Promise 1 – Children’s Health

Legislative Connection 2012
February 13th

I was walking past Tallahassee City Hall on the way to the state capitol this week when my path converged with a large group of nicely tailored men and women.  All were wearing white construction helmets with nary a scratch or dirt mark.  They looked happy and expectant.   I smiled and said, “Better add some body armor to your outfits before going in there,” as I pointed across the street to the capitol building rising up twenty two stories and a sky changing from sunshine to gray clouds.  They laughed.  They didn’t know I was being serious.

Inside, past the security screening checkpoint and throughout the many nooks and crannies of the marble hallways and waiting areas, it’s all nods, sighs, groans and a few smiles.  Not from different people; from the same lobbyists and citizen advocates.  Success in one committee is tempered by a setback or rejection in another. Optimism due to a vote taken in one chamber can plummet within minutes to pessimism from action in the other.

Every day is a series of highs and lows, especially for a multi-issue watchdog and advocacy group like The Children’s Campaign.  The issues we care most about range from birthing a healthy baby to trying to save children from laws allowing them to be direct filed into the adult system if having committed a crime.  We see, hear and feel it all:  the passion and the uncaring attitudes, the enlightened and the badly informed.

As legislative session glides past the halfway mark, the following is a list of highs and lows since our last report:

HIGHS

1. The Senate Health & Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee received an increased allocation of more than $200-million with a beneficial impact on children’s programs and services as outlined by its chair Joe Negron.  Last year’s cuts (5.4 million) were restored to Florida’s Healthy Start Coalitions; non-recurring funds were moved to recurring (2-million) for Healthy Families; Early Steps received additional support (nearly 7-million); more slots for Kidcare (11,000+) and infant and mental heath services were essentially protected.  Children’s substance abuse programs were restored (nearly 7-million). Also, no cuts to community based care agencies (even though their carry-forward balances from one year to the next would be capped).

2. In the Senate Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations Subcommittee, the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) budget increased 7.2 million (from 528-million to 536 million).  Included is an expansion of Redirections (up to 10-million), a bump up for prevention (8.8-million), gang prevention for Boys & Girls Clubs (2-million), a reduction of 500 residential beds, and a network of respite beds as an alternative to detention for youth (mostly girls) caught up in domestic violence disputes (1.2 million) which is also included in the House budget.

3. The law to restrict (in most cases) the shackling of justice involved pregnant women during childbirth has cleared the Senate and passed every substantive committee thus far in the House.

4. The plan by Department of Children & Families (DCF) Secretary Wilkins to re-align protective services in order to reduce its turnover rate continues to gain traction and money (nearly 10-million).

5. Guardian ad Litem was level funded in both chambers and GAL Day at the Capitol was a success with inspirational stories from youth and their guardians.

6. A well intended bill to improve educational services in juvenile justice settings – but one with many complex issues to be ironed out – is stalled in the House.

7. No cuts to Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten or school readiness funds.

LOWS

8. In House action, the DJJ budget was whacked another 5% (from 528 million to 506 million) and front end programs like PACE Center for Girls and CINS/FINS have been cut by 10%.  Other reductions included Redirections (10%).

9. Divisions in the early learning community threaten gains made.  Disagreements that have gone unresolved at the community level will be decided by legislative action with winners and losers.

10. The House budget will lower the age – from 23 to 21 – of young adults who have aged out of foster care.  Dana Young, a representative from Tampa, said “if we extend benefits to 25, 30, they’ll be dependent on us until the benefits are cut off.  They can join the military, they can get a job.”

11. Remarkable child advocate Senator Mike Fasano was removed as chair of his appropriations committee for bucking leadership over prison privatization.

12. Senator Stephen Wise’s efforts to further derail the schoolhouse to jailhouse track through better zero tolerance legislation is receiving intense opposition from state attorneys and the sheriffs.

13. Documented cases of pepper spray being used as punishment on children detained in county jails.  This is a result of the passage of SB 2112 in 2011 and weak standards passed subsequently by the Florida Sheriff’s Association FMJS Committee.

14. Large cuts are proposed in the Senate for adult mental health and substance abuse programs, as deep as 25%, with predictable negative impacts on children in those families where treatment is denied or inaccessible.

