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Dates
to Watch
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Children and Youth Cabinet Meeting
Orlando
June
10, 2010
Florida
Afterschool Network Board Meeting
Tampa
June
15-16, 2010
Florida CSC
Executive Committee Meeting
Clearwater
June
17-18, 2010
Early Learning
Advisory Council Meeting
Orlando
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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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Your
opinion matters! In order to continue bringing you the latest and most
useful news and information, Florida CSC is asking you for two minutes
to share your opinion about the newsletter. Who knows, you may see your
idea implemented in a future issue. Send responses by Friday, May 28. Take the survey!
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2010 Legislative Session Follow-Up
Nearly three weeks after the 2010 Legislative Session, and
Florida CSC staff and members have been busy sorting through bills and
budget cuts to determine how Florida's children will be impacted. They
also are watching to see what Gov. Crist will do with the $70.4 billion
budget (HB 5001) he received last Thursday. Many are speculating which,
if any, budget line items the Governor may veto. The clock is ticking,
and he has until Friday, May 28, to make his decisions. Besides the
budget and the all-consuming CSC Reauthorization bill (SB 2014),
Florida CSC followed a number of other legislative proposals this year.
Here are updates on a few of the bills:
- HB 25 -
Concurrent Custody:
Gives a court the authority to award concurrent custody of a minor
child to an extended family member. This concurrent custody allows
the family member to better care for the child's needs by doing
things such as consenting to reasonable medical and dental
treatment, obtaining medical, educational and other records, and
making decisions about the child's education. (see story below)
- SB 2014
- Early Learning with CSC Reauthorization Amendment: Includes provisions related to
early learning, such as cleaning up obsolete statutory references,
clarifying state-level authority, increasing collaboration across
state agencies, and ensuring flexibility to meet federal
requirements. Also includes CSC compromise language that requires
Florida's eight independent CSCs to go back to the voters for
reauthorization starting in 2014 (see details in Capitol
Connection final report). Bill has not been presented to the Governor yet.
- HB 511 -
Collier County CSC: Provides a charter to create
an independent special district to provide children's services in
Collier County. An amendment was also adopted that will require 60
percent approval by Collier County voters in order for the CSC to
be established. Presented to
the Governor. He has until May 28, 2010, to take any action.
- HB 7069
- Background Screening: Prevents individuals from
working with children, disabled adults or adults over 65 until
they pass a background screening. It also prevents those
classified as sexual predators from ever being able to work with
vulnerable individuals.The bill also requires that fingerprints be
submitted in an electronic format to the Florida Department of Law
Enforcement by July 1, 2012, allowing regulatory agencies to
retain prints and receive continuous arrest notifications from
state and federal law enforcement entities. Presented to the Governor. He has until June 1, 2010, to
take any action.
- SB 1484
- Medicaid: Requires that AHCA request an
extension of a specified federal waiver, and that certain changes
of terms and conditions relating to the low-income pool be
approved by the Legislative Budget Commission. The bill also
requires AHCA to develop a methodology for intergovernmental
transfers in any expansion of prepaid managed care in the Medicaid
program. Presented to the
Governor. He has until May 28, 2010, to take any action.
- SB 316- Booster Seat: Would have
required booster seats, in addition to seat belts, for children
aged 4 through 7 and less than 4'9" to protect the child by
properly using a crash tested, federally approved child restraint
device. It also provided certain exceptions, and redefined the
term "motor vehicle" to exclude certain vehicles from
such requirements.
- SB 2082
- KidCare: Would have allowed children under age 1 to
participate in the Medikids program. It also would have allowed an
eligible immigrant child to enroll in KidCare regardless of the
child's date of entry, and would allow Medicaid-eligible children
to be deemed eligible for 12 months of coverage regardless of any
change in circumstances. Additionally, it would have allowed
pregnant woman to be eligible for Medicaid for the duration of
pregnancy and postpartum.
- HB 493 -
Election of Members of Governing Boards with Authority to Levy
Millage: Would have required the election of
members to governing boards that have authority to adopt millage
rates.
Healthy Families Budget Cut Draws
Criticism
As a result of the Legislature's decision to cut nearly
$10 million from the Healthy Families budget for FY 2010-11, newspapers
across the state have published letters or written their own editorials
criticizing the
move. Below are just a few:
Florida Children Score Long-Awaited
Victory in Concurrent Custody Bill
Among the more positive news this session was passage of
the Temporary and Concurrent Custody bill (HB 25) by Rep. Rich Glorioso
(R-Hillsborough). The bill gives a court the authority to award
concurrent custody of a minor child to an extended family member. This
concurrent custody allows the family member to better care for the
child's needs by giving them authority to: consent to reasonable
medical and dental treatment, obtain medical, educational and other
records, and make decisions about the child's education. Without this
legislation, the family member's hands were tied.
