April 26, 2011
In this Week's Issue of the Capitol Child Advocate:
MISSOURI - The Week in Jefferson City - Child Care Assistance - Foster Parent Recruitment & Retention Fund - Farm to Table - Mega Tax KANSAS - Kansas Update  FEDERAL - New Bill Introduced to Call Attention to Federal Investment in Children - Ryan Budget Threatens Tax Relief for Low-Income Families	CONFERENCES & TRAININGS - Poverty: Impact on Children & Families - Early Childhood Workshop - Stewards of Children Training - Effective Therapy Workshop EVENTS - Freedom Schools Kickoff with Marian Wright Edelman - Health Care Reform Law Town Hall Meetings RESOURCES - Issues in MO Health Care 2011 ARTICLES - Catching Up with a Killer: KS Has One of the Highest Infant Mortality Rates in the U.S.
The Week in Jefferson City: A Bird's Eye View from the Capitol
It's THAT time of year again… 4 weeks to go and the stress levels are running high around the Capitol.  The state budget for next year has passed both chambers and now the differences will be ironed out in a conference committee the next couple of weeks. Bills are starting to die in committees as the chairs announce they will no longer be holding hearings. Amendments are flying all over the place as people try to amend their priorities onto bills that are moving through the process.  It means long days, long nights and negotiations with deadlines approaching as the last day of the session nears.  Read on to see how PFC’s priorities are doing this session.
Child Care Assistance
The Senate finished up their work on the state’s budget last week.  Included in their recommendations was a change to the Child Care Assistance Program in the Department of Social Services.  In effect, their recommendations cut $1 million from the child care budget, reduce benefits for 6,000 kids, yet they also increase the transitional assistance eligibility by 11% to 150% of the Federal Poverty Line.  The increase in eligibility would potentially impact 600 families. Partnership for Children believes that, while their heart is in the right place, the Senate has yet to understand the unintended consequences of the $1 million cut and the negative impact it would have on 6,000 children. According to the Department of Social Services, cutting $1 million from the child care program would put $38 million in federal child care funding Missouri received recently at risk.  If passed, the state would be required to pay back the entire $38 million - $28 million of which has already been spent. Bottom line is that this proposal puts 6,000 families deeper in the hole and puts millions of dollars in federal and state funding on the line (the $28 million Missouri has spent will have to be paid back out of General Revenue).  We will be working with members of the House Conference committee as well as members from the Senate to ensure that child care assistance is protected for Missouri’s working families. Check out PFC’s latest brochure on the Senate’s proposal by clicking HERE.
Foster Parent Recruitment and Retention Fund
HB 431 is the Foster Parent Recruitment and Retention Fund bill we have reported on before. After relative ease in the House (passed unanimously), the bill ran into some problems in the Senate.  Advocates, legislators, and the Department of Social Services eventually came together to reach an agreement on language regarding privatization of certain Foster Care and Adoption resources.  The language in question was part of Section 6 in the first section of the bill.  In effect, it would have privatized several components of foster and adoptive parent resource development.  Because of the questions people had all across the state, we worked with many other advocates to come up with new language that would simply create a task force to look at the pros and cons of privatization.  With this new language, the Department of Social Services, advocates and legislators have come to agreement with the hopes that the bill can continue forward. At the last minute, it was scheduled for a hearing tonight in the Senate Committee on Health, Mental Health, Seniors and Families chaired by Senator Luann Ridgeway.  Members of this committee are:  Luann Ridgeway, 17th, Chair Rob Schaaf, 34th, Vice-Chairman Jane Cunningham, 7th John Lamping, 24th Eric Schmitt, 15th Maria Chappelle-Nadal, 14th S. Kiki Curls, 9th If one of these members is your senator, please call and ask them to support HB 431 for Missouri’s Foster Kids. Also, HB 771 previously sponsored by Representative Kiki Curls (now Senator Curls) will be heard on Wednesday of this week in the House Committee on Children and Families.  Without a sponsor and with it being so late in the year, this bill has a small chance of passing. This hearing is still very important for us to be able to share with another group of legislators about the needs of foster/adoptive children and their families. HB 431 Foster/Adoptive Parent Recruitment and Retention Fund Senate – Health, Mental Health, Seniors and Families Tuesday – Upon Evening Senate Adjournment Location TBA – stay tuned to www.senate.mo.gov for hearing updates HB 771 Foster/Adoptive Parent Recruitment and Retention Fund House – Children and Families Wednesday – 8 a.m. House Hearing Room 1
Farm to Table
SB 162 and HB 344, sponsored by Senator Munzlinger (R-Williamstown) and Representative Casey Guernsey (R-Bethany) respectively, still look like they have a great chance of passing with one bump in the road for the Senate Bill. Right now, the House Bill has been voted out of committee and is awaiting a vote on the floor of the Senate. The Senate Bill was sent back to its committee in the House – no word on why that was.  Many thanks to our friends at the American Heart Association, the Missouri Council on Activity and Nutrition, and others for leading the way on these bills.