MORE ON BANNER DEVELOPMENTS

1. Mickey Mouse has defeated Las Vegas.  Casino resort gambling is dead unless a miracle revival takes place.

2. Congressional redistricting maps were approved and the Democratic Party immediately filed a lawsuit to challenge their construction.  Several incumbent Republican congressional members would have to square off against each other to keep their job in Washington D.C.  State senate and house maps are on their way to the Florida Supreme Court for review.

3. Prison privatization in the Senate is stymied in a 50-50 split.  The punitive action by the Senate President against Senator Fasano appears to have emboldened the opposition to dig in their heels.

4. The House approved its budget and the Senate is expected to finish its process in about two weeks.

MORE ON EARLY LEARNING
In conversations with House and Senate staffers to key legislative leaders, The Children’s Campaign has learned that about 500 advocates and providers have weighed into the fight over changes to the functioning and number of the early learning coalitions, eligibility, priorities, and oversight by the state Office of Early Learning.  Sources inform the Children’s Campaign that of the 500 petitioners (and most have contacted every member of the responsible oversight committee), about 100 involved phone calls and 400 were emails.  To date, more have spoken in opposition to the proposed laws but the gap isn’t great in number.  Generally, but not true in all cases, providers tend to be in favor of the changes.  Supporters of the ELCs and long-time child care advocates are opposed.

Interestingly, one group adversely affected and who is weighing in are the before and after school providers.  Again, according to the key staffers, these providers are opposed to the bills as they exist at the time of this report because school age children would be denied eligibility in large numbers – as many as 32,000 according to some reports but probably more in the range of 23,000 according to others.  The before and afterschool network has not generally taken sides in fight over the ELCs.  Many, in more private conversations with staffers, have expressed disagreements with ELC operations and decision-making.

Regardless of how this battle is decided, divisions will be even more polarized at the end of session.  Extraordinary efforts will be required to persuade providers, managers and advocates to get back on the same page.

For links to the various early learning bills see below:

HB 5103- Relating to School Readiness Programs

SB 1758- Relating to Early Learning

SB 7078- Relating to Kindergarten Through Grade 12 Education Funding

MORE ON JUVENILE JUSTICE
House Justice Appropriations Subcommittee Chair, Rich Glorioso, from Plant City has been quick to praise DJJ Secretary Wansley Walters in many public appearances.  However, his committee has whacked her budget hard, nearly 20% over the past two years if this round of House cuts becomes policy.

Interestingly, the Senate Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations Subcommittee has been more pointed in its public questioning of Walters but has bought into her vision.  Their budget reflects her priorities for a more fair and balanced allocation of resources based on best practice and research.

Walters continues to cut money from residential with part of the savings moved to front-end and community based services, reducing arrests at point of contact with the use of civil citations and limiting penetration into the system.  The move to contract for respite beds as an alternative to youth being detained (mostly girls) who got trapped in domestic violence situations is especially praise worthy.

This Legislative Connection was brought to you by Roy Miller with assistance from Amanda Ostrander with bill tracking and reporting.

Also, watch Children’s News in Three Minutes available on The Children’s Campaign website.

Roy Miller President The Children’s Campaign		Amanda Ostrander Grants & Policy Coordinator The Children’s Campaign

Bills:
Promise 1:

A bill that requires manual physical restraint on children with disabilities in public schools be used only in an emergency when there is an imminent risk of serious injury or death to the student or others and provides restrictions on the use of manual physical restraints (SB 144) was temporarily postponed by Children, Families and Elder Affairs. Companion bill HB 1467 has yet to be heard.

SB 282 sponsored by Sen. Wise (R-Jacksonville) and co-sponsored by Sen. Storms (R-Brandon) which establishes a program within the Division of Children’s Medical Services Network in the Department of Health to implement health care transition programs for adolescents and young adults who have special health care needs passed its first committee unanimously with a CS. The companion bill HB 279 has yet to be heard.

SB 1294 sponsored by Sen. R. Garcia (R-Hialeah) which was scheduled to be heard on February 9th in the Senate Health Regulation was not considered. The bill would allow any child who is an alien, regardless of his or her alien status, to be eligible for Kidcare, as long as they meet the other eligibility requirements (primarily age and income) for the program.  The bill does not have a companion bill.

See all Promise One Legislation.

