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Dates
to Watch
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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
Tampa
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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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Governor Signs Budget, Vetoes $371
Million
Gov. Charlie Crist last week acted on more than 100 bills
-- or about a third of all legislation passed during the 2010 session.
Crist signed 115 bills and vetoed five. Among the bills he signed was
the $70-billion 2010-11 budget, prioritizing "Florida's economy,
job creation, keeping communities safe and education." As
expected, the governor vetoed specific line items, totaling $371
million. Among the larger vetoes was a $160-million sweep of the State
Transportation Trust Fund, which lawmakers planned to use for
education. Lawmakers
tried to make the measure veto-proof by including a mandate that
schools would lose money if Crist vetoed the shift. However, Crist
vetoed both the fund shift and the mandate. There is a legal question
at issue about whether the veto is constitutional. The Governor
maintains that his veto did not cut funding for education.
In other veto actions, the governor eliminated Medicaid
rate reductions for providers serving the developmentally disabled. He
expressed concerns about providers' ability to continue offering
services if they endure more rate cuts. Lawmakers had proposed a 2.5
percent rate reduction. Additionally, in juvenile justice, vetoes
included $650,000 for the Girls Advocacy Project and $175,000 in
capital outlay for the Palm Beach Juvenile Assessment Center. (See
other bill action in story below)
Prior to the governor signing the budget, Florida TaxWatch
issued its annual report identifying
$60.6 million in "turkeys" that it urged the governor to
veto. Among the turkeys was $12.7 million in the health and human
services budget. Commenting on the report, Dominic Calabro, Tax Watch
President and CEO, said the funds his
group identified could have gone to other uses, such as preventing $10
million in cuts to the Healthy Families program, which provides
services to pregnant women and mothers of newborns who are considered
at risk of child abuse. See
details on the budget and governor's vetoes: http://www.flgov.com/budget.
Children
& Youth Cabinet Previews First-Ever "Children's Budget"
Last Thursday, the
Florida Children & Youth Cabinet convened in Orlando for its third
quarterly meeting of the year. During the meeting, Cabinet Member and
Pinellas CSC Executive Director Gay Lancaster previewed Florida's
first-ever Children's Budget. The budget represents the first time
the Cabinet's identified outcomes
(indicators) have been examined in terms of the state's investment
across agencies and programs. The process for gathering the data took
more than a year. Issues of taxonomy, reporting, and scope took many
months to negotiate.
The Children's
Budget will be used to determine whether Florida allocates resources in
a way that impacts the lives of children and families in the most
positive, efficient manner possible. Preliminary findings include:
- Children's
programs in Florida comprise 35 percent of the total state budget.
- About 13
percent of Florida's total budget directly impacts the Cabinet's
outcome areas.
- No
Florida agency addresses the Cabinet indicator "Births to
women with fewer than 12 years of education."
The budget is still a work in progress. Cabinet members
must review it, make any changes and then vote at their next meeting to
formally adopt the report. Special thanks go to JWB-CSC of Pinellas
County whose staff worked with Governor's and Lieutenant Governor's
office staff, and statewide agencies to compile the report. Special
recognition goes to Lisa Sahulka, JWB Director of Programs, Finance, &
Research, Michael Warner, JWB Senior Contract Manager, and Ed Simon,
JWB Senior Research Analyst. Without their hard work and dedication,
this project would not have seen completion. To learn more about the Children's Cabinet visit, www.flgov.com/youth_cabinet.
~ Submitted by Ben Kirby, JWB
Communications Manager
AHCA Seeks Comments on Medicaid
Reform Pilot
Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) is
looking for feedback on the state's Medicaid Reform pilot. The agency
has established an email
address -- MedicaidReform@ahca.myflorida.com
-- to allow interested persons to submit comments on the state's
reform efforts in five counties. A dedicated web page also has been created with
information on Medicaid Reform, including Medicaid 1115 waiver efforts.
