LEGISLATIVE WATCH

President Obama Signs SCHIP Bill Into Law

Last week, President Barack Obama signed H.R. 2: Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 into law. The $33 billion expansion bill not only extends the life of SCHIP through 2013, it paves the way for up to 4 million more uninsured children to obtain coverage. The bill also makes a number of improvements to the way SCHIP works, in particular expanding coverage for pregnant women, and lifting restrictions on eligibility for legal immigrant children.

President Obama invited Florida Rep. Kathy Castor to join him at the bill signing, recognizing that her commitment to SCHIP. In the 1990s, her mother, former Florida Education Commissioner Betty Castor worked with then-Gov. Lawton Chiles on developing a health insurance program for Florida's uninsured children. Florida Kidcare became the model for the national State Children's Health Insurance Plan, which was enacted on the national level in 1997. The legislation is particularly important to Florida, which has approximately 800,000 uninsured children -- ranking third in the nation in terms of number of uninsured children and second-highest by percentage. In fiscal year 2007, Florida had approximately 323,000 children enrolled in SCHIP.

Pre-K Now to Hold Conference Call Today on Economic Stimulus, Advocates Invited

While the U.S. House and Senate continue negotiations on how to spend more than $800 billion in the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, questions remain in Florida and other states about what is included in the bill, allowable uses of funding, how the funding will be allocated, and what actions can be taken locally. The Senate bill puts more emphasis on tax cuts to jump-start the economy -- about 42 percent of its package, or roughly $350 billion -- while the House bill relies more on government spending to create more jobs, with only about $275 billion in tax cuts.

Pre-K Now has scheduled two conference calls to discuss the stimulus package, specifically early childhood funding. Advocates are invited to join today's call for a briefing on differences between the House and Senate bills, as well as messaging.

• Wednesday, February 11 - 3pm-4pm Eastern
  1-866-240-0533, participant code 321852

Congressional leadership has indicated that they expect the bill will be signed by the President by President's Day, February 16. The second conference call will provide guidance on: which pots of funding can be spent on early childhood, how that funding can be spent (allowable uses, what's not allowed), how the funding will be allocated and distributed, and who to talk to in each state.

• Wednesday, February 18 - 3pm-4pm Eastern
  1-866-240-0533, participant code 321852

TOP STORIES

CSC NEWS

The CSC of Palm Beach County and its partners came together Jan. 21 to present the 2009 Economic Summit: The Lasting Impact of Investing in Young Children in West Palm Beach. About 300 professionals - business leaders, policymakers and child advocates - attended the sessions and learned from a leading economist and a developmental psychologist about what many in the social sciences have known for generations: a productive life begins with a healthy childhood.

Speakers Dr. Ross Thompson, a psychology professor at the University of California Davis, and Rob Grunewald, an economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, examined how an investment in "brain architecture" provides returns to society that are much greater, in some cases, than investment by many communities in traditional brick-and-mortar development projects. The speakers' remarks prompted dozens of questions from the audience, many of whom agreed to take the next step to promote quality early childhood education within their areas of expertise. To learn more about investing in young children or to view relevant articles, PowerPoint presentations and interviews, visit www.cscpbc.org.

Local Woman Receives State Honor for Service to Children

Essie Reed of Fort Lauderdale was recently recognized by Gov. Charlie Crist with a "Point of Light" award for "volunteering her time and service to children in need of hope." For years, Reed has provided food, shelter, clothing and other support to members of the community. Rather than seeking government funds or assistance, she reaches out to the public and local businesses for assistance. Reed also visits local schools and works individually with children to ensure that their basic needs are met. Known among the people she serves as "Big Mama," Reed worked for many years to raise money for a community center for children and adults facing difficult times. Her dedication paid off when "Extreme Home Makeover" built her Team of Life Community Center in 2006. The shelter feeds needy people throughout the community, provides an afterschool tutorial program for the neighborhood, hosts groups of at-risk women and children, and offers a summer program. In addition to her shelter, Reed sponsors a college scholarship program with the assistance of a private foundation.

NET DATA

The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) has released its Update on State Budget Gaps: FY 2009 & FY 2010. States closed a cumulative gap of nearly $40 billion as they prepared their FY 2009 budgets, and now face a sizable gap of an additional $47.4 billion that has opened since budgets were completed. The report also shows half of the states are projecting a cumulative shortfall of $84.3 billion for FY 2010, a gap likely to grow as more states assemble revenue and expenditure forecasts for the coming fiscal period. This report provides an up-to-date account of states budget conditions while NCSL's last State Budget Update: November 2008 provides a 60-page report that also gives an overview of FY 2009 revenue performance for each state and highlights actions legislatures are expected to take to close FY 2009 budget gaps. View the report and interactive map.

Children's Cabinet Releases Annual Report

The Florida Children & Youth Cabinet has released its 2008 Annual Report. The report provides an update of the activities of the Cabinet. Also included is the Strategic Plan that is guiding the Cabinet in promoting communication, cooperation, coordination and collaboration among the various departments and agencies in the state. The report is available on the Cabinet's web site.

Small Business Owners Concerned About Affordable Health Care

According to America's Small Business Owners and Health Reform: Key Findings from Qualitative and Quantitative Research 2008, a survey funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, making health care more affordable is a top concern of small business owners, who say that health care costs are the primary issue confronting their businesses. More than one in three small business owners (36 percent) say that rising costs are likely to cause them to cut some portion of health insurance benefits for their employees. Read the report. 

EVENTS

2009 Kinship Care to Hold Rally in Tally