Legislative Update

Every Child Counts Newsletter
Legislative Update

April 3, 2009

In This Issue

Resources

Federal Update

Bills

Legislative Forums

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Iowa General Assembly

Every Child Counts

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Resources

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Legislative Term of the Week:

Roll Call Vote: A method of recording votes by printing the names of members and their votes. Roll call votes are tabulated by voting machines in each chamber.

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Quote of the Week:

"We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee." Marian Wright Edelman

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Check out these upcoming events.

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Connecting Neurons, Concepts, and People: Brain Development and its Implications
This fact sheet summarizes what is known about early neurobiological development and corrects some of the common misunderstandings about brain research.

Greetings!

Where should I begin? This has been quite the week at the Capitol. On Monday, we were able to get our first look at a spreadsheet for Education spending and on Tuesday our first look at the Education Appropriations bill. The Committee also provided a spreadsheet on the proposed spending for Empowerment. They are taking a 14.3% cut in funding. If you include the 2 million dollar loss in HITT funding (Healthy Iowans Tobacco Trust) Empowerment is taking a 19.11% cut in funding. The budget eliminates Empowerment's First Years First funding and slashes $985,000 of the $1 million for professional development. (The HHS budget does maintain $1 million for professional development)

The Statewide Four Year Old Preschool Program received the standard across the board cut. Shared Visions always appears in the Standings Bill and we won't see that bill until the very end of session.

Late Thursday, the Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee released their spreadsheet and draft bill. The Subcommittee is meeting on Monday at 9:00 to discuss the bill.

Late Friday afternoon, the Governor released his revised budget for 2010 and revised budget for the remainder of 2009.

The revised budget recommendation totals $5.928 billion for FY2009 and $5.896 billion for FY2010. The FY2010 budget recommendation is $301.6 million lower than the budget recommendation submitted in January.

Key points from the Governor's budget recommendation includes (taken from Governor's press release):

FY 2009:

Use $43.2 million in federal ARRA Education Stabilization funds to fully fund the appropriation for the school aid formula; and
Use $110 million of Federal Medical Assistance Percentage funds to fully fund Medicaid.
Maintain state reserves of $564.3 million
Maintain an ending balance of $59.9 million.

FY 2010:

Use $232.9 million of ARRA Education Stabilization funds to maintain school aid funding at the previously set 4 percent allowable growth;
Use $145 million of Federal Medical Assistance Percentage funds to fully fund the Medicaid estimate.
Use $56 million of ARRA Education Stabilization funds to avoid severe General Fund cuts for Regents institutions and Community Colleges.
Use $86 million of ARRA Government Services Stabilization funds to avoid General Fund cuts for Regents Institutions, Community Colleges, Department of Corrections and the Department of Public Safety along with administration of ARRA funding.
Fully fund Property Tax Credits Fund at the FY2009 level.
Add back $42.6 million to fund priorities areas, such as public safety and workforce development, in order to avoid layoffs.
Use up to $164.8 million from the State's cash reserves.
Maintain an ending balance of $72.2 million.

Hopefully, I will have more details on the budget proposals for you next week.

Legislative leaders are still saying they will be done by the end of next week. However, I am not making any vacation plans until I see and hear the gavel fall for the last time in 2009!

Enjoy the Update ~

Sheila

The Federal Update

2010 Budget Resolutions

Yesterday, the House and Senate finished their versions of the budget. Both budgets provide increases in funding for programs like health care reform, investments in education, and services and jobs for low-income people. The House passed its budget, 233-196. The Senate voted 55 to 43 for its budget.

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. STATUS - Referred to Approps