Every Child Counts Newsletter
Legislative Update
February 7, 2009 |
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Legislative Term of the Week:
At Ease - Describes the condition of the Senate or the House when it temporarily stops its floor debate for some other specific activity.
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Quote of the Week:
"One of the great liabilities of history is that all too many people fail to remain awake through great periods of social change. Every society has its protectors of status quo and its fraternities of the indifferent who are notorious for sleeping through revolutions. Today, our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake, to adjust to new ideas, to remain vigilant and to face the challenge of change." - Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Flood of 2008: Not "So Over" Report from Linn County.
Download the latest report on the effects of the 2008 flood on the healthy development of young children in Linn Co.
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How Do You Spell 'State Fiscal Relief'?
Federal Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 and the Iowa Budget
State fiscal relief from the federal government recognizes that states may not deficit spend - but that state spending can help the economy while serving people in need. Download the document from the Iowa Fiscal Partnership. ________________
Flood Response and Iowa Children
How do natural disasters, like the 2008 Iowa floods, affect children? What policies and actions can government take to mitigate these impacts? Read another report on the flood and its impact on children. ______________
Early Childhood Iowa Congress and Day on the Hill, Feb 10-12, 2009
Quality Counts: Inspiring Leadership and Professionalism in Iowa's Early Care, Health and Education System.
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Be prepared - this update is longer than usual!
It was another busy week at the Capitol. The budget situation continues to dominate the talk. The Governor introduced his budget last week and it isn't very good for kids. In the last update, I reported the Governor stated he would protect certain Human Services programs and the Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program from being cut. While we appreciate that the Four Year Old Preschool Program and health care for children were protected from cuts, we are very disheartened that other very important work support and child development programs were cut; like child care, Empowerment (includes home visitation, quality initiatives, preschool tuition assistance), Shared Visions, Early Childhood Professional Development, Foster and Adoptive Parent Support, Early Head Start and First Years First just to name a few. Some programs took an even bigger cut than the mandatory 6.5%. Take a look at some of the programs cut:
Early Childhood Services - Community Empowerment
Actual FY 2008: $23,781,594
Est. Net FY 2009: $21,967,476
Gov. Rec. FY 2010 $20,220,242
Percent Change -8.0%
Early Childhood Services (Empowerment - Preschool)
Actual FY 2008: $10,000,000
Est. Net FY 2009: $9,850,000
Gov. Rec FY 2010 $8,523,624
Percent Change: -13.5%
Early Childhood - Spec. Education for birth to 3
Actual FY 2008: $1,721,400
Est. Net FY 2009: $1,695,579
Gov. Rec FY 2010: $1,585,366
Percent Change: -6.5%
Early Childhood - Family Support and Parent Education
Actual FY 2008: $5,000,000
Est. Net FY 2009: $4,925,000
Gov. Rec FY 2010: $4,604,875
Percent Change: -6.5%
Child Care: allowed for slight caseload growth but implemented 1.5% and 6.5% cuts, also.
We have a lot of work to do with the Legislature as we try to protect our most vulnerable citizens from even further cuts.
Enjoy the Update ~
Sheila
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| Preschool Funding |
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On January 27th, the Iowa Dept of Education requested a transfer of funds within their Dept. They asked for $2,769,449 to be transferred from the Four Year Old Preschool Program to the following:
$9,774 - Vocational Education Administration
$37,645 - School Food Services
$44,054 - Vocational Ed. to Secondary Schools
$32,885 - Core Curriculum
$25,821 - Birth to Age Three Services
$22,500 - Community College Salaries
$2,596,770 - Teacher Quality
This was requested by the Dept of Ed. to restore FY 09 funding in education programs. Funding shortfalls to the above were the result of the 1.5% across the board budget cut imposed for FY 09. Dept of Ed states that funding is available in the four year old preschool program due to schools actually serving fewer students than originally estimated. The Dept has also stated that this transfer will not be finalized prior to Feb 10, 2009.
DOE has a right to transfer these funds within the Dept because there isn't anything in code preventing this. I encourage you to contact your Legislator and members of the Education Appropriations Sub-Committee and full Appropriations Committee with concerns that this money or at least a significant percentage of the money did not go to restoring cuts in early childhood programs. Nor did it go to Four Year Old Preschool Program grant applicants who did not get funded in the last pool of applicants. Below are members of the key Committees to contact:
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Federal Update
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CHIP Formerly Known As SCHIP
The Children's Health Insurance Program was signed by President Obama on Wednesday, February 4.
The 4.5-year reauthorization will expand CHIP by $32.8 billion, funded through an increase in federal tobacco taxes. The program was created in 1997 to serve uninsured children from families with low incomes but who make too much to qualify for Medicaid.
