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Greetings!
As usual, it has been a busy couple of weeks at the Capitol. Sorry for the delay in getting an update out to you!
A group had a lobby day at the Capitol yesterday and fed the legislators Chinese food. They also provided fortune cookies. Here are some of the fortunes legislators found in their cookies:
When the chairman of the committee opens the hearing on your bill by saying 'This won't take long' it ain't good.
Your decisions will affect the safety, education, health and welfare of all people in your state - don't blow it.
Not everyone who votes with you is a friend, not everyone who votes against you is an enemy and lobbyists are usually both.
Now on to more serious business!!!
Preschool Update
HF 535 passed the House on 3/8 55-45. All Democrats and five Republicans voted against the bill that eliminates the current Four Year Old Preschool program and replaces it with a voucher program. Democrats offered two amendments and both were voted down. The bill now moves to the Senate where Majority Leader Gronstal has stated he has NO intention of bringing it up. We know the Governor campaigned on this issue - we don't know how hard he will push it. Perhaps we won't know any outcome until the end of session which is scheduled for April 28th. (There is a very helpful fiscal note available and you can check out how your legislator voted). Please take time to thank your legislator for their no vote. Also, remember to thank Sen. Gronstal for standing firm on this issue.
Appropriations Update
Each Chamber has introduced their own budget bills (except I haven't seen anything on HHS from the Senate nor an actual bill on Education - only a spreadsheet).
I put together the table below to help you see the differences between the Governor, House and Senate in Education appropriations.
HF 645 - Education appropriations
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Program
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FY 2011
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Governor Proposed FY 2012
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House Proposed 2012
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Senate Proposed 2012
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Voluntary Preschool
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$64.5
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0
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0
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$69.9 - In school funding formula
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Shared Visions Preschool (for 3-5 year olds)
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$7.0
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$4.2
(4 yr. old funding el.)
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House will not say if they are funding
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Plans to fund with a 3.1% decrease
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Early Childhood Iowa:
Preschool
Family Support
General
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$7,583,912
$13,153,653
$5,729,907
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$3,128,877
$12,364,434
$5,386,113
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$3,128,877
$12,364,434
$5,386,113
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$7,346,595
$12,742,046
$5,550,606
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New Voucher Program
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$43.3
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$33.6
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0
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The Health and Human Services budget bill is HF 649 - This bill was just assigned to the House full Appropriations Committee on the 16th. Some highlights include:
- Overall loss of 145 FTE's for DHS
- Decreases by $2 million the amount of funds DHS can use for child care quality purposes
- An increase of $19.6 million in child care assistance (this helps maintain current caseload)
- A decrease of 1 FTE position for Child Care Assistance
- Extends the carryforward period for decategorization funds from one year to two years
- Eliminates outreach for medicaid and hawk-i
- Provides $6.35 million for early childhood grants for ECI
- Provides $936,974 for QRS
Please continue to advocate for Iowa's youngest children - they need you! I hope you all have a great St. Patrick's Day and a wonderful weekend! Stay in touch ~ Sheila |
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Federal Update
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Federal Budget With the current continuing resolution (CR) set to expire this Friday, March 18, Congress is expected to pass another short-term CR (to expire April 8) that makes some cuts to current spending (mostly by cutting earmarks and programs the President proposed cutting in his FY 2012 budget). Senator Harkin will be in Des Moines next week to give an address laying out a balanced approach to addressing the federal budget deficit, hosted by the Science Center of Iowa and the Greater DM Partnership. As an advocacy group, community leader or concerned taxpayer you are invited to attend this event at 8:00 AM on Wed., March 23rd at the Science Center of Iowa, 401 W MLK. Parkway, DM |
Bills of Interest
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SF 481 (SSB 1077) - Reorganizing the state mental health system in Human Services Committee. UPDATE- referred to approps
SF 404 - (was SSB 1060) -An act relating to health information technology. UPDATE - Passed Senate March 15th.
SF 295 (formerly SF 56) - An Act relating to donation of newborn umbilical cord blood. Subcommittee, Bolkcom, Boettger, and Jochum. UPDATE- Passed Senate on March 14th.
SF 31 - An Act increasing the amount of the earned income tax credit and including retroactive applicability provisions. Passed out of subcommittee on 2/10.
SF 209 - increases the state earned income tax credit, creates a new tax relief fund, coupling and bonus depreciation language. UPDATE - Conference Committee - Bolkcom, Raecker (Chairs) - Olson, Jacoby, Hellend, Wagner, Kettering, Zaun. They have been meeting for over week - both sides laying out positions.
HF 562 - an act relating to the child abuse registry. Companion bill. UPDATE - Passed House on 3/15. Attached to SF 491.
SF 113 - pay day loan institutions - reducing interest rate to 36%. Passed Subcommittee 2/24. On to full Committee
NEW: SF 482 - makes proposed technical changes. Includes provisions on child care resource and referral agencies. Update - passed Senate on 3/16. House subcommittee of Schulte, Pearson and Petersen. SSB 1185 - An Act relating to state and local financial matters by revising certain appropriations and appropriating federal funds made available from federal block grants and other non state sources, allocating portions of federal block grants.  Bills Signed By Governor:
HF 45 - An Act relating to public funding and regulatory matters and making, reducing, and transferring appropriations and revising fund amounts and including effective, retroactive, and other applicability date provision. 3/1/11. |
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Quote of the Week:
"Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat."
Mother Teresa
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Affordable Care Act Update
This update is from Carrie Fitzgerald, Sr. Health Policy Associate, Child and Family Policy Center
The creation of state
health insurance exchanges
is a key part of the Affordable Care Act. Since last fall Iowa has had an exchange planning grant and recently sent in a letter of intent about the
implementation grant
for a state exchange. In order to create a state exchange, many state legislatures are taking up exchange legislation and the same is true in Iowa.
Right now we have a couple of different exchange bills moving through the legislature and all of them made it through last week's funnel deadline. CFPC is registered on all of the bills and we have spoken at each subcommittee that was held for the bills. You may have seen the Des Moines Register article on these bills. In the article that Tony Leys quoted Timothy Jost, a health law professor from Virginia and a member of the study panel for this document: Designing an Exchange: A Toolkit for State Policymakers
In the Senate, there are two bills: SF 348, known as Senator Hatch's bill, (passed out of the Senate State Government Committee) and SF 391, known as Senator Rielly's bill, (passed out of the Senate Commerce Committee CFPC is registered for SF 348 and registered against SF 391.
In the House, the House Commerce Committee passed out HF 559 last week. This bill is identical to SF 391, thus CFPC is registered against ias well.
Last week I sent several legislators some of my concerns with HF 559 and SF 391. Some of the biggest concerns in the bills are: - the idea that Iowa would ask for a five-year waiver to sell plans that do NOT meet the federal minimum benefits
- the idea that everyone would be required to use a broker to access insurance through the exchange - even when someone feels completely competent to manage the Internet portal themselves and make their decision on their own
- that navigators have to be brokers or have to work with brokers. The ACA provides a long and broad list of groups and entities who could be navigators and brokers are just one group on that list.
A little more on the role of navigators can be found here in this document from the Consumer Representative group within the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).
It is my understanding that the Senate is working on an exchange bill that will combine the two versions they currently have in front of them and we will see a new bill soon. In the meantime, feel free to contact your legislator to comment on the bills. If you have additional questions, comments, concerns please feel free to contact me at carrief@cfpciowa.org. |
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