Promise 2:

SB 370 by Sen. Wise and co-sponsor by Sen. Lynn (R-Daytona Beach) which creates a hierarchy for referring cases for supervised visitation or exchange monitoring for both non-dependency cases, where the courts are the primary source of referrals, and dependency cases, where referrals are made by child-placing agencies passed its second committee unanimously. Similar bill HB 557 has not been scheduled.

HB 5303 sponsored by House Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee Chair, Rep Hudson (R-Naples) has passed the House by a 78 to 39 vote. To continue toward becoming a law the Senate must pass the bill as passed by the House or agree to conference. The bill will reduce the age for Independent Living transition services from 18 – 23 to 18 – 21, remove 22 year olds from being eligible for renewal awards for Road to Independence, and require that applications for reinstatement of the program must be made before the child turns 21 (rather than 23).

SB 1808 sponsored by Sen. Storms (R- Brandon) addresses Florida’s issues with provision of psychotropic medication to children in out-of-home placements. Upon becoming law, the legislation would require that children placed in out-of-home care receive a comprehensive behavioral health assessment; a guardian ad litem represent a child in the custody of the DCF who is prescribed a psychotropic medication; and that a court authorize the administration of psychotropic medication to a child who is in shelter care or in foster care and for whom informed consent from the parents or a legal guardian has not been obtained. The bill has passed two committees and is now in the Budget committee. HB 1405 sponsored by Rep Young (R-Tampa) has not been heard.

See all Promise Two Legislation.

Promise 3:

Rep. Flores’ bill making changes to the duties of the Office of Early Learning, HB 1758 is scheduled to be heard in the Senate Education Pre-K-12 committee on February 14th at 1:30pm in 301 S. The legislation is comparable to HB 5103.

HB 7085 by K-20 Competiveness Subcommittee is scheduled to be heard on February 13th at 11:30am in 102 H. The bill is related to VPK and among other changes in accountability repeals the original “aspirational” goal of each VPK class have at least one prekindergarten instructor who holds a bachelor’s or higher degree in the field of early childhood education or child development by the 2013-14 academic year.

See all Promise Three Legislation.

Promise 4:

SB 808 by Sen. Norman (R-Tampa) and co-sponsored by Sen. Negron (R-Palm City) that encourages district school board to develop policies to promote public access to outdoor recreation and sports facilities on school property has passed its first committee unanimously with a committee substitute. Its companion bill (HB 431) has also passed one committee.

See all Promise Four Legislation.

Promise 5:

The Graham Compliance Act (SB 212), legislation that provides that a juvenile offender who was younger than 18 years of age at the time of commission of a non-homicide offense and who is sentenced to life imprisonment is eligible for resentencing if the offender has been incarcerated for a minimum period has its first committee. HB 005, similar bill, is in its final committee of reference.

HB 497 sponsored by Rep. Porth (D-Coral Springs) allows minors who have certain felony arrests to have FDLE expunge their nonjudicial arrest record upon successful completion of prearrest or postarrest diversion program. The bill is scheduled to be heard in the Justice Appropriations Subcommittee on February 14th at 8:30am in 404 H. Similar bill, SB 940 by Sen. Wise, has been referred to committees.

See all Promise Five Legislation.

THE WATCHDOG – MORE ABUSE IN JUVENILE JUSTICE?

“Two weeks ago, 6 youth in the juvenile unit were in a fight.  After the fight was over, Polk County officers came to the dorm armed with a chemical agent believed to be pepper spray.  An officer first sprayed the youths that were in the day room.  One of those kids yelled, “I can’t breathe!  I can’t breathe!  I have asthma.”  The officer then proceeded to pull his dreads back and spray the child directly in the face.  The other young man was vomiting.

“The officer then proceeded to one of the rooms, where the four other children were now on their beds.  He then sprayed each one of them directly in the face, some of them twice.  When the children tried to protect themselves by covering their faces with their hands or shirts, the officer pulled those away to spray the children directly in the face.

“As one of the children kept trying to protect himself, the officer put down the can, grabbed the child by the shirt, and shook him, causing his head to hit the cement wall.  The officer then sprayed him again.

“As though this were not egregious enough, the officer then continued to fog up the room with pepper spray, spraying continuously and generally around the room as he backed out of it.