At a signing ceremony Obama called the bill "a down payment" on his pledge to provide health insurance coverage to all Americans and said the reauthorization is particularly urgent because of the deepening economic crisis.
Economic Recovery Package
U.S. senators spent part of Saturday debating the massive economic recovery package after a group of lawmakers reached a compromise agreement that trimmed billions in spending from an earlier version. Last I heard Head Start took a billion dollar loss from previous recommendations and CCDF (child care) about a 1/2 billion loss. Remember this is still new money for the programs. It looks like the Senate will start debating again on Monday.
If the package passes the Senate, yet another compromise -- between the House and Senate versions -- must be hammered out before the legislation is sent to Obama to sign. Obama has said he would like to sign the stimulus by Presidents Day, February 16. | |
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Bills
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 Early Childhood and School Readiness
HF 7- An Act establishing a parental involvement grant program and making an appropriation. Referred to Education. Subcommittee, Abdul-Samad, Bukta,and Sweeney. Subcommittee passed bill on 1/21. Referred to Approps
SF 8 - Act relating to transportation provided to children attending a preschool program administered by a community empowerment area. Referred to Education. Subcommittee, Appel, Feenstra, and Sodders.
SF 6 - This bill lowers the compulsory school attendance age from age six to age five. The bill makes a number of conforming changes, including the elimination of language establishing the conditions under which a child may be admitted to kindergarten and first grade in a public school. Introduced, referred to Education. Subcommittee, Heckroth, McKinley, and Sodders met on 1/20.
HF 100 Requires that a child who turned 5 after the September 15 deadline for starting kindergarten be enrolled if the child was enrolled in another state and the child's parent makes a request. Allows a child who turns 5 after the deadline to be enrolled if the child demonstrates sufficient ability on DOE evaluations. Referred to Education
HF 156 - An Act providing an appropriation for a pilot project to implement a child care center that operates twenty=four hours per day, seven days per week.
HF 187 (Van Engelenhoven) Prohibits foster care parent from providing child care if a foster child is present who has been found by the DHS to have abused another child. Referred to Human Resources. Subcommittee - Mascher, Petersen and Forristall Child Well-being and Development
HF 139 - (formerly HSB 6) - A study bill for requiring health insurance coverage for costs relating to mental health conditions, including alcohol or substance abuse treatment services, and creating a mental health insurance advisory committee. 1-14-09 Subcommittee assigned, Wessel-Kroeschell, Hunter, and Upmeyer. 1-15-09 Subcommittee reassigned, Wessel-Kroeschell, Hunter, and Schulte. H.J. 86. Subcommittee moved bill to full Committee. Companion Bill - SF 16 Subcommittee, Schmitz, Quirmbach, and Seymour
HF 56 - An Act relating to early childhood immunizations for influenza 2 containing mercury and making penalties applicable. Referred to Human Resources. Subcommittee, Wendt, Koester, and Steckman.
HF 63 - An Act relating to the dental screening program for children 2 enrolling in elementary or high school. Referred to Human Resources. Subcommittee, Mascher, Alons, and Hunter.
SF 101 (formerly SSB 1091)- Establishing a shaken baby syndrome prevention program in the department of public health. Referred to Human Resources. UPDATE - Passed Senate Human Resources Committee on 2/3. HF 65 - Companion Bill
SF 48 - An Act relating to health care, health care providers, and health care coverage, providing for appropriations, providing penalties, and providing retroactive and other effective dates. Has many divisions - one of interest may be - IOWA CHOICE INSURANCE EXCHANGE. Division II of the bill contains new Code chapter 514M. The purpose of the chapter is to ensure that all children and all other Iowans in the state have affordable, quality health care coverage, and to decrease health care costs and health care
coverage costs. Referred to Human Resources. Subcommittee, Hatch, Bolkcom, and Seymour.
Family Economic Success
HSB 64 - An Act relating to disaster assistance by providing a jumpstart
housing assistance program, disaster aid individual assistance grants, and community disaster grants, making appropriations, and providing effective and retroactive applicability dates. UPDATE - Signed by Governor Culver on 2/2.
Other Bills of Interest
HF 14 - An Act repealing the Iowa English language reaffirmation Act. Referred to State Governnment. Subcommittee - Lensing, Isenhart and Rants
HF 10 - An Act relating to employees who are breast=feeding. Referred to Labor
HF 110 - Makes it a simple misdemeanor with a $100 fine to leave a child unattended or not properly supervised in a car. Does not include a person outside the car who can see the child. Requires the DOT to use 50% of the fines and fees collected for a program to publicize the hazards. Referred to Judiciary
NEW:
HF 50- Requires the appointive boards, commissions and committees of local governments and other entities to be gender balanced. UPDATE - voted out of State Govt |
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