In addition to collecting written comments, AHCA has scheduled a series
of public meetings in counties that participate in the Medicaid Reform
pilot -- Nassau, Baker, Clay, Duval and Broward. The state must seek
public input on Medicaid Reform in order to request extension on the
waiver. See meeting dates here.
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CSC NEWS
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Children's Board Builds on Success in Child
Safety Awareness Campaign
Last September, the
Children's Board of Hillsborough County (CBHC) launched a countywide
Child Safety Awareness Campaign in partnership with the Department of
Children and Families, the Healthy Start Coalition of Hillsborough
County, and other public and private organizations. This collaborative
campaign grew out of concern over alarming statistics on child deaths
in Hillsborough County, many of which were accidental and preventable.
A true community effort,
the campaign has brought public and private groups together working
toward a common goal of increasing child safety. More than $400,000 in
advertising dollars has been donated from TV, radio, print, web and
outdoor advertising outlets - resulting in more than 3.6 million
impressions countywide. Visits to the CBHC website have grown from an
average 3,500 visitors a month to more than 5,000 - with nearly 60
percent being "new." The CBHC e-newsletter - Just Dream - has
also increased its monthly readership. Additionally, local attractions
are getting in on the action. Recently, Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo provided
a free child's admission offer that drove nearly 1,000 citizens to the
campaign section of the CBHC website. The Florida Aquarium has also
partnered with CBHC to generate awareness. To learn more, visit www.dreamsworthgrowing.com/SafeCaregiver.aspx.
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IN OTHER NEWS
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Governor
Continues Bill Actions
The Governor has
received all bills passed during the 2010 Legislative Session, and has
acted on the majority of them. Below is an update on bills Florida CSC
has been tracking.
Vetoed
HB 5607 - Retirement: Would have reduced the interest rate paid on
deferred retirement benefits (DROP) from 6.5 percent to 3.0 percent.
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.
CS/CSSB 1484 - Medicaid: Authorizes AHCA to
apply for a waiver extension amendment of the Medicaid reform waiver obtained
under s. 1115 of the Social Security Act and to preserve the low income
pool provisions of the waiver. The agency must expand the waiver to
counties that have two or more managed care plans that have capacity to
serve the designated populations. The agency is also authorized to
expand the Medicaid reform waiver to other counties as plan capacity is
developed. A provision in this bill also allows a provider service
network to provide behavioral health services in addition to physical
health services in areas of the state not under Medicaid reform.
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.
Awaiting Governor's Signature
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 been presented to the Governor. He has until Friday,
June 4, to take any action.
Florida
Supreme Court Denies Save Our Homes Legal Challenges
The Florida
Supreme Court has thrown out two separate legal challenges to Florida's
Save Our Homes constitutional amendment. The court said it declined to
take up a case filed by homeowners who recently moved to Leon,
Charlotte and Palm Beach counties. The decision was supported by five
of the seven justices. The homeowners had not only challenged Save Our
Homes amendment -- which caps the annual increase in value of homes
owned by Florida residents -- but also Amendment 1. Amendment 1, which
was passed in 2008, allowed Florida homeowners to take their tax
savings on an existing homestead over to a new home purchased in
Florida. The homeowners contended that both measures unfairly
discriminated and placed a higher tax burden on new residents.
The high court on Wednesday also issued a one-page order
saying that it would not take up another Save our Homes case that
involved out-of-state property owners who had sued property appraisers,
school boards and the county governments of Walton and Okaloosa
counties. The property owners contended Save Our Homes was
unconstitutional because it gave a tax advantage to Florida residents.
New York Times
Says Cuts to Child Care Subsidies Hurt Working Class
A recent New York Times article reported
that "Despite a substantial increase in federal support for
subsidized child care, which has enabled some states to stave off cuts,
others have trimmed support, and most have failed to keep pace with
rising demand." That has left swelling numbers of low-income
families struggling to reconcile the demands of work and parenting,
just as they confront one of the toughest job markets in decades. Read the article.
