Legislative Update

Every Child Counts Newsletter
Legislative Update

February 27, 2009

In This Issue

Resources

Federal Update

Bills

Legislative Forums

Quick Links

Iowa General Assembly

Every Child Counts

The White House

Resources

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Legislative Term of the Week:

Study Bill: A bill developed for Committee Consideration. Once a study bill is approved by Committee, the bill is given a Senate file or House file number.

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Quote of the Week:

"A person's a person, no matter how small."

Dr. Suess

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In November 2008, NACCRRA conducted a nationwide poll of over 1,000 parents with young children to better understand what they consider when they are looking for child care, what they expect and want from child care, and what barriers they face in obtaining high-quality child care. Read the report.

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First Focus Launches New
Online Budget Resource

ChildrensBudget.org is an interactive website providing customizable information on more than 180 federally funded programs that benefit children. The user-friendly, searchable database makes available information on children's programs funded by the federal government, from child health and education to child welfare and juvenile justice. Find out more about First Focus.

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Earlier this week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed its FY 2009 omnibus legislation, which would fund the government for the remainder of the year. Click here to see how children fared.

Greetings!

It was another interesting and fast paced week at the Capitol. After the House met on a rare Friday session last week to debate the Prevailing Wage bill, with total debate limited to about 5 hours, they could not get a constitutional majority to pass the legislation. Democratic leaders kept the vote open until Monday at 1:00 pm to talk to their members about the vote. The bill failed on a 49-49 vote. Rep. McCarthy changed his vote and filed a Motion to Reconsider.

The Subcommittee on HF 288 (pay day loan bill) met on Thursday. Several advocates showed up to support the bill in addition to the lobbyists for the pay day loan industry. After an hour long meeting, it was determined that another subcommittee meeting will take place. Please continue to contact your Legislator in the House and members of the House Commerce Committee to support this legislation! We need to get the bill to full committee before the end of the first funnel week (March 13). The Senate released a payday loan bill earlier in the week. SSB 1269 doesn't go as far as the House bill in capping the interest rates that pay day loan institutions charge consumers.

Budget targets were released by Democratic legislative leaders on Thursday. The targets will guide legislators as they work on the details of a new state budget and focus on their key priorities. They are working on a proposal to cut an ADDITIONAL $133.9 million from the Governor's budget proposal. They also plan to use $100 million less from the state cash reserve fund than what the Governor proposed. Each of the seven state budget subcommittees is required to cut its budget by at least 1 percent from the Governor's proposed budget. If you remember, the Governor proposed 6.5% cuts in most programs. The new money from the American Recovery Act is not included at this time in their current proposal. It is a time to tighten our belts - a recurrent theme at the Capitol.

But what if you wear diapers? How can you tighten your belt? Check out this flier asking the Governor and the Legislature just that. Take a moment to send the flier and a short message to your legislator asking him/her to restore cuts made to Empowerment and other important children's programs.

On Tuesday, Gene Gessow, Director, Dept. Of Human Services and Tom Newton, Director, Dept of Public Health discussed the impact of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act on their respective Department's budgets with the Health and Human Services Budget Subcommittee. You can download the following documents from their presentations.

Impact on DHS Spreadsheet

DHS Memo

IDPH Assessment

Enjoy the Update ~

Sheila

Federal Update

President Obama Releases Budget

The outline of the President's ten-year budget plan demonstrates a commitment to increasing access to high-quality early care and education. While the outline does not include many specifics, early childhood is clearly featured as a priority. The document emphasizes the long-term benefits of investments in early care and education programs and states that "the Administration will broaden the reach of these programs and boost their quality-encouraging new investment, a seamless delivery of services, and better information for parents about program options and quality."

Funding for early childhood programs through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)is described as a "down payment" on the President's commitment to early childhood, and is expected to be combined with funding provided in the budget to support a stronger early childhood system.

The budget outline highlights support for several existing early childhood programs as well as new initiatives:

�        Head Start/Early Head Start: Head Start would be expanded and the number of children served by Early Head Start would be doubled through funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and this budget.

�        Child Care and Development Block Grant: The document cites the funding for child care included in the ARRA and states that the budget "sustains critical support for young children and their families by building on these investments."

�        Child Nutrition: The budget provides an increase of $1 billion annually for child nutrition programs, which include school lunch programs as well as the Child and Adult Care Food Program. This funding would be used to improve access to the programs, enhance the nutritional quality of school meals, expand nutrition research and evaluation, and improve oversight.

�        Zero to Five Systems: Under this new initiative, additional resources would be provided to encourage state and local investment in early childhood education, support coordination at the federal, state, and local level, and provide better information to parents about program options and quality. The initiative is "aimed at ensuring that early childhood programs yield strong results for children." The document does not specify funding for this initiative.

