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Dates
to Watch
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January 19, 2009
National Day of Service
Martin Luther King Day
January 20, 2009
New U.S. President sworn in
March 3, 2009
Florida
Regular Session Convenes
March 17-18, 2009
FCSC Board of Directors Meeting
Tallahassee
March 29-April 3, 2009
Children's
Week
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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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LEGISLATIVE WATCH
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Special
Session Ends with Nearly $1 Billion in Cuts to Schools, Social Services
The Florida House and Senate agreed Wednesday to $2.8
billion in cuts and funding shifts to address the state's $2.3 billion
budget shortfall, and provide some cushion through June 30 (fiscal year
end). Votes were split largely along party lines with the Senate voting
27-13 and the House voting 74-43. The budget balancing package contains
more than $900 million in cuts to schools, social services and other
programs. Additionally, the plan borrows $700 million from the Lawton
Chiles endowment fund, takes another $400 million from the state's
"rainy day" fund, and takes $190 million from affordable
housing projects. Democrats argued that the cuts are bigger than they
have to be. They said the Legislature could have closed tax loopholes
or exemptions, or increased taxes on cigarettes, to avoid some of the
worst cuts. Gov. Charlie Crist indicated that he is disappointed in
some of the decisions and would look closely at education cuts. See cuts to children's programs.
SCHIP
Reauthorization Bill Wins Victory in House, On to Senate
The SCHIP Reauthorization Act of 2009 passed the House
floor today by a vote of 289-139. The bill is based
largely on the first version of the Children's Health Insurance Program
Reauthorization Act of 2007, which renews the SCHIP program and
substantially increases its funding. It also establishes a major new
initiative to enroll millions of already-eligible uninsured children in
Medicaid and SCHIP, and launches a new child health quality
program. The bill will be paid for with a 61 cent tobacco tax
increase.
A
key difference between House and Senate versions is the House provision
giving states the option to cover legal immigrant kids and pregnant
women. The "Chairman's Mark" being considered by the Senate
Finance Committee does not include this provision. An amendment is
expected to add this provision to the Senate bill. Additional mark-ups
are expected to be taken up by the Senate committee on Thursday with
floor action expected late next week. If the House and Senate pass
different bills, which appears possible, negotiations would follow and
one or both chambers would face another vote.
Ø
Download the House bill
Ø
See text of Chairman's mark
Ø
See summary of Chairman's
mark
CSC Public Records Bill Passes
First Committee
Senate Proposed Bill (SPB)
7004 passed the Senate Committee on Children, Families and
Elder Affairs this afternoon. The bill would make permanent a public
records exemption (Section 125.901, F.S.) for children's services
councils, which is currently in statute. The exemption protects a
child's or family's personal indentifying information held by a CSC or
by a service provider or researcher under contract with a CSC. However,
under present law, the exemption is subject to review under the Open
Government Sunset Review Act, and will sunset on Oct. 9, 2009, unless
it is reauthorized. FCSC has worked closely with Senate and House staff
to ensure the exemption remains in place. Thanks go to House and Senate
committee staff for taking the time to fully understand the importance
of the exemption for children and families served by CSCs. Kudos also
to CSC staff Diana Ragbeer of The Children's Trust, and Tom Sheehan of
CSC of Palm Beach County, who assisted in briefing legislative staff.
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TOP STORIES
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Children's
Cabinet Adopts Legislative Recommendations
The Governor's Children and Youth Cabinet met in
Tallahassee Tuesday after a three-month break. Reports from committee
chairs indicated that while some progress has been made, the state
budget shortfall is creating challenges in achieving committee goals.
Cabinet members also heard from the Children's Summit Stakeholder
Group, a workgroup in support of the Cabinet that includes Florida CSC
members. Speaking on behalf of the stakeholder group, United Way of
Florida CEO Ted Granger announced that results of a Child Screening
Study and a State of the Child report should be ready to present at the
Cabinet's March meeting. Granger also presented the group's legislative
recommendations for the Cabinet to adopt for the 2009 Legislative
Session. The Cabinet adopted the recommendations as follows:
- Recommendation
1 - Secure legislative funding to support adequate staffing to
support the Cabinet's work. Alternatively, state agencies
represented on the Cabinet should collaborate to provide Cabinet
staffing through existing staff positions and funding.
- Recommendation
2 - Secure legislative funding to support implementation of the
recommendations of the Cabinet's Interagency Information Sharing
Committee relating to expansion of the Judiciary Inquiry System,
which has been adopted and is successfully working in the Office
of State Courts Administration.
- Recommendation
3 - Support and advocate for improvements to the Florida Kid Care
program that will enable the state to maximize its federal funding
allocation.
Cabinet members also heard presentations by the Florida
Association of School Nurses, Our Mothers Home, which serves foster
moms and their babies, and the Heart Gallery of Florida. Two youngsters, residents at the
Florida Sheriff's Youth Ranch, presented an update on the Youth Ranch
and delighted the Cabinet with their enthusiasm and hopes for the
future. The next meeting is scheduled for March 31, 2009, in
Tallahassee. Minutes of the January meeting will be posted on the Children's Cabinet web site
soon.
Florida Consumer-Driven Medicaid Reform in Limbo
A five-year pilot Medicaid reform in Florida designed to improve care
access and quality has not yet lived up to its expectations, according
to some physicians. The project, which began in Broward and Duval
counties in July 2006, financially rewards patients who access
preventive care, provides varying benefit package options and offers
counselors to assist enrollees in choosing a plan. Most pilot county
enrollees must choose an HMO or a provider service network. PSNs are
owned by hospitals and physicians. Read full article.