The Florida CSC policy
team, particularly Amy Petrila, worked with other advocates for several
years to pass this bill, always with disappointment at session's end.
However, this year the bill succeeded with support from Reps. Glorioso,
Anderson, Bullard, Cruz, Gibson, Horner, Ambler, and the Criminal &
Civil Justice Policy Council and Health Care Services Policy Committee.
The governor signed the bill into law on May 7, 2010. The law goes into
effect July 1, 2010. Congratulations to all who played a part in this
long-sought victory.
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CSC NEWS
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Thousands Attend Children's Trust
Family Expo
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Attendees learned about educational, health and social
services from more than 250 exhibitors at the Family Expo.
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On Saturday, May, 8, nearly 10,000 children and families
spent the day strolling the two pavilions of The Children's Trust
Family Expo - the largest single event of its kind in Miami-Dade
County. Fair goers learned about educational, health and social services
from more than 250 exhibitors, while they delighted in 15 stage acts,
workshops, demonstrations and loads of indoor and outdoor entertainment
and fun for all ages. The Family Expo, a free annual event hosted by
The Children's Trust, highlights the many free and low-cost services
available to children and families. See Family Expo
Newsletter Story.
Broward
CSC Partners with Sunrise Sports on Youth Anti-Violence Summit
Prompted by concerns over
growing youth violence, the Broward CSC, along with Broward County and
other community organizations, have partnered with Sunrise Sports &
Entertainment to host a Youth Anti-Violence Summit. The summit will
take place May 26, 2010, at the BankAtlantic Center, home to the
Florida Panthers Hockey Club. Learn more.
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IN OTHER NEWS
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National
Group Seeks Host for Business Leader Summit on Early Childhood
Investment
The Partnership for America's Economic Success (PAES) is
inviting state and local organizations to apply to co-host their fourth
national Business Leader Summit on Early Childhood Investment. This
invitation-only event brings together an exclusive group of business
leaders and policy makers committed to making human capital, especially
young children, a top economic priority. The event will follow the basic
template of the highly successful 2007-2009 Telluride Economic Summits
on Early Childhood Investment.
(Information on past events is at www.PartnershipforSuccess.org.) The chosen event partner organization
would work in collaboration with the Partnership on all aspects of the
Summit. Download a copy
of the RFP from the PAES web site.
State
Stimulus Czar Says 153,000 Jobs Created or Saved by Federal Aid
During a
conference call last week, Florida's Economic Stimulus Special Advisor
Don Winstead reported that Florida has saved or created an estimated
153,000 jobs because of federal stimulus money. Winstead said that of
the $19.9 billion in federal stimulus coming to Florida, the state has
received almost $16 billion, not including the $1.25 billion Florida
received for the high-speed rail. The total not only includes money
that has been given to the state, but to cities and counties and other
organizations. He also reported that $2.5 billion of the stimulus money
is included in Florida's 2010-11 operating budget.
Winstead said that
"the rate of spending is a little ahead" of what he expected,
but that he is overall pleased with how the money is being allocated.
By the end of the year, Winstead anticipates 70 percent of the money
will be spent. Meanwhile, funds for things such as education are
planned to be spread over two years to stabilize budgets and relieve
any job loss impact when the money is gone.
Winstead did make
it clear that the 153,000 job impact was an estimate based on broad
"macro economic models" and not simply counting, noting that
it includes both direct and indirect jobs that were created or saved by
the stimulus package. He insisted that without the stimulus package,
the state's unemployment rate -- now at 12.3 percent -- would be even
higher. There are an estimated 1.1 million unemployed in the state.
IRS
Pledges to Work with Nonprofits in Jeopardy of Losing Tax Exemption
Status
GuideStar, the
leading source of nonprofit information, estimates that 350,000 to
400,000 nonprofits are in danger of losing their federal tax exemptions
beginning in May. A large number of these organizations are smaller
nonprofits that previously were not required to file an annual return
because their gross revenues were $25,000 or less. These
nonprofits now must file Form 990-N (e-Postcard), which the IRS created
in response to the Pension Protection Act of 2006. As of May 19, more
than 15,000 Florida nonprofits are at risk of losing their tax
exemption.
A statement from
the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) this week announced that the agency
will help small nonprofits keep their tax-exempt status even if they
missed the May 17 deadline for filing the new e-Postcard. IRS
Commissioner Doug Shulman promised that the IRS will be providing
additional guidance in the near future on how it will help nonprofits
affected by the new filing requirements to maintain their tax-exempt
status - even if they missed the May 17 deadline. He urged nonprofits
affected by the law to go ahead and file the e-Postcard, even though
the May 17 deadline has passed. Learn more.
