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News from Every Child Counts
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It was a very busy week with lots of committee meetings and subcommittee meetings. Both the House and Senate debated a couple of bills and even sent one to the Governor to sign already. Last Thursday, in the Senate Ways and Means Committee, Julie Heck of Pleasantville - a single mother of three - testified about the importance of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). She also spoke at a news conference. You can view the news conference here. "In recent years the E.I.T.C. refund has helped me put a downpayment on a car so that I had reliable transportation to get to school and work," Heck said. Charles Bruner, Executive Director of the Child and Family Policy Center, also presented at the committee. He reported that 37 percent of Iowa children live in a household that gets a tax refund through the Earned Income Tax Credit. You can read a report shared by Charlie with the Committee here. Senator Bolkcom, Senate Ways and Means Chair, proposed SSB 3116, which nearly doubles the state Earned Income Tax Credit. The bill increased the credit from 7% to 13%. ECC supports this effort but we have been advocating for 20%! Senator Bolkcom has stated that no other tax reforms will be settled until the Governor agrees to sign an increase in the EITC. We hope to see many of you on February 8th at the Early Childhood Day on the Hill event.
Sincerely,
Sheila Hansen & Danielle Oswald-Thole
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February 8 & 9
Early Childhood Iowa Congress
and Day on the Hill 
Building Quality Systems from the Inside Out: Passion, Creativity & Change is the theme of this year's Congress. Join hundreds of other Iowans who care about early childhood issues for our annual two-day event. The Congress is a place where passion, creativity and change annually come together to forge a high-quality system uniquely capable to meet the needs of Iowa's children and families. You are an important partner in this system building effort as you work every day on behalf of young children and their families. Registration is open now. See the registration brochure for more details.
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Bills of Interest
 Quality Early Care and Education A study bill for an act relating to programs and activities under the purview of the department of education, the state board of education, the board of educational examiners, school districts, and accredited nonpublic schools; and providing for the retention of certain fees and for the use of certain funds. 01/11/12 Subcommittee - Quirmbach, Schoenjahn, Hamerlinck (In Education) UPDATE - The House Subcommittee met several times and offered an opportunity for public input on 2/1. We expect multiple amendments as the bill should reach full committee either this week or next.SSB 3102 - A study bill for an act relating to the continuation of the Iowa early intervention block grant program and including effective date provisions.
HF 2216 - An Act modifying Iowa's human services and education systems to ensure that children start school ready to learn and to increase Iowa's student achievement rates, making appropriations to the department of education and for deposit in funds under the control of the department. By Murphy
Child Health and Well-Being
HSB 510 - A study bill relating to child abuse reports and disposition data. Subcommittee- Fry, Garrett, Hunter, Lofgren, and Mascher (In Human Resources) UPDATE - voted out of Human Resources on 2/1. SF 2019 - A bill for an act relating to mandatory infant safe sleep training for personnel of child care facilities and child care homes and including applicability provisions. (Referred to Human Resources) Subcommittee, Hatch, Dotzler, and Johnson. HF 2010 - A bill for an act prohibiting a licensed foster parent from providing child care when a foster child is present who has been found to have committed abuse of another child. Subcommittee - Massie, Heaton, and Oldson. (In Judiciary) NEW:
HF 2130- An Act prohibiting family foster home providers from providing child care in the home.SSB 3056-An Act relating to the Iowa health information network, providing for fees, and including effective date provisions Companion Bill -HSB 361HF 2093 - An Act creating the Iowa hot lunch challenge campaign, Subcommittee - Cownie, Abdul-Samad, and Pearson.SF 2035- A bill for an act relating to child abuse by prohibiting retaliation for reporting, providing for implementation of reporting policies at postsecondary institutions, requiring planning for training requirements, and providing for the distribution of information on child sexual abuse, and providing a remedy. (result of Penn State controversy).
HF 2135 - An Act expanding the newborn safe haven Act to infants one year of age or younger. HF 2195- An Act providing for the issuance of a certificate of birth resulting in stillbirth, providing for a fee, and including effective date provisions. Subcommittee, Kaufmann, Anderson, and Wessel-Kroeschell. SF 2119 -An Act relating to the sealing and expungement of child abuse registry information . Passed HR Committee 2/2. SSB 3097- An Act relating to human papillomavirus including a public awareness program and making appropriations for the public awareness program, provision of vaccinations, and cervical cancer screening. Sub - Bolkcom, Ragan, Boettger Child and Family Economic Success
HSB 519 - A study bill relating to property taxation and local government budget. Subcommittee - Sands, Helland, Jacoby, Kaufmann, and Kearns. (In Ways and Means - Gov's Bill) HF 559 - A bill for an act authorizing the establishment of health insurance exchanges in the state and including effective date provisions. Subcommittee - Pettengill, Fry, and Oldson. NEW:
SSB 3116 - An Act relating to the amount of the earned income tax credit. Increasing credit from 7% to 13% HF 2038 - HF 2045, and HF 204- all bills related to drug testing recipients of FIP and/or unemployment benefits. A subcommittee was held on three bills at the same time. No further action to report except lots of opposition to the bills. SF 2040 - An Act to increase the state minimum hourly wage .
SF 2024 - An Act relating to workforce training programs in community colleges and making appropriations. SSB 3128 - An Act relating to the Iowa comprehensive health insurance association and to HIPIOWA-FED, and including effective date provisions. |
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"I measure success in terms of the contributions an individual makes to her fellow human beings."
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Iowa Health Information Network (IHIN)
IHIN legislation is being discussed in both the Senate and House.
HSB 561 and SSB3056
provide for the creation of a statewide Iowa health information network. IHIN will allow health care providers to access vital patient health information no matter where the patient has been seen in Iowa, making it easier for participating doctors to obtain and share your vital information. Access more information about the IHIN here...
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Insurance Exchange
As a requirement of the Affordable Care Act of 2010, each state must establish an insurance exchange as a mechanism for consumers to purchase health insurance plans. If the legislature does not pass a health benefit exchange bill this session, the federal government will implement it's own plan in Iowa. Senator Jack Hatch has introduced SF 2042, the Iowa Health Marketplace Exchange bill. Read more about Senator Hatch's bill here...
However, not everyone thinks it's a good idea for Iowa to implement an Exchange. The Des Moines Register stated in an editorial piece that it might be better for Iowan's if a federal exchange was implemented. Find out why here...
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Get timely updates from the Child and Family Policy Center:
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How is state policy affecting the families around you?
Tell us about it! Sheila Hansen
Every Child Counts
Director
Danielle Oswald-Thole
Every Child Counts Outreach Coordinator and Policy Advocate
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A donation to
Every Child Counts helps us do what's good for Iowa kids
and families.
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Early Warning!
Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters
Article from the Annie E. Casey Foundation
Children need high-quality learning opportunities, starting at birth and continuing into their school age years. This is important if they are to sustain learning gains and reach reading proficiency by the end of third grade. Kids who don't read by the end of third grade have higher rates of school dropout and therefore lower individual monetary earnings. Read article here!
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Legislative Forums
Many of you can't make it to the State Capitol in Des Moines - that doesn't mean you can't have some face to face time with your state legislator.
Legislators host forums in their districts throughout the session. They get a chance to update constituents on the issues and listen to concerns from constituents .
House Republican Forums (it appears the House Republican forum schedule has not been updated in sometime - you have to click on member name and then click on forums)
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