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Dates
to Watch
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March 3, 2009
Florida
Regular Session Convenes
Children
& Youth Cabinet Meeting
March 17-18,
2009
FCSC Board of Directors Meeting
Tallahassee
March 29-April 3, 2009
Children's
Week
Children
& Youth Cabinet Meeting
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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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Governor
Approves Revised Budget, Vetoes Cuts to Children
Gov.
Charlie Crist signed the revised 2008-09 state budget yesterday, and
issued a list of veto items that preserves nearly $365 million in state
spending. Among the restored budget items for children and families
were School Readiness, CMS, CINS/FINS, PACE Center for Girls, Autism,
Substance Abuse Services, Crisis Counseling, and Guardian ad Litem. The
Governor's vetoes will not cause an imbalance in the state's current
year budget. The Florida Children's Services Council applauds the
Governor and his staff for giving thoughtful consideration to proposed
budget cuts, and for demonstrating leadership by drawing the line on
cuts to kids.
SCHIP Debate Continues in Senate
The Senate continued debates on SCHIP reauthorization this
week. A Republican amendment to limit states' ability to expand
coverage to documented immigrants and pregnant women was rejected.
Another amendment that would have required families with annual incomes
greater than 200 percent of the federal poverty level to contribute a
portion of the cost of their SCHIP coverage was also defeated. Florida
Sen. Mel Martinez proposed an amendment to reinstate a policy that
prohibits U.S. tax dollars from going to international organizations
responsible for performing and promoting abortions. It was also
defeated by a vote of 37-60. After the Senate completes debate, the
differences between the House and Senate bills must be resolved and the
final bill will go back to both bodies for final approval before going
to the President.
In related news, Florida officials say an expansion of the
SCHIP program could mean as much as $87 million extra per year to cover
about 82,000 more uninsured children through KidCare. However, to cover
the extra children, the state would have to come up with about
one-third of the extra federal money as a match - at a time when the
state is struggling to plug a budget shortfall. FCSC will continue to
monitor the progress of this legislation.
Congress Considers Economic Stimulus Package
The U.S. House is expected to vote tonight on the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Bill of 2009. The Senate is expected to
vote on its own version next week. The package is the first step in a
concerted effort to create and save jobs, jumpstart the economy, and
begin the process of transforming it for the 21st century with $275
billion in tax cuts and $550 billion in targeted priority investments
with unprecedented accountability measures built in. The package
contains targeted efforts in:
- Clean,
Efficient, American Energy
- Transforming
our Economy with Science and Technology
- Modernizing
Roads, Bridges, Transit and Waterways
- Education
for the 21st Century
- Tax Cuts
to Make Work Pay and Create Jobs
- Lowering
Healthcare Costs
- Helping
Workers Hurt by the Economy
- Saving
Public Sector Jobs and Protect Vital Services
The House Appropriations Committee released a full report
and text of its new legislation, available at: http://appropriations.house.gov/.
The Senate Appropriations Committee approved its own version of the bill, issuing highlights in
a press release yesterday.
The Center on Policy and Budget and Policy Priorities
(CPBPP) released a preliminary analysis of state-by state impacts of
the House plan in specific areas. Read the analysis here. The
New America Foundation released its own analysis relative to Early Education. A few
highlights in the CPBPP analysis specific to Florida include:
- FMAP
(Medicaid increase) -- $4.2 billion (2009-2011)
$1.4 billion in FY2009
$1.9 billion in FY2010
$ 974,819 in FY2011
- Child
Care
20,880 children will benefit (over two years)
$105.3 million (over two years)
No State Match Required
- Child
Tax Credit - 741,000 children helped (FY 2009)
- Funding
for Education (over two years)
Title I: $631.8 million
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): $737.7 million
School Modernization: $660.9 million
Higher Education Modernization: $284.2 million
~ Highlights
of the Florida appropriations were provided by Karen Woodall with the
Florida Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy.
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TOP STORIES
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State
Sen. Gelber Announces Bid for U.S. Senate
Florida Sen. Dan Gelber announced yesterday that he intends to run for
the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Republican Mel Martinez.
According to an article in today's Miami
Herald, Sen. Gelber, an ardent Obama supporter, has hired
Obama's Florida director and landed at least two of his top
fundraisers. He said he plans to incorporate 100 days of community
service into his campaign. Last year, FCSC recognized (then) Rep.
Gelber with a "Stepping Up for Children" Award for his
leadership in the House to restore funding for several key children's
programs.
Commission
on Open Government Issues Final Report
Today,
the Commission on Open Government submitted its final report and
recommendations to Gov. Charlie Crist, Senate President Jeff Atwater
and House Speaker Ray Sansom. On June 19, 2007, Governor Charlie
Crist appointed the nine-member Commission on Open Government to review
and evaluate the public's right of access to government meetings and
records. The Commission's report is available on the Governor's web
site at www.FLGov.com/og_home and on
CD-ROM by request.
Children and Youth Cabinet March Meeting Date Moved
The Children and Youth Cabinet has rescheduled its March
31 meeting to March 17. The meeting will take place in Tallahassee at
12:30 p.m. in the Florida State University Foundation Boardroom, 2010
Levy Ave. The meeting was rescheduled to comply with state statute that
requires the Cabinet to meet six times per fiscal year.
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CSC NEWS
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Past FCSC Chair
Promotes Investments in Children
FCSC
Immediate Past Chair Modesto Abety, and CEO of The Children's Trust of
Miami-Dade County, published an opinion editorial in newspapers across
the state last week. The Op-Ed, titled "Stimulate the Economy by
Investing in Children," is available here.
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NET DATA
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Kaiser Releases Annual Medicaid,
SCHIP Survey
With
Congress poised to reauthorize SCHIP with a substantial increase in its
federal funding, there are potential opportunities to reduce the
estimated 9 million uninsured children nationwide. At the same time,
the nation's weak economy and growing unemployment is resulting in
fewer families and children covered by employer-sponsored coverage.
Against that backdrop, the Kaiser Family Foundation's Commission on
Medicaid and the Uninsured released a package of new reports and other
materials examining trends in children's health coverage and the
outlook for efforts to expand access to coverage in the future. The
materials were released at a January 23, 2009, policy briefing. View the materials.
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EVENTS
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CWLA National Conference Scheduled
for Feb. 23-25
The
Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) will hold a national conference
in Washington, DC, Feb. 23-25. The conference, titled "Children
Today... America's Future," will set the stage for the important
work to be done in 2009 to ensure that children are a national priority
among policymakers and the general public. The focus of the conference
has been expanded to include advancing priorities within the context of
a new economic environment-to lead change through public-private
collaboration, data-driven decision-making, evidence-based practice,
expanded use of technology, and a broad-based approach to advocacy and
building public will. Learn more.
One Goal Summer Conference Planned for July
The One Goal Summer Conference, titled "Putting
Families and Children First," is planned for July 22-24, 2009, in
Tampa at the Hyatt Regency Tampa City Center. This conference brings
together more than 1,000 early education and care providers and leaders
from around the state. Attendees share information on best practices in
the field and build common frameworks of knowledge and understanding to
assist in unified planning for young children and their families. Learn more.
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