Every Child Counts Newsletter
Legislative Update
April 24, 2009 |
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Legislative Term of the Week:
Insist - A motion made by a Chamber to indicate that it prefers the bill as amended to those adopted in the other Chamber. When a Chamber insists, the bill being considered is sent to conference committee unless the other Chamber recedes from its own amendments.
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Quote of the Week:
"Consciously or unconsciously we all strive to make the kind of a world we like."
Oliver Wendell Holmes
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| Greetings! |
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The Legislature is STILL in session. It will be a late night tonight. They hope to wrap up some time this weekend. I hope they wrap up sometime this weekend!
Things came to a standstill earlier this week as the Govenor and leadership in both Houses had a little difficulty coming to agreement on some issues to end session. It seems all is well now and they are moving along.
SF 470 (ed. approps) had to go to Conference Committee yesterday. The House refused to concur with the Senate amendment and the Senate insisted. Thanks to all of you who contacted your Legislator regarding SF 470. They heard you! The House amendment adding $1 million to the school ready grants account of Empowerment and $916,000 for early childhood professional development survived in Conference Committee. Conference Committee members: House - Winckler, Ficken, Kressig, Dolecheck, and Sweeney. Senate - Schoenjahn, Boettger, Heckroth, Quirmbach, and Zaun.
That is all for now! I will do my best after session to get an update and legislative wrap up out to you as soon as I can.
Enjoy the Update ~
Sheila |
| The Federal Update |
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Congressional Quarterly reports that Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania has introduced a bill (S. 839) that would provide grants for states to provide at least one year of voluntary high-quality pre-K to low-income children. Among its provisions, the Prepare All Kids Act calls for programs to use research-based curricula, have children-to-teacher ratios no greater than ten to one and require teachers to have bachelor's degrees within six years. Casey proposes housing the program in the U.S. Department of Education. The bill is similar to one by the same name that he introduced in 2007. He did not provide an estimate of the program's cost. |
| Child Care State Plan |
 Every year, the Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) receives federal child care dollars, known as the Child Care Development Fund or CCDF. These funds support the Child Care Assistance (subsidy) program and programs that provide support to child care providers (such as Child Care Resource and Referral, T.E.A.C.H., home and nurse consultation, training and support for infant and toddler care, grants and training to afterschool providers, etc). DHS is required every two years to submit a plan (referred to as the "State Plan") to the federal government describing how those funds are used. The State Plan addresses the activities anticipated to occur between October 1, 2009 through September 30th, 2011.
A public hearing on the plan will occur at the State Child Care Advisory Council (SCCAC) meeting scheduled for Thursday, May 14th. The meeting will take place at Union Park Methodist Church located at 2305 E. 12 Street in Des Moines. From 12:00 - 3:00, as part of the agenda you may provide comments either orally or in written form. Comments submitted orally on that day must also be submitted in written form. Recognizing that many child care providers are unable to attend the public hearing, written comments can also be submitted. Comments will be accepted by email or US postal mail until 4:30 p.m. on Monday, May 18th. While you will not receive a direct response to your comments, please be assured that your comments will be considered in making any final changes to the State Plan.
Comments can be provided in one of two ways:
US. Mail: Deb Palmer
Iowa Dept. of Human Services
Division of CFS - Child Care Unit
1305 E. Walnut
Des Moines, IA 50319-0114
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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. Passed Senate 49- 0 with amendment. Placed on House calendar under unfinished business on 4/9. UPDATE - House concurred with Senate amendment. Passed House 89-0 on 4/21. Off to see the Governor.
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. UPDATE - possibly in SF 478
HF 739 - 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. UPDATE - Conference committee report.
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- Conference Committee report approved by both Houses. Conference members included: House- R. Olson, Smith, Ford, Soderberg, and Kaufmann. Senate - Hatch, Gronstal, Hartsuch, Johnson, and Kibbie.
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 both Houses. Off to see the Governor.
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 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 both Chambers
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. STATUS - 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 both Chambers.
NEW:
An Act relating to state and local finances by providing for funding of property tax credits and reimbursements, by making, increasing, and reducing appropriations, providing for salaries and compensation of state employees, providing for matters relating to tax credits, providing for fees and penalties, and providing for properly related matters.
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.
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. Signed by Governor on 4/17. |
| 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.
Legislative forums are postponed since Legislators in in session on Saturday. | |
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