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March/2009 Child and Family Policy Center eNewsletter
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eNEWS
from the Child & Family Policy Center
Greetings!
Welcome to the Child Family and Policy Center's first monthly e-newsletter. The purpose of this 'brief insight' is to keep our advocates, constituents, friends and partners updated with our current projects, issues, successes and challenges. We hope you find it an informative and helpful tool for you to keep 'in the loop' of what we're doing.
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Voices to Be Heard receives its first donation! 
The Child and Family Policy Center's newest advocacy initiative, Voices to Be Heard, received it's first donation of $150 from
philanthrophist Jean Bassinger. Voices to Be Heard is a support group for parents and caregivers of children of an
incarcerated loved one organized by CFPC Community Outreach Liaison,
Melissa Nelson, and family advocate Misty Hansen.
This group was
created to provide a safe place for the families left behind to find
support for themselves, to help their children grow up healthy and
grounded, and where possible, to have a positive relationship with
their incarcerated parent.
The
group meets on the first and third Tuesday of every month at Union
Park United Methodist Church, at the corner of East 12th and Guthrie in
Des Moines. For more information, contact Melissa Nelson at
515-280-9027. Above: Melissa Nelson proudly displays a check for $150, donated by philanthrophist Jean Bassinger
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Payday Lending bill introduced
CFPC's efforts towards curbing the efforts of predatory lending saw a huge step in the right direction:
House File 288
(HF 288) was introduced in the Iowa House in February. The
bill caps all payday loan interest, penalties, fees, and other charges
at 36% APR.
Why is this bill important?
Payday
lenders tell legislators that payday loans are meant to be used for one
time emergencies. But the facts tell a different story:
FACT: In actuality they are a debt trap that can quickly
leave the borrower paying more in fees than the amount of the original
loan, while at the same time still not reducing their debt.
FACT: In reality
only about 1% of loans are made to one time borrowers.
FACT: The average Iowa
borrower takes out about 12 loans a year, significantly higher than the
national average of 8.7 loans per borrower.
FACT: More than 6% of Iowa
borrowers take out a loan every 2 weeks.
For more information, listen to CFPC Senior Associate Victor Elias on Iowa Public Radio discuss the matter with host Host Greg Shanley and Senator Joe Bolkcom.
Click Here to listen to the broadcast.
How can you do to help?
Contact your
Representative and members of the Commerce Committee in the House and
ask your friends to do the same. Ask them to support HF 288.
Below are three valuable documentsthat might be helpful when you are communicating with your
Legislator:
Coalition Against Abusive Lending Narrative
The Facts on Iowa Payday Lending
Talking Points Against Abusive Lending
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Every Child Counts update
Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act
The signing of this legislation is
a significant, exciting win for Iowa's youngest citizens. We know that
when we invest in young children we get strong returns, both in the
short term and long term.
Iowa Update
Iowa's budget and the American Recovery Act continues to be a hot topic of conversation at the Statehouse. On Monday, Feb. 16, Governor Culver released this statement:
In
order to ensure that every dollar is maximized to its fullest extent,
the Governor announced five steps today to handle the funds:
The
Governor's Office is coordinating a series of working groups
representing state agencies that will oversee a range of programs that
may benefit from this legislation, such as Transportation, Education,
Human Services, Natural Resources, Economic Development, and the Office
of Energy Independence. The groups will analyze the final legislation
to assure the funds are maximized and distributed in a timely manner.
Governor Culver and Lt. Governor Judge will be working
closely with the legislative leadership on the FY10 Budget to ensure
the new federal funds are utilized for the priorities Iowans care most
about, such as creating jobs, improving infrastructure, and supporting
education and health care.
Governor Culver will attend the National Governors
Association meeting in Washington, DC this weekend, where he will work
with his colleagues on best practices for implementing the release and
use of stimulus funds.
Despite the infusion of federal funds, Governor Culver
will not ignore the need to reduce state spending the current fiscal
year. He will continue to monitor FY09 tax receipts, and determine
whether any further adjustments need to be made.
Governor Culver and Lt. Governor Judge will continue to
fight for the $700 million jobs and infrastructure initiative proposed
in his Condition of the State Address, which will enhance these federal
funds. In addition, the program will allow state government to address
infrastructure needs not covered in the federal program.
Download an
estimate of the amount Iowa will receive for various programs from the
Act. This was prepared by the non-partisan Federal Funds Information
for States.
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Iowa Fiscal Partnership documents
The Iowa Fiscal Partnership
(IFP) is a joint initiative of The Iowa Policy Project and The Child
and Family Policy Center, created to provide a reliable source of
information and analysis on tax and budget policies in Iowa. Visit our website at www.iowafiscal.org
Focus on Largest Waists in Belt-Tightening
General
fund spending has declined as a share of the state economy, but
business tax credits have grown almost unchecked and out of control.
Understanding the Revenue Roots of the Crisis
Iowans
can only understand the state's budget crisis by looking at the revenue
roots of the problem. Tax cuts in the 1990s, and more tax breaks since,
were unsustainable and prepared the state poorly for the current
recession
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Featured Article
Iowa Fiscal Partnership invited Nick Johnson, a
financial expert from a D.C. think-tank to address budget issues at the statehouse. Johnson testified before the
Iowa Senate's tax-writing committee Feb. and told Iowa policymakers that they face a
"major challenge" in balancing the state's budget. Johnson of the
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities says Iowa is among 46 states
facing a budget shortfall.
"Iowa's shortfall is relatively small compared to
other states, but it's growing rapidly and I think it's a major
challenge for the state," Johnson says. Johnson
encouraged legislators to avoid laying off government workers, or
cutting too deeply into the state budget.
"You're taking away money businesses and
non-profit organizations that provide necessary services and that
actually makes the recession worse. Fortunately, there are
alternatives," Johnson said during an interview with Radio Iowa. "One
alternative is to make use of the money that's in the federal economic
recovery bill which should be enacted in the next couple of weeks --
which will contain a substantial amount of funds for Iowa for its
budget."
This story aired on Friday, February 6, 2009, 8:43 AM, Radio Network Iowa
IFP hosted Johnson's visit, and arranged meeting to discuss these issues with
Jim Larew, General
Counsel and Policy Director for Gov. Culver,
Senator Joe Bolkcom, Glen Dickinson,
Director of the Legislative Services Agency, and Human Needs Advocates.
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