Every Child Counts Newsletter
Legislative Update
April 17, 2009 |
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Legislative Term of the Week:
Engrossed Bill: The version of a bill incorporating all amendments adopted in the proper place and all approved technical corrections existing at the time the bill was ordered engrossed.
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Quote of the Week:
"A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent in doing nothing."
George Bernard Shaw
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Every Child Matters Ad
This past weekend, Every Child Matters launched a national television ad campaign aimed at garnering support for the child-friendly investments in President Obama's budget. "By investing in children early, we can avoid the great social cost associated with supporting those who cannot support themselves."
The ad makes this point by contrasting the lives of two children, one who gets support and one who does not, and closes with a message: "America's children need the President's budget - because Every Child Matters." 
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| Greetings! |
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The Legislature is still in session! I don't want to guess at this point as to when they will finish. Things haven't been moving too quickly as both Houses spent most of their time in Caucus. This leaves the lobby feeling quite frustrated!
Theres is some good news/bad news to report:
The House passed SF 470 (Ed. approps) late on Tuesday evening. There is some good news in this bill for Empowerment. An amendment to reinstate $916,700 to Empowerment for early childhood professional development and $1,000,000 to Empowerment's School Ready Grants line passed unanimously. The amendment was sponsored by Representatives Winckler, T. Olson, Willems, Steckman, Thede, Petersen, Abdul-Samad, Marek, Gaskill, Ficken and Mascher. Consider taking a moment to thank these Representatives for sponsoring the amendment and your Representive for voting for the amendment. The bill now goes back to the Senate. The bad news - I am hearing that the amendment may not survive. Please contact your Senator and ask him/her to support the Empowerment language in the amendment to SF 470. On Wednesday, the Senate passed HF 811 (HHS approps) with an amendment. Now it goes back to the House. This bill took 7 hours to debate in the House and only 25 minutes in the Senate.....interesting!
Also, on Wednesday the Senate failed to confirm Gene Gessow as Director of Human Services on a party line vote 32- 18. Our Governor chooses the directors of state agencies and they need 34 Senate votes to receive confirmation. Majority Leader Gronstal switched his vote to no so he could use a rule known as a motion to reconsider. The motion to reconsider allows the Senate to bring the confirmation vote to the floor again before session ends.
Enjoy the Update ~
Sheila |
| The Federal Update |
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Rural Early Education Access Act
Members of Congress came together across party lines to introduce legislation that would improve access to high-quality early childhood education in rural communities. Under HR 1755, the Rural Early Education Access Act, states would receive incentive grants to establish pre-k programs and to improve the quality of existing programs in rural areas.
"Every study shows that children who attend preschool programs are more likely to achieve success in school," said the bill's author, Rep. Phil Hare (D-IL). "This leads to additional college graduates and a more competitive workforce. In other words, it is not only good education policy, it makes economic sense." A fellow member of the House Rural Education Caucus and original co-sponsor of the bill, Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-MT) added, "Education provides the foundation for the economic and civic future of our nation, and we can't afford to leave millions of children who don't live in urban or suburban population centers behind."
Other original co-sponsors of the bill are Representatives Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Dave Loebsack (D-IA). |
| Article Headline |
 Policy Brief - Providing Preschool Education for All 4-Year-Olds: Lessons from Six State Journeys by Debra J. Ackerman, W. Steven Barnett, Laura E. Hawkinson, Kirsty Brown and Elizabeth A. McGonigle (March 2009) Over the last decade, state-funded preschool education programs have grown and now enroll more than one million children. However, preschool access in most states is limited to at-risk children. Three states currently offer "preschool for all" - Florida, Georgia and Oklahoma. Three other states are slated to have preschool for all by the next five years - Illinois, New York and West Virginia. This policy brief examines the journeys of these six states in achieving a plan for preschool for all. | |
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Bills
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 Early Childhood and School Readiness
HF 562 - 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. Passed House on 3/19. - Passed Senate Human Resources Committee on 3/25. STATUS- Passed Senate 49- 0 with amendment. Placed on House calendar under unfinished business on 4/9.
SF 414 - An Act providing for a pilot project supporting high=quality child care for low=income children. Introduced by Senator Bolkcom. Referred to Human Resources. Subcommittee, Bolkcom (C), Boettger , Schmitz . Passed Senate. Passed House Human Resources Committee on 3/25. STATUS - Placed on House calendar under unfinished business on 4/9.
HF 754 - 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. Passed Human Resources Committee. Referred to Appropriations Committee. STATUS - unclear at this time.
HF 739 (formerly HF 565) - An Act providing for a state research and development prekindergarten through grade twelve school. Passed out of Education Committee on 3/11. Referred to Appropriations. Subcommittee, Cohoon, Huseman, and Wenthe. UPDATE - Bill language and appropriation in SF 470.