Florida
Becomes Third State to Implement Adam Walsh Act
Governor Charlie
Crist and FDLE Commissioner Gerald Bailey announced this week that
Florida is the third state to implement the Adam Walsh Act. The Act
provides a comprehensive set of minimum standards for sex offender
registration and notification in the United States. On May 14, the U.S.
Department of Justice recognized Florida as having reached substantial
implementation of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act
(SORNA), Title I of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of
2006. The act aligns sex offender registry standards across the
states and tightens requirements for offender registration and
notification. Under current federal rules, states that fail to
substantially implement these provisions by July 26, 2010, stand to
lose 10 percent of their annual federal Byrne Justice Assistance Grant
funding. Ohio and Delaware are the only other two states to
implement the act to date. For more information on SORNA, visit www.ojp.gov/smart/index.htm. Also, learn
more about Florida's Sexual Offender/Predator Registry and sign up to
receive e-mail alert notifications by visiting www.flsexoffender.net
National
Group Promotes Celebrate Summer Learning Day
The National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) is
encouraging communities nationwide on Monday, June 21, to celebrate and
observe Summer Learning Day. The day is a national celebration of programs
that serve the unique needs of their communities by engaging kids in
fun, active learning during the summer months. Programs will have the
opportunity to shine a spotlight on how they support kids and families.
Visit the NSLA website at www.summerlearning.org/SLD to learn more about Summer Learning Day, register an event and find planning resources - including free webinars. Can't join the celebration on June 21? You can
hold your event anytime during the summer-just be sure to register on
the NSLA website by June 18. For more information, contact Susanne
Sparks at susanne@summerlearning.org.
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FEDERAL WATCH
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FAN
Weighs in on 21st Century Legislation
The Florida Afterschool Network (FAN) recently sent a
letter to each member of Florida's congressional delegation outlining
concerns it has about funding for 21st Century Community
Learning Centers (CCLC). FAN Director Larry Pintacuda said that FAN
supports congressional efforts to increase funding for the 21st
CCLC initiative. However, FAN does not support the Administration's
blueprint for the 21st CCLC. Particularly, FAN wants to
ensure that community-based, faith-based, and non-profit organizations
are not shut out of providing 21st CCLC services, and that states are
able to maintain the flexibility to locate programs both in schools and
community sites. Visit www.myfan.org
for more information.
White
House Task Force Issues Report on Childhood Obesity
The White House
Task Force on Childhood Obesity has released a landmark plan to reverse
the epidemic within a generation. "The strategies presented in the
plan support the whole child-wherever he or she lives, learns and
plays," said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., M.B.A., president and CEO
of RWJF. "It recognizes the many environments that must be
improved to ensure our children can lead healthy lives-from lunch rooms
and after-school programs, to grocery stores and local recreation centers."
Read the full
report.
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The Immediate Effects of Health
Reform
In a new policy brief from Health Affairs and the Robert
Wood Johnson Foundation, the near-term effects of the Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act are examined and enumerated,
providing context for key immediate reforms to the private health insurance
market that will take effect in 2010 and 2011. Read the policy brief.
Steering
a Course Through Implementation
Implementing the Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act will be a complex process. In order
to make this process easier, the George Washington University School of
Public Health and Health Services and the Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation have launched Health Reform GPS, a comprehensive Web portal
that offers users the information and insights needed to cover, analyze
and implement the law. Read more about
Health Reform GPS. Access the Health Reform GPS portal.
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EVENTS
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Florida
Health Information Exchange
The Agency for Health Care Administration and The
Florida State University College of Communication and Information
invite anyone interested to attend the Florida Health Information
Exchange Kickoff Meeting on Friday, June 4, in Tallahassee. Health care
stakeholders across the state will have the opportunity to meet and
engage in the discussion of how to move health information exchange
forward in Florida. Dr. David Blumenthal, the National Coordinator for
Health Information Exchange, U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, will serve as the keynote speaker and share the nationwide
perspective on health information exchange and provide insight on
programs available to help support states effectively and meaningfully implement
statewide initiatives. Seating may be limited, so click here
to RSVP for the Florida Health Information Exchange Kickoff
Meeting. Click here
for the agenda.
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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