         Nurse Home Visitation Program: This new initiative provides funds to states for home visits by trained nurses to first-time low-income mothers and mothers-to-be. The funding level for the program would start at $87 million in FY 2010, and would increase to $1.753 billion in FY 2019. This funding would be mandatory funding.

The Budget also establishes a reserve fund of more than $630 billion over 10 years "to finance fundamental reform of our health care system that will bring down costs and expand coverage.

Source: National Women's Law Center

Bills

bill in line 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. Subcommittee - Heddens, Gayman and Heaton. UPDATE - Subcommittee mtg cancelled.

HF 383 - STATE CHILD CARE ADVISORY COUNCIL -Requires one of the seven members of the Council on Human Services to be a member of the Child Care Advisory Council. Makes changes to the membership on the council, including that a slot for an unregistered child care home provider be for a "family, friend, and neighbor child care" provider. Identifies four additional slots for the advisory council (business, from nominees by the Chamber of Commerce executives, community empowerment office, and Iowa after-school alliance, the statewide preschool program for four-year-old children). Allows the council to advise the DHS on additional matters, including the federal Child Care and Development Block Grant and other funding sources. Requires the DHS to give the council various financial information. Requires the council to make reports to the DHS and the Governor. Introduced by Representative Petersen, et al. UPDATE - Subcommittee, Berry, Petersen, and Schulte. Subcommittee will meet on 3/2 at 11:00.

SF 179 - An Act providing for a pilot project supporting high=quality child care for low=income children. Introduced by Senator Bolkcom. Referred to Human Resources. UPDATE - Subcommittee, Bolkcom (C), Boettger , Schmitz

HF 357 - An Act relating to preschool support provided through school ready children grants under the community empowerment initiative. Introduced by Rep. Kaufmann. Referred to Education. Subcommittee, Steckman, Tymeson, and Winckler

NEW:

HF 419 - An Act relating to regulation of child care by the department of human services by providing for licensing of child development homes, establishing a regulatory fee and appropriating the fee proceeds, making penalties applicable, and providing effective dates. Subcommittee, Mascher, Petersen and Soderberg. UPDATE - Subcommittee met on 2/27 and will meet again on 3/3 at 9:30.

Child Well-being and Development

HF 234 (formerly HF 139) - 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. Eligible for debate in the House. Companion Bill - SF 16 Subcommittee, Schmitz, Quirmbach, and Seymour

HF 56 - An Act relating to early childhood immunizations for influenza 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 - Establishing a shaken baby syndrome prevention program in the department of public health. UPDATE - Passed both House and Senate. On to the Governor for his signature!

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.

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

HF 382 - (formerly HSB 111) -A study bill relating to the public health system by providing for the voluntary accreditation of certain public health agencies, the adoption of Iowa public health standards, the establishment of an accreditation data collection system, creating a fund, and providing for a penalty and an effective date. 1-29-09. Passed House Human Resources Committee. Eligible for debate in House. Companion Bill SSB 1103

HF 202 - An Act relating to the assignment of health care coverage and dental care coverage benefits. Referred to Commerce. Subcommittee, T. Olson, Petersen, and Sorenson

HF 255 - An Act providing for mandatory universal newborn and infant eye
examinations. Introduced by Rep. Gayman. Subcommittee, Hunter, Mascher, and L. Miller. Subcommittee on 2/16 @ 4:00. Subcommitte met and did not vote bill out of committee.

NEW:

HSB 223 - CHILD HEARING AIDS-Requires insurance contracts to include coverage for hearing aids and audiological services for children, up to the age of 18, including requiring hearing aids every two years and up to three additional ear molds a year. Referred to Commerce. Subcommittee - T Olson (C), Petersen, Pettengill

HF 448 - A bill for an act requiring testing and abatement of lead hazards in certain residential dwellings and child care facilities, requiring inspections of certain residential housing for lead hazards prior to sale, establishing a childhood lead poisoning prevention and control committee. Referred to Human Resources. Sponsored by Ford, Hunter, Smith and Petersen. Companion bill SF 213.

Family Economic Success

HF 288 - An Act modifying provisions applicable to the regulation of
delayed deposit services businesses and providing a penalty. This is a bill to regulate the pay day lending businesses. Introduced by Rep. Smith. Referred to Commerce.

HF 36 - An Act relating to relocation of the child support recovery unit to the department of revenue. Subcommittee, Lensing, Isenhart, and Pettengill.

NEW:

SSB 1269 - An Act relating to the regulation of delayed deposit service businesses. Referred to Commerce. Subcommittee - Bolkcom Chair, Kettering, and Warnstadt

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