Mega Tax
Last week, SJR 1 sponsored by Luann Ridgeway (R-Clay Co.) received a hearing in the Senate Ways and Means Committee.  Proponents of the expanded sales tax presented a new bill substitute that would exempt a number of items from the new tax including health care and education expenses.  At the same time, the bill caps the new tax rate at 7%. While on the surface this sounds like a good thing, in order for the measure to be revenue neutral (necessary to avoid additional, drastic budget cuts for years to come), the rate would have to increase to more than 11% for state sales tax alone.  Capping the rate while exempting large industries in Missouri will guarantee budget shortfalls in the future resulting in enormous budget cuts to things like health care and education.
Kansas Update
The Kansas Legislature is currently on break and will reconvene next week.  We will continue to provide links to the Kansas Action for Children's e-newsletter once the House and Senate are back in session.
Federal Update
New Bill Introduced to Call Attention to Federal Investments in Children The Children's Budget Act aims to make children a priority in the federal budget by requiring that the President's annual budget request includes a separate analysis of all spending on children's programs. This accounting would collect the diverse sources of funding for children's programs, in a unified place, communicating a clear picture of the federal funding benefiting America's young people.  Click HERE to read more.
Ryan Budget Threatens Tax Relief for Low-Income Families Today, a new analysis reveals that the House Budget Resolution, introduced last week by Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI), poses serious threats to several tax credits established to provide significant tax relief and additional cash support for low-income working families.  Click HERE to continue reading.
Conferences & Trainings
Poverty: Impact on Children and Families   Children's Mercy Ambulatory Nursing & Staff present a training on the impact of poverty on children and families on Saturday, May 7th from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. in the Children's Mercy auditorium in Kansas City. Early Childhood Workshop: Promoting Educational & Economic Success Through Early Learning   Make plans to attend the Early Childhood Workshop to learn how quality early childhood programs enhance K-12 education, communities and economic development. The workshop will take place on May 9th from 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. in Jefferson City. Stewards of Children: Adults Resolving Child Sexual Abuse in the Community   Stewards of Children is an interactive prevention program developed by Darkness to Light, a national child sexual abuse prevention organization; this free training will take place April 27th from 9am - 12noon at the Ronald McDonald House in Kansas City.  To register, call 816-778-8000.  In Pursuit of Strengths and Possibilities:  What Have We Learned about Effective Therapy and How We Can Get Better The St. Louis Crisis Nursery and Maryville University’s School of Health Professions are offering a workshop on advances in and the effectiveness of therapy and mental health services on May 13th in the Maryville University Auditorium from 8:30 a.m.—12 p.m.
Events
Shattering Slavish Statistics: Helping Urban Children Overcome the Odds   The Freedom School Initiative will hold its summer kickoff on May 24th at the Gem Theater in Kansas City as they enter their 16th year of helping children and their families overcome their circumstances by providing safe, nurturing places to learn, to serve, and grow.  Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund, will be the keynote speaker.  Health Care Reform Law Town Hall Meetings in St. Joseph and Kirksville             The Missouri Foundation for Health, through the Cover Missouri project, is offering a series of Town Hall Meetings to engage communities in further conversation about the health care reform law. The first two are set for April 26 in St. Joseph and April 28 in Kirksville.  Additional meetings will be held in Joplin, Rolla, and Cape Girardeau, which will likely occur in May.  Registration is required at rsvp@cushmanamberg.com or 314-725-6400.
Resources
Issues in Missouri Health Care 2011 The Missouri Foundation for Health (MFH) and Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City (HCF) have made this updated resource available to the community.  MFH first published Issues in Missouri Health Care in 2009 to help policymakers, health care professionals, and community-based organizations better understand important aspects of the state’s health system.  As the state undertakes the implementation of health reform and faces a challenging state budget, a clear understanding of the current Missouri health care landscape is critical as we move forward in addressing these issues.  The Foundations hope the 2011 edition of Issues in Missouri Health Care will contribute to building a stronger understanding of Missouri’s health system and inform decisions about improving access to quality, affordable health care in our state.
Articles
Catching Up with a Killer:  Kansas Has One of the Highest Infant Mortality Rates in the U.S. The odds of a baby dying before its first birthday are higher in Kansas than in most places in the U.S. But health experts aren’t sure why that is. And efforts to reverse the trend are moving slowly. The statistics have been alarming for at least the past six years, with Kansas currently ranked 40th worst overall among the U.S. states for infant deaths. The Kansas death rate for black infants is the worst in the nation, according to the National Center for Vital Statistics.  To continue reading, click HERE.
Tell Your Friends!
Forward PFC’s newsletter to your friends! Please forward our newsletter to your friends and colleagues.  As more people are informed, we will have more voices speaking up on behalf of children.  Thanks! Don’t forget, you can follow PFC on Twitter (@PFCinKC) for up to the minute updates from the Capitol. Sincerely, The Partnership for Children Team For questions about our legislative activities in Jefferson City, please contact our Director of Public Policy, Jeremy LaFaver, at lafaver@pfc.org or 816-531-9200, x 225.

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