~
Excerpted from American Medical News
Secretary Brown to Leave AWI for Private Sector
 Agency
for Workforce Innovation (AWI) Secretary Monesia Brown announced that
she will resign from the agency, effective Feb. 1. In addition to
taking a job in the private sector, Brown said her family is a top
priority, and she wants to focus more on her children. Brown served as
a special counsel to Gov. Charlie Crist in the attorney general's
office and also as general counsel at the Department of Management Services
before taking over at AWI two years ago. Gov. Crist said he had some
people in mind for the position, but wasn't ready to name anyone yet. Read Brown's letter to the
Governor.
Six
Cover Florida Providers Ready
to Enroll Consumers
Gov. Charlie Crist
announced that six health insurance providers are ready to begin
enrolling consumers in the Cover Florida Health Care Access
Program. Interested individuals are encouraged to discuss their
health care options directly with each available insurer. The Cover Florida web site has been
updated to include contact information for each insurance
provider. Each company will begin providing information to
interested consumers via toll-free phone numbers, and two providers
have information available online. Learn more.
Budget Cuts Spark
Editorials Statewide on Behalf of Children
Special Session
deliberations combined with mounting economic struggles for Florida
families have sparked an onslaught of editorials in newspapers across
the state. The opinion pieces, written by editorial boards, citizens
and advocates alike, urge the Governor and policymakers to protect
Florida's children from continued budget cuts. Below are just a few of
the recent editorials.
President-Elect Obama Urges Americans to "Step
Forward"
The Presidential Inaugural Committee, together with The
Advertising Council, has released new television and radio PSAs in
which President-elect Obama asks Americans to step forward and make an
ongoing commitment to serve their communities. Obama encourages
everyone to get involved through USAservice.org.
The web site provides tools and resources needed to take action.
Visitors may sign up to host or attend a service event on Martin Luther King, Jr.
Day, January 19th, when the President-elect will join thousands of
Americans across the country in a day of service. Nearly 6,000
volunteer projects across the country are already listed on USAService.org.
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CSC NEWS
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Passing of the
FCSC Gavel
 During the FCSC Executive
Committee meeting last week in Palm Beach, committee members and FCSC
staff recognized outgoing FCSC Chair Modesto Abety for his tireless
work and dedication to improve the lives of Florida's children and
families. Not only has Abety served as chair of FCSC for two years, he
has led the charge during the past five years to build the successful
Children's Trust of Miami-Dade County as its CEO. Abety was presented
with a photo book to commemorate his years as FCSC chair. He thanked the
executive committee for their commitment to the FCSC mission, and
wished every success to incoming FCSC Chair Tana Ebbole. She is CEO of
the CSC of Palm Beach County, and will serve as FCSC chair for a
two-year term.
Children's
Board Thanks Community for Investing in Kids
Children's
Board of Hillsborough County CEO Luanne Panacek issued a public
"thank you" to the Hillsborough community last week for their
"vision and wisdom" in creating the special district. In a
guest column published in the Tampa
Tribune, Panacek commemorated the organization's 20th
year in operation. Read full article.
Miami
Mayor Manny Diaz: Focusing on the Future of Children
With just a year left in his second term, Miami Mayor Manny Diaz has
done for Miami what he believes every mayor should do first and
foremost for their cities: focus on the kind of future you're building
for the children who live there and the opportunities they're going to
have. Read more.
~
Excerpted from Kid Matters newsletter produced by The
Children's Trust
Jacksonville
Children's Commission Reports on Racial and Ethnic Disparities
The Jacksonville
Children's Commission released its "2009 Racial and Ethnic
Disparities Report" Monday, which presented findings on the
disparities that exist among children in the community based on race
and poverty. Since 2005, the Commission has created an in-depth State
of the Child Report to
increase public knowledge and understanding about the status of
children in the city. Highlights from the 2009 report reveal
that one in three black children in Jacksonville live in poverty,
compared with fewer than one in 10 white children. Additionally, black
students are suspended out of school at a rate more than twice that of
white children. Read the full report.
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NET DATA
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Florida
KIDS COUNT Data Book Released
The Center for the Study of Children's Futures at the
University of South Florida, College of Behavioral & Community
Sciences, Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, Department
of Child and Family Studies in Tampa, released Florida's Children At A
Glance, 2008. The Florida KIDS COUNT data book, funded through the
Annie E. Casey Foundation, provides county and statewide indicator
summaries of 2006 and 2006/07data on population, birth
ndicators, education, child well-being, and youth and the law. This
annual publication is available in PDF format at http://cscf.fmhi.usf.edu,
or books may be ordered online at https://fmhi.pro-copy.com.
For more information or help with data on Florida's children and their
families, contact the Center at 813-974-7411.
Report
Focuses on Negative Impact of Cuts to Services
The
Florida Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy recently issued a report
titled, "Florida's Fiscal
Crisis: The Problem." The report seeks to define the scope of
Florida's fiscal dilemma, its consequences to state services, and
offers recommendations to address the problem in the short and long
term. According to the report, Florida is one of 41 states with
significant revenue shortfalls that is facing serious fiscal stress.In
addition to the influence of the economy, the state's antiquated and
unbalanced tax structure has also contributed to Florida's fiscal
crisis. Read the report.
Florida
Kindergartners Show Growth in Early Learning
Results from the
"2008 Florida Kindergarten
Readiness Screener" indicate that the number of kindergartners
showing early literacy skills has reached its highest point to date.
The screening results, released by the Department of Education, include
measures of each Kindergartener's readiness in seven areas: language
and literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, social and personal
skills, physical health and fitness and the creative arts. Learn more.
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