~ Source: Florida Philanthropic Network
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FEDERAL WATCH
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ESEA
Reform Raises Concerns Among Afterschool Supporters
A top concern for the National Afterschool Alliance this year has been
proposed changes to the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st
CCLC) initiative in the President's Blueprint for
Reform. Supporters of afterschool programs say reform
efforts would reduce funding for 21st CCLC by $13 million in the
Administration's Fiscal Year 2011 budget proposal, and would switch
21st CCLC from a formula grant to competitive grants and open the
funding stream to programs beyond 21st CCLC. "The Blueprint makes
clear that the Administration wants to fund three different pots
[afterschool, extended day, and full service community schools] with
21st CCLC money. Would one get preference over another? It's very
unclear," said Afterschool Alliance Vice President for Policy and
Programs Jennifer Rinehart. Read more.
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Study Gives Florida "F"
for Pre-K Funding, Standards
While Florida ranked second in the country for the
percentage of 4-year-olds enrolled in pre-Kindergarten, it ranked
next-to-last on total funding and last for meeting quality standards,
according to the report from the National Institute for Early Education
Research at Rutgers University. Read the report.
Special
Report: Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters
Florida KIDS COUNT
has joined the Annie E. Casey Foundation as a 2010 KIDS COUNT Special
Report Outreach Partner. The special report, "Why Reading by the
End of Third Grade Matters," makes the case that reading
proficiently by grade three is a fundamental benchmark in developmental
success and overall childhood well-being. Learn more.
Report Says
Low-Income Families Pay Disproportionate Share for Childcare
A new report by
the Carsey Institute shows that childcare expenses are
disproportionately higher for low-income families, with poorer families
in both rural and urban areas spending as much as 32 percent of their
monthly income on childcare.
Read the Report
NAEH
Brief on Using McKinney Funds to Serve Homeless Youth
Last week, the
National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) released a new brief
titled, "Reapproaching HUD as a Funder for Homeless Youth Housing
and Services: Reauthorized McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance
Program." The Department of Housing and Urban Development
continues to be the primary federal funder for homeless services and
supportive housing. Yet, community nonprofit organizations assisting
homeless youth have primarily relied on the Runaway and Homeless Youth
Act to fund transitional housing. The issue brief offers a review of
statutory changes made to McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants
program and their impact on homeless youth populations. Read the brief.
Nonprofits
Turn to Social Media
According to Sage,
nonprofits are turning to social media as a way to share their story,
engage with donors and raise money online. A free copy of the Special
Report is available online. Report
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EVENTS
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FFCCHA's
18th Annual Conference-Enhancing Our Minds in 2010
The Florida Family Child Care Home Association's annual
conference will be held in Clearwater June 25-27, 2010, at the
Clearwater Beach Sheraton Sand Key Resort. Some of the topics to be
covered include:
Legislative and FCC Rules Update, School Age Activities,
Tax Information and Updates, Early Literacy, Insurance and Liability,
Curriculums for FCC Homes, and NAFCC Accreditation. Conference and
registration information can be found here.
23rd
Annual National Independent Living Conference - Growing Pains 2010
Scheduled for
Sept. 7-10, 2010, in National Harbor, MD, "Growing Pains
2010" is a must-attend event for youth service professionals,
independent living professionals and youth ages 15+. Presenters include
top leaders and experts in the field of independent living. The
national youth conference consists of 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. Click here for more information.
11th International
Conference on Shaken Baby Syndrome/Abusive Head Trauma
The 11th
International Conference on Shaken Baby Syndrome/Abusive Head Trauma has
been set for Sept. 12-14, 2010, in Atlanta, GA. The highly successful
conferences held every other year focus on four areas of expertise;
legal challenges in SBS cases, evidenced and creative prevention
programs and initiatives, the latest medical information and research,
and support and rehabilitation for families and victims of shaken baby
syndrome including rehabilitation and continuum of care issues. For
questions regarding the conference, please contact Danielle Vazquez,
Conference Coordinator, at (801) 627-3399 or email her at dvazquez@dontshake.org.
Fourth
Annual Kinship Care Conference
Planning for the 4th
Annual Kinship Care Conference is under way, and they are looking for
presenters. Anyone interested in presenting should request a submission
form from Michelle Mongeluzzo at Michelle.Mongeluzzo@kidscentralinc.org.
Conference dates are set for Sept. 17-18, 2010, in Ocala. The
conference will focus on raising awareness of the complex issues faced
by relative caregivers including discipline, substance abuse, grief and
loss, legal issues, mental health, and domestic violence. More
information will be available soon on the web site: www.kidscentralinc.org.
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