LEGISLATORS HAVE APPROVED THE BUDGET AGREEMENT. A FINAL VOTE
OFFICIALLY APPROVING THE NEGOTIATED BUDGET BILL OCCURRED TUESDAY,
JULY 8. RECORDED
BELOW ARE SELECTED ITEMS IN THE NEGOTIATED BUDGET.
Negotiators reached an agreement on the budget just before legislators
left for the July 4th holiday. The first vote on the agreement was taken Monday
night, July 7 and final approval occurred Tuesday, July 8. The budget bill
has been sent to the Governor who is expected to sign the measure.
The
final agreement contained some surprising changes, most of which resulted
from the fact that revenue collections were less than anticipated --
approximately $70 million less. The shortfall forced top legislative leaders
to renegotiate, alter and eliminate funding for several important items
including altering funding for APPCNC and teen pregnancy prevention
initiatives. Funding for APPCNC and the teen pregnancy
prevention initiatives, which had been recurring, was made non-recurring
in last-minute efforts to make adjustments to accommodate
the shortfall.
APPCNC's funding and the money for teen pregnancy prevention
initiatives were among several items that had been slated for recurring funding
before the "budgeting process" moved totally behind closed doors and before the
announced shortfall. Unfortunately, when items are not identical in both
budgets, alteration such as this is always a possibility during the conference
process. The good news is that APPCNC will receive additional state
funds although non-recurring, all pregnancy prevention programs that were slated
to receive funds will be funded, and there will be no "continuation budget
review". There is money for school-based health centers, but further
clarifications may have to be made so existing centers will be able to use the
funds.
NOTE listing of items recorded
below.
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ITEMS IN MONEY REPORT FOR HB 2436: MODIFY
APPROPRIATIONS ACT OF 2007
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Item
#48 Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiatives -- $400,000
non-recurring funds.
This money, although non-recurring will save prevention
programs in New
Hanover, Anson, and Person Counties --
programs that are up for renewal of grant funds. In addition, other programs that have been
approved for funding will be funded, and the overall program will be made
whole. This funding will have to be requested again
in 2009. |
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NO
"continuation budget review." The base
state funding of $1.79 million for teen pregnancy
prevention initiatives/programs will continue to be recurring funds. Those funds will not be made non-recurring as
was the case in the House's version of the budget.
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Item
#13 Expand Adolescent School Health Centers --- $250,000 Non-recurring --
The
money report contains an explanation that uses language that was included in
the House's version of the budget rather than the language in the Senate's
budget. The conferees had agreed to the Senate's language so that it was
clear that the money could be used for existing and new
school-based/school-linked health centers. (This item will need further
clarification.)
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Item
#47 Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program --- $250,000 Non-recurring -- This is
one-time grant-in-aid for the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Campaign (formerly
Coalition) of NC. This money will have to be requested in 2009. |
When it became clear
that an agreement on the budget could not be reached before the fiscal year
ended at midnight, on Monday June 30, legislators enacted HB 2437. The
measure extended certain budget provisions until July 15; however, funds
could not be allocated for budget reductions that had been agreed to in the
House's budget and the Senate's budget -- items that were in agreement and not
in controversy at the time. All block grant funding was included in HB 2437, and, therefore, approved
on June 30.
Recorded
below are the high priority pregnancy preventions items that were included in
the block grant section of HB 2437. Also recorded below is the resolution of
the Maternal & Child Health Block Grant issue.
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BLOCK GRANT ITEMS INCLUDED
IN HB 2437: CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS |
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THESE
ITEMS WERE IN AGREEMENT IN BOTH BUDGET BILLS -- HOUSE'S AND
SENATE'S
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TANF
Block Grant - Item #22 Transfer to Social Services Block Grant for Teen
Pregnancy Prevention Initiatives --- $2,500,000
This
item was approved in HB 2437, and the TANF money will be transferred to the
Social Services Block grant and used as it has been in the past: $1.5 million to local teen pregnancy
prevention and parenting programs and $1 million to local health departments for
out-of-wedlock birth prevention.
Before a cut in 2001, the funding for these two items totaled more
than $3.8 million. |
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TANF Block Grant - Item #13
Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiatives
--- $450,000
This
item was approved in HB 2437, and the funding will offset the Medicaid funds cut
in 2007. With the
additional $450,000 in funding, Adolescent Parenting Programs (APP) in
ANSON,
SCOTLAND, FORSYTH, and WILSON counties
will be funded. In addition, Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Programs (APPP) in
CHATHAM,
GUILFORD, FORSYTH, and SCOTLAND counties will
be funded.
THIS ITEM
WAS DIFFERENT IN THE HOUSE'S AND SENATE'S BUDGET BILLS
MATERNAL
AND CHILD HEALTH BLOCK GRANT
--
Item
#01. Children's Health Services -- $7,415,569
Item #02.
Women's Health -- $7,504,019
Item #10.
Immunization Program -- Vaccine Distribution -- $310,667
The
impact of this funding allocation is that it does not transfer funds from the
Children's Health Services and Women's Health line items of the block grant to
the influenza vaccine for children line item #10. The block grant funds that provide primary health care for vulnerable populations not covered
by Medicaid will not be cut.
NOTE: The issue relative to this funding was that
the House's budget transferred funds from two line items (Children's Health
Services and Women's Health) and put that funding into flu vaccines. The
transfer of funds was not necessary because currently, in North Carolina, federal funding is available to provide
flu vaccine free of charge to all children who are (1) uninsured, (2)
underinsured, (3) Medicaid eligible, (4) Alaska Native or (5) American
Indian. All other children for whom
free flu vaccine is not available are children who are fully insured for
influenza vaccine. APPCNC gets some funding from the Maternal &
Child Health block grant. |
AN EXTENDED SUMMARY OF ITEMS INCLUDED IN THE BUDGET WILL
BE FORTHCOMING.
Thanks for your contacts to legislators. You really made a
difference!
Patricia
Yancey
Director of Public
Education
Adolescent Pregnancy
Prevention Campaign of North Carolina
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