include:
- Implement the 4-percent reductions previously
withheld from state agencies.
- No furloughs or layoffs of state employees.
- Continued critical services to the most vulnerable
Floridians.
- Continued investment in Florida's classrooms for
students and teachers, with the recommendation to redirect funds
to K-12 education should a Federal Economic Stimulus Package
become available.
Ø
Download a copy
of the Governor's letter with attachments.
Obama
Health Policy Team Holds Meeting in Tallahassee
A panel of local
medical professionals held a community meeting last week in Tallahassee
to learn what changes Americans want to see in health-care policy and
practices. The meeting, attended by more than 200 local citizens, was
part of a larger national initiative being carried out by the
Presidential Transition Health Policy Team. Similar meetings were held
throughout the nation to seek input from the public about ideas on the
U.S. health care system. President-elect Barack Obama says he hopes the
talks, held through Dec. 31, will help the incoming administration in
designing a quality, economical approach to health care for the next
four years. Once the local meetings are completed, all information will
be gathered and final recommendations will be given to the new
administration.
Obama
Education Agenda Calls for Investments in Early Learning
President-elect
Barack Obama intends to make early learning a key component of his
political agenda. The Agenda section of his web site, Change.gov, outlines his plans to
prepare children to compete in a global economy. Obama's vision for a 21st century education begins with
demanding more reform and accountability, coupled with the resources
needed to carry out that reform; asking parents to take responsibility
for their children's success; and recruiting, retaining, and rewarding
an army of new teachers to fill new successful schools that prepare
children for success in college and the workforce. Learn more.
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TOP STORIES
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Children's
Cabinet to Meet in January, Hear Updates on Committee Work
Since the Children and Youth Cabinet's last meeting on
Sept. 23, members of the Cabinet's working committees have focused
efforts on developing plans and strategies to achieve their assigned
tasks. The three committees -- Interagency Agreements, Agency Budgets,
and Commissions, Councils and Task Force Recommendations -- will
present interim reports to the Cabinet during its January 13 meeting in
Tallahassee. Additionally, the Children's Summit Workgroup
is preparing two reports for the Cabinet, a Study on Child Screening,
and a State of the Child Report. For more information about the January
meeting or Cabinet committee work, visit the Children and Youth Cabinet
web site.
Lawsuit Settled in Medicaid Reform
Case
A recent federal ruling will require Florida's Agency for
Healthcare Administration (AHCA) to inform consumers in Medicaid Reform
pilots about their right to disenroll from their health plans. Federal
Medicaid regulations mandate that AHCA notify consumers of their right
to disenroll for any reason (or no reason) within 90 days of being
assigned to a health plan and at least once every 12 months after that,
as well as for "good cause" at any time. Go to the Florida
CHAIN web site to learn more. Also
read, "Protecting patient care,"
in the Dec. 23 issue of Florida Today.
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NET DATA
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Business
Group Says Investments in Kids Will Help Strengthen America's Economic
Competitiveness
A report released by Corporate Voices for Working Families
says too many young people today -- the workforce of tomorrow -- are
not prepared to succeed in a knowledge-based economy. Businesses
require an exceptional pool of new workers to continue the American
traditions of innovation and productivity. Corporate Voices, the
collective voice of companies concerned about the challenges facing
young people and business competitiveness, is taking action to help
solve what it believes to be a growing national crisis. The report
identifies public policy strategies aimed at improving workforce
readiness. Read the report
(37pp).
Group Launches "College is
Possible" Initiative for Foster Youth
The Early
Awareness Outreach committee of the Florida Association of Student
Financial Aid Administrators has created a brochure designed to
encourage foster youth in high school to begin thinking about a college
path. The brochure can be downloaded and is designed to be printed as a
two-sided color piece. It can either be tri-folded or used as a flyer.
The brochure will be available soon on the University of Central
Florida web site. For
more details about the College is Possible (CIP) program, visit the CIP
web site.
After School Programs in the 21st Century: Their
Potential and What it Takes to Achieve It
A research brief from the Harvard Family Research Project
takes a closer look at afterschool programs and what difference
participation in these programs makes. The brief looks at 10 years of
research on afterschool programs and finds implications for the future
of the afterschool field. Read the report,
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EVENTS
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Palm Beach CSC Economic Summit Will Examine Ways to
Invest in Young Children
The Children's Services Council of Palm Beach County will
host an Economic Summit on Jan. 21, 2009, in West Palm Beach. The
summit will bring together business leaders, policymakers and child
advocates to evaluate how to address the pressing issue of early
childhood education - and its impact on the future. Decades of research
prove that investing in young children is the best way to improve
current workforce performance, ensure school success and create
long-lasting economic returns for families, businesses and society as a
whole. Featured speakers include Rob Grunewald, Economist, Federal
Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, and Dr. Ross Thompson, Psychology
Professor, University of California, Davis. For more information,
please e-mail Marlene Passell, Palm Beach CSC Public Information
Director, marlene.passell@cscpbc.org
or call 561-740-7000.
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