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FCSC News Updates
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CSCs
strategically invest in primary prevention and early intervention
programs and services.
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TOP
STORIES
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KidCare and Guardian ad Litem Bills Signed Into Law
 After years of
hard work and determination to improve children's access to health
care, advocates and legislative sponsors finally celebrated a victory last
week for Florida's children. Gov. Crist signed into law KidCare bill SB
918. The bill streamlines the application process for KidCare and
expands the program to allow another 50,000 children to join. The
Governor also signed SB 1018, Guardian ad Litem, which expands the
court's ability to ensure children whose parents are involved in court
proceedings have an advocate to focus on the child's best
interests. In a strong show of support, the Governor held
bill-signing ceremonies in three Florida cities on the same day -
Tallahassee, Tampa and Hollywood.
At each event, legislators, agency heads
and advocates stood by the Governor as he signed the bills into law. In
Hollywood, primary Senate bill sponsor Sen. Nan Rich promised Gov.
Crist that she would be back next year with a KidCare bill that would
help Florida take advantage of opportunities through CHIPRA. In
February, President Obama signed into law the Children's Health
Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA). Under CHIPRA, states
have the ability to strengthen their existing health insurance programs
and provide coverage to additional low-income, uninsured children and
pregnant women. In Florida, improvements in children's health care
coverage couldn't be more important. According to the most recent
Census data, Florida has the second highest percentage of uninsured
children in the nation -- 1 in 6 children do not have insurance.
See television
news coverage on KidCare and the bill signing ceremony in
Tallahassee.
It's Official:
Cynthia Lorenzo to Head Agency for Workforce Innovation
 Gov. Charlie Crist today appointed
Cynthia Lorenzo of Tallahassee as Executive Director of the Florida
Agency for Workforce Innovation. She has served as Interim Director of
the agency since February 2, 2009, and previously as Deputy Director
since February 2007. Before joining the Agency for Workforce
Innovation, Lorenzo served at the Florida Department of Juvenile
Justice, beginning in 2005 as communications director and later as chief
of staff and Interim Secretary. Previously, she served for seven years
in the communications office of the Florida Department of
Transportation. Lorenzo graduated from the University of Denver with a
bachelor's in business administration in 1992.
OMB Director
Introduces "Milestone in Government Transparency"
Peter Orszag, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, recently
announced that the Federal CIO Council is launching Data.gov.
Created as part of the President's commitment to open government and
democratizing information, Data.gov will open up the workings of
government by making economic, healthcare, environmental, and other
government information available on a single web site, allowing the
public to access raw data and transform it in innovative ways. In
addition to making the process more transparent for the public, Data.gov will
also help government agencies-so that taxpayer dollars get spent more
wisely and efficiently. Through live data feeds, agencies will have the
ability to easily access data both internally and externally from other
agencies, which will allow them to maintain higher levels of
performance.
Youth Leaders Wanted to Help Improve Florida's Education System
The Worst
to First Initiative is inviting high school and college
students from around the state to apply to become members
of the Lawton Chiles Leadership Corps (LCLC). The LCLC will
train youth advocates on ways to get involved in their communities to
improve the education system in Florida -- currently ranked among
the lowest in the nation. One thousand students will be selected
for the Lawton Chiles Leadership Corps, and will be invited
to a gathering on Aug. 8-9 in Orlando (expenses paid except for
transportation). The youth training and gathering is part
of the "Worst to First" campaign, which seeks to
build partnerships among a broad constituency, including parents,
teachers, businesses, advocates, social service providers, school
administrators and students. Applications are due no later than July
10, 2009. To apply, or for more information, go to the Lawton
Chiles Leadership Corp at www.lawtonchiles.org/LCLC.html.
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LEGISLATIVE WATCH
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New Laws on
the Books Will Impact Children and CSCs
Florida CSC is continuing to monitor key
bills passed during the 2009 Legislative Session. Many of these bills
affect Florida's children and families, as well as Children's Services
Councils. Below is the most recent bill activity since the June 10
issue of FCSC News Update.
Bills Signed by Governor
- HB
7021 Open Government Sunset Review Act Regarding
Councils on Children's Services and Juvenile Welfare Boards -
provides a permanent exemption for CSCs from public records
requirements for personal identifying information. The exemption
protects a child's or family's personal information held by a CSC
or a service provider or researcher under contract with a CSC.
Effective Date: October 1, 2009
- SB
216 Local Government Expenditures - Significantly
hinders local government's ability to educate local taxpayers
about issues important to their community. Prohibits local
jurisdictions or local government associations from expending
public funds to take a position on issues before the voters.
Vendors are also prohibited from providing goods or services for
these activities.