SF 470 - bill for an act relating to the funding of, the operation of, and appropriation of moneys to the college student aid commission, the department for the blind, the department of education, and the state board of regents, providing for related matters, and providing effective dates. Passed Ed approps Committee on 3/31. Passed full Senate Approps Committee on 4/1. UPDATE - Passed full Senate with amendments. Full amendment S 3268 moves back to Senate.
Child Well-being and Development
SF 389- 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. 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. Passed Senate. Passed House Human Resources Committee with MAJOR Amendments to divisions other than the divisions dealing with children. UPDATE- should be debated on Monday 4/20.
HF 382 - 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. STATUS - Bill language fournd in HF 811.
HF 588 - An Act creating an excise tax on paint, primer, and speciality finish and directing moneys to fund the childhood lead poisoning prevention program. Introduced, referred to Ways & Means
HF 811 - An Act relating to and making appropriations for health and human services and including other related provisions and appropriations, providing penalties, making penalties applicable and providing effective, retroactive, and applicability date provisions. UPDATE - passed House on 4/9. Passed Senate with amendment on 4/15.
HF 234 - A bill for an act requiring health insurance coverage for costs relating to mental health conditions, including alcohol or substance abuse treatment services. Amendment H-1178, H-1213, H-1214, H-1215, H-1216, H-1221, H-1290 and H-1292. STATUS - Placed on calendar under unfinished business.
Family Economic Success
HF 672 - An Act relating to individual development accounts available to certain persons with low income and providing effective and applicability date provisions. Passed House. UPDATE - Enrolled and sent to Governor for signature on 4/15.
HF 636- STATE CHILD & DEPENDENT CARE CREDIT (Sands) Increases the income level before the state child & dependent care credit ends to $50,000, and increases the other income thresholds. STATUS - Passed out of Ways and Means Subcommittee on 3/25.
SSB 1307 -A study bill for an act relating to the regulation of delayed deposit service businesses. Referred to Ways and Means. Subcommittee: Stewart, Bolkcom, Feenstra STATUS: Passed Senate Ways and Means Committee on 3/25.
HF 807 -(formerly HSB 284) - An Act relating to the individual income tax by providing for reduced tax rates, the elimination of federal deductibility, increasing the credits for elderly and blind individuals, increasing the amount of the earned income tax credit, and adjusting the eligibility for the child and dependent care tax credit and early childhood development tax credit and including a retroactive applicability date provision. Referred to Ways and Means Committee. STATUS - passed out of Subcommittee meeting and Committee meeting on 3/31. Public Hearing held on 3/31.
HSB 280 - An Act modifying provisions relating to the regulation of delayed deposit service businesses, making penalties applicable, and providing an effective date. Referred to Ways and Meand Committee. Subcommittee - T. Olson, Helland, and Petersen. STATUS - passed out of Subcommittee on 4/2. On to full Committee
Other Bills of Interest
SF 137 - An Act providing that wage discrimination is an unfair employment
practice under the Iowa civil rights Act and providing an enhanced remedy. House passed but with an amendment so it will have to return to the Senate. The Senate approved the bill originally 32-18. UPDATE - Passed House on 4/15. Senate concured with amendment. Passed Senate on 4/7 32 -17.
SF 264 - A study bill for an act concerning the appointment of members to local boards, commissions, committees, and councils. Passed House on 3/18. UPDATE - Referred to Senate Local Government Committee on 4/10.
HF 815 - An Act relating to articulation agreements between public postsecondary institutions and to the dissemination of articulation information. UPDATE - Passed House 4/16. Sent to Senate and referred to Ways and Means Committee.
Bills Signed by the Governor
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. Signed by Governor Culver on 2/2.
SF 101- Establishing a shaken baby syndrome prevention program in the department of public health. Signed by Governor on 3/5.
HF 315 - A bill for an act creating an Iowa collaboration for youth development council and state of Iowa youth advisory council in the department of human rights. Signed by Governor on 4/9. |
| Legislative Forums |
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Please take the time to attend a community forum in your area. Legislators hold these forums during the legislative session so they can hear from their constituents back home. They realize that it isn't always feasible to travel to the State Capitol to visit with them, so they want you to share your thoughts and views on issues during these forums. It is a great opportunity to get to know them and hear their views on issues, also.
April 18th
Des Moines
Rep. Ford
10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Polk County Administration Building
111 Court Avenue
Rep. Kearns
9:00 - 10:00 a.m.
Farm Bureau Office
1:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Fire Station
Sen. Ragan and Rep. Steckman
10:00 a.m.
Borealis Coffee Shop
316 N. Federal Ave.
Rep. Bell
9:00 - 10:00 a.m.
Hy-Vee
1501 1st Ave East
Story City
Sen. Olive
9:00 a.m.
Public Library
Washington
Rep. Marek
10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
County Courthouse
222 West Main Street | |
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