Deb Walsh's last day at the Children's Alliance was March 31.  How do you capture seventeen years of dedication and service?  Mark Joyce, NH CAN Steering Committee member, describes Deb as a "quiet, efficient and friendly voice in a sometimes chaotic world."  She was a loyal and steadfast employee of the Alliance welcoming so many to the organization and befriending almost two decades of staff, board and partners.  More than that, Deb was the keeper of our institutional memory who provided continuity.  Former Board Chair Doug Hatfield commented that Deb was "always willing to go the extra mile" and that her commitment to fighting for children never wavered.  Thank you Deb!  We will miss you and wish you the best as you begin a new phase in your life.

 We've reached the halfway point of the 2011 Legislative Session. You can read about the status of NH CAN's Priorities for New Hampshire's Children here. But there are other important hearings next week.

Tuesday 4/19

       Patient Safety (Bullying Bill) HB 370

LOB 305-307

1 PM  

Thursday 4/21

       Senate Public Hearing on the NH State Budget

Representative's Hall       

2-4 PM and 6-8 PM 

We need you to come out and be heard (or just seen). This is your time to let your voice be heard for New Hampshire's children.

Questions? Contact John DeJoie at johndejoie@yahoo.com

The House and Senate negotiated a compromise spending package to fund the federal government through September 30, 2011.  In total, the Continuing Resolution (CR) cuts $78.5 billion from the President's FY 2011 request and is $38.5 billion below FY 2010 enacted levels. While the reductions in funding levels are historic and will still affect many important programs that serve millions of Americans, the bill preserves many of the critical programs that were targeted for cuts in H.R.1 and stood to harm children in particular, including Head Start, WIC and Pell Grants.

Now the Congress has moved on to funding the government for FY 2012.  House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan proposed a Budget Resolution (broad outline, not specific spending levels for programs) that calls for harmful structural changes to programs and more than $4 trillion in spending cuts over the next 10 years.  An estimated 2/3, or $2.9 trillion of these devastating cuts will impact federal supports that keep children out of poverty and help struggling families make ends meet, including Head Start, Pell Grants, Food Stamps and Medicaid. Child-focused programs losing significant federal aid include:

• $2.17 trillion cut from Medicaid and related health care spending
• $127 billion cut from SNAP (food stamps)
• Pell Grants would be scaled back to their pre-stimulus (2008) level, cutting the annual federal allocation by about half and affecting 22,000 in New Hampshire. 

Chairman Ryan's proposed FY 2012 Budget Resolution risks the health and future of our nation's children.  The House is scheduled to vote on this measure, Friday of this week.  Please contact Congressmen Bass and Guinta and ask them to reject the Ryan Budget Resolution.