- SB
1540 Relating to Zero-tolerance Policies/Schools --
Provides that zero-tolerance policies do not require the reporting
of petty acts of misconduct and misdemeanors to a law enforcement
agency; encourages school districts to use alternatives to
expulsion or referral to law enforcement agencies; and more.
- SB 1840
Relating to Protecting Health/Surcharge on Tobacco Products --
levies a $1 surcharge on cigarettes, and requires that revenue be
deposited into the Health Care Trust Fund within the AHCA.
Bills Presented
to Governor
- HB
479 Relating to Retirement -- seeks to prevent
"double dipping," where employees leave to take
retirement benefits, and then get re-hired. The bill requires any
person who retires under the Florida Retirement System (FRS) after
2010 to forgo retirement benefits as long as they are re-employed
by an FRS employer. Governor must act by 06/24/09.
- HB
807 Relating to Florida KidCare Program -- Requires
OPPAGA to study outreach efforts of Florida KidCare program and
provides requirements for the study. Requires report to Legislature
by specified date. Governor must act by 06/24/09.
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NET DATA
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A Stimulus for
Second-Generation QRIS
An issue paper by the New America
Foundation addresses unique opportunities for states to invest in QRIS.
According to the paper, on April 1, 2009, the states began to receive
education and child care funds appropriated under the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act (ARRA, or "the stimulus"). Child care
advocates in several states have urged policymakers to use some of the
stimulus funds to launch or expand a statewide Quality Rating and
Improvement System (QRIS) for providers of early childhood education
and care. Investments in QRIS can help states ensure the quality of
their growing investments in pre-K and early childhood programs while
also driving improvements in child well-being and educational
development across the ECE sector. Several states have
"shovel-ready" plans for QRIS expansion or pilot programs
that could put stimulus funds to work immediately. Read
more.
School
Officers and Governors Groups Issue Quality Imperative Report
The Council of
Chief State School Officers and the National Governors Association have
issued a report titled, "A Quality Imperative: A State Guide to
Achieving the Promise of Extended Learning Opportunities."
The report addresses the importance of extended learning opportunities
(ELO). It states, "To improve ELO quality, state leaders have
initiated efforts to develop program standards, create program
self-assessment tools, and provide technical assistance to local
programs. State leaders can build on and strengthen these efforts by
integrating them into a broader state ELO quality system. The report
also mentions the efforts of the Florida Afterschool Network. Read
more.
Families USA
Launches Stand Up for Health Care Blog
Stand Up for
Health Care, a project of Families USA, has launched a blog to serve as
a one-stop source for all things related to health care reform. The
blog serves as a tool to get people engaged in the fight to improve
health care. The blog will serve as more than just a news source, it's
a conversation. Check out the latest health care news on the blog
today, and leave a comment: www.standupforhealthcare.org/blog
Toolkit Offers
Resources for Policymakers Working to Prevent Childhood Obesity
Leadership for
Healthy Communities, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation, released the "Action Strategies Toolkit" to help
provide guidance on the best approaches policymakers can use to make
their states, communities and schools healthier places to live. The
toolkit offers practical examples of policy approaches and resources
covering a wide range of issues, including increasing access to parks
and recreation centers, improving safety for bicyclists and
pedestrians, offering healthier foods in schools, and attracting
grocery stores that provide healthy, affordable foods to lower-income
communities. Download
the Action Strategies Toolkit.
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EVENTS
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Florida
Philanthropic Network Offers Webinar on Federal Stimulus, What it Means
for Florida
Florida Economic Stimulus Special Advisor Don Winstead will present a
detailed overview of the Recovery Act. He'll explain the different
areas that will receive stimulus funding, describe how Recovery Act
Funds flow between the federal, state and local levels, and how Florida
can maximize federal stimulus funding in key areas. As a service to the
nonprofit sector, the Florida Philanthropic Network is offering this webinar
free of charge to grantmakers and nonprofit service organizations. Register
now.
One Goal
Summer Conference Set for July
The "One
Goal: Building the Future Together" conference is scheduled for
July 22-24, 2009, at the Hyatt Regency Tampa City Center. The
conference brings together more than 1,000 early education and care
providers and leaders from around the state. It is designed to share
information on best practices in the field and to build common
frameworks of knowledge and understanding to assist in unified planning
for young children and their families. For more information, go to www.onegoalsummerconference.org/
22nd Annual
National Independent Living Conference Goes to Nashville
The Daniel
Memorial Institute presents ""Growing Pains 2009," on
Sept. 1-4, 2009 in Nashville, TN. The conference is a must-attend event
for youth service professionals, independent living professionals and
youth ages 15 and older. Presenters include top leaders and experts in
the field of independent living. The national youth conference features
special sessions dedicated to the needs of youth who are currently in
care. These include training sessions, workshops, panel discussions and
leadership/team building activities. Visit the Daniel Memorial
Institute web
site for more information.
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