Every Child Counts Newsletter
Children at a Crossroads
March 9, 2010
Greetings!
 
The end of week 8 marked the end of the second funnel.  Some bills did see significant action like the Health Reform bill - SF 2356 which passed last Monday by a vote of 45 - 5.
 

The Senate did pass a significant amendment to SF 2356. Language was stripped by an amendment offered by Sen. Reilly that would have established an IowaCare Plus program to cover Iowans between 19-64 years of age with income between 200 to 300 percent federal poverty and replaced with language requiring yet another legislative interim committee to be established to study and make recommendations for such coverage. Really?  Do we need another study on health reform?  I think we know what we need to do we just need the courage to do it.


All Republicans voted for the amendment (offered by  Senator Reilly - D) along with these Democrats:  Black, Dandekar, Hancock, Horn, Kibbie, Reilly, Sodders, Warnstadt and Wilhelm. 

 

The bill still retains provisions to expand the IowaCare provider network to allow participants to receive care from entities other than Broadlawns Medical Center and the University of Iowa Hospitals.  Federally qualified community health centers and centers with look-alike status are eligible to be included in the network. 


 Also in week 8, most of us waited anxiously for the Appropriations bills and waited and waited.  Finally, today we have an Education appropriations bill and a Health and Human Services Appropriations bill.  However, only the Ed bill - SSB 3248 - is online as of tonight.  I have seen the HHS bill and will send it out as soon as it is available online. 

SSB 3248 funds many early childhood programs:

Empowerment:
School Ready Grants - $5,728,907
Preschool Tuition - $7,583,912
Family Support -$13,153,653
Professional Development - $825,030

Birth to Three (Early ACCESS) - $1,721,400

Four Year Old Preschool new grants $12,242,230

Shared Visions funding will appear in the Standings bill.

Some highlights in the HHS bill:
HOPES - $738,203
Audiological Services - $171,295
Empowerment - $6,350,000

The HHS bill also raises the income limit on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and eliminates the asset test.  This is something we have been advocating for this session! 

Also, child care assistance receives a very minor cut and uses the 15 million in ARRA funding to maintain services.  This means the state will have to come up with that extra 15 million next year!

The budget bills are expected to move fairly quickly.  Remember, the last day of session is technically March 31st so there is a lot of work to be done in a short amount of time.  Stay tuned for updates and action alerts!!!

Also, the Child and Family Policy Center's Executive Director (my boss), Charles Bruner, had a great guest column in this Sunday's DM Register about the budget, our state and priorities - check it out here.

One last item - check out the Coalition for a Better Iowa's blog. They held a press conference on Monday about the state budget.


Best ~
 
Sheila
BILLS 
 
bill in lineQuality Early Care and Education
 
HF 2056 - An Act relating to the requirements for national criminal history record checks for child care providers.UPDATE - Passed House on 2/16.  Passed Senate Committee on 2/23.  Eligible for debate in Senate.

NEW: 

SSB 3248 - Education Appropriations bill

 
Child Well-Being and Development 
 
HSB 223 - (a bill from last year) A study bill for requiring certain health insurance contracts, policies, or plans to provide coverage for audiological services and hearing aids for children. UPDATE - passed Human Resourced Committee on 2/8.  Eligible for debate in House.  Please contact Speaker Murphy and Representative McCarthy and ask them to put this bill on the House Calendar for debate!
 
SF 2364 -(formerly SF 2082) - An Act relating to the income tax checkoff for the child abuse prevention program fund and including retroactive applicability provisions.  


SF 2356 (formerly SF 2092) - An Act relating to health reform in Iowa by creating an Iowa Care plus program and an Iowa Choice Exchange.  UPDATE - see above article
 
Family Economic Success
 
 
HF 2127 - An Act modifying provisions relating to the regulation of delayed deposit services businesses, making penalties applicable, and including effective date provisions.  Commerce:  Wenthe, Helland, Kressig, Reasoner, and Sands.  UPDATE - DEAD unless revived in another bill somewhere
 
SF 2235 - (formerly SF 2125) - An Act requiring provision of deliverable fuels to customers under specified circumstances, and including effective date provisions.  UPDATE - passed Senate.  Eligible for debate in the House.  NEED CALLS TO HOUSE MEMBERS!

 
 
 
Other Important Bills:
 
SF 2088 - (formerly SSB 3030) - A study bill for an act concerning state government reorganization and efficiency, making appropriations, establishing fees, establishing criminal penalties, and providing effective and applicability provisions. UPDATE - Governor will sign on 3/11 at 11:30 at Capitol
 
 
SSB 3179 - An Act limiting the amount of research activities tax credit that is refundable and including retroactive applicability
provisions.
 
SF 2151 - (formerly SSB 3171) - An Act relating to public funding and regulatory matters by making and revising appropriations made for purposes of health and human services and providing effective date.  UPDATE:  Signed by Governor on 3/3.
 
SF 2118 - An Act repealing the film, television, and video project promotion program and including effective date and retroactive and other applicability provisions.  Referred to Economic Growth.
 
 
SF 2270 -  An Act relating to workplace accommodations for employees who express breast milk.  UPDATE - Passed Senate.  Referred to House State Government Committee
 



 
In This Issue
Bills
Legislative Term and Quote of the Week
What's At Stake in Tax Credit Reform
Federal Update
Join Our Mailing List
SHansen
Legislative Term of the Week:

At Ease - Describes the condition of the Senate or House when it temporarily stops its floor debate for some other specific activity.
 
Quote of the Week:
 
A genuine leader is not a searcher of consensus but a molder of consensus.  Martin Luther King Jr.

What's at Stake in Tax-Credit Reform

Tax credits targeted for business - particularly large corporations - are costly. Governor Culver has backed reforms, but almost two months into the legislative session, it is unclear how many will be adopted. What's at stake for Iowa's budget - not just this year, but beyond?

Download the background piece on tax credit reform here.

tax loopholes
Federal Update
US Capitol




Education Hearings Begin: Last week, Education Secretary Arne Duncan testified before the House Education and Labor Committee about the Obama Administration's education agenda, the budget proposal for FY2011, and plans for the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (known as No Child Left Behind during its last reauthorization). During his remarks, Secretary Duncan highlighted the Administration's "cradle-to-career" strategy for improving education, including the proposed Early Learning Challenge Fund, the Promise Neighborhoods initiative, and tax credits and student loan provisions to expand access to higher education opportunities. On March 9th, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee will have a hearing on ESEA reauthorization as well.