“To make matters even worse, the children were not permitted to decontaminate at all for about an hour.  When they were finally permitted to shower, they were given only a minute or two, and were unable to get the mace off in such little time. ”

“One of the children was not permitted to shower at all.  When he complained about that, the officer threatened to spray him again.  And even though the children’s beds were coated with mace, they were not permitted new bedding until the next day.

“According to the youth, the only child evaluated by medical after this incident was the young man who vomited.”

This riveting testimony above was presented on Friday, February 3, by David Utter of the Southern Poverty Law Center at the Florida Model Jail Standards Committee meeting.  The committee operates under the auspices of the Florida Sheriffs Association.

The incident described above allegedly took place at the Polk County Jail, where children are now detained in the aftermath of Senate Bill 2112, passed and signed into law in 2011. This law allows children to be detained in jails operated by a county sheriff outside the auspices and oversight of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice.

At the same FMJS meeting, parents of youth detained at the Polk County Jail released written statements outlining other charges.  One parent said the guards encourage fights between the children.  Also, she said, families are forced to pay “outrageous” fees to speak to their children by phone. They have to buy phone cards and she spent $225 in the 35 days her child was at the jail.  Another parent leveled charges that her disabled child was left unprotected and had his food and belongings stolen.

“The concerns of these parents who have stepped forward – as quickly as they have after their children were detained – underscores that our fears and predictions about this unfortunate law change are coming to pass,” said Roy Miller, president of The Children’s Campaign.

“It’s outright child abuse,” David Utter told WFTV Channel 9 News.

In December, 2011, The United States Department of Justice through its Civil Rights Division released a report about abuse at the now closed Dozier School for Boys.  It launched its investigation after 133 complaints of abuse were made on the facility’s incident telephone hotline between January 2004 and March 2007.  The Florida Department of Children & Families already had confirmed the existence of abuse in some of the cases.

In its 28 page report, the Justice Department not only corroborated that abuse was taking place, but warned that more abuse may be going on at other youth correctional facilities within the state.

DJJ spokesperson C.J. Drake disagreed, saying those concerns do not exist elsewhere. In response, The Children’s Campaign called Drake’s comment “ludicrous”.

The recent Polk County incident also revives horrific memories of Martin Lee Anderson who died in January 2006, after his first day at the Bay County Boot Camp. He was only 14.  He died after officers shoved ammonia tablets down his throat.  That incident occurred after a number of allegations of physical and emotional abuse were leveled against the program by children and their parents.

A videotape of Martin Lee Anderson being punched and kicked by the boot camp guards was widely distributed by the media. Reports have surfaced that the pepper spraying incident at the Polk County Jail took place in the day room, which is also reported to be under video surveillance.

“History will repeat itself if action is not taken to, first, admit that abuse is occurring, and, second, to move aggressively to end it and to bring charges against the perpetrators,” said Roy Miller.

The Children’s Campaign is calling on the Department of Children & Families to fully investigate this incident.  The Children’s Campaign also calls on the Department of Juvenile Justice and the Governor’s Office to join in the investigation and to protect the children of Florida from further harm.

The Southern Poverty Law Center issued this press release.
Read the parents’ statements here.
A news video of the story can be found here.

Brought to you by:

Roy Miller

President
The Children’s Campaign

Write to Roy Miller at rmiller@iamforkids.org.

January 31st, 2012 by Mike Vasilinda

Hundreds if not thousands of brightly colored handprints are handing three stories tall at the state capitol as part of the annual Kids Week. Characters roam the courtyard outside and kids along with their parents have been turned into lobbyists, trying to convince lawmakers to do more. Children’s Campaign activist Roy Miller says Florida kids are ranked 36th nationally in overall health.

“Well, there isn’t just one thing, but we need to make sure that kids are born healthy because if they don’t start down the path of health at childbirth, it’s an uphill climb. We need to protect them from abuse. We need to make sure they can read, and are ready for school. And when they go down the wrong path, we need to put them on the right path.

The 2011 Kids Count survey says the number of children living in poverty is now twenty-one percent, up two percentage points in a decade.

Source

Will cuts to foster care cost more in the long run?

(TV – St. Petersburg CBS (WTSP))
… to live in a stranger’s home and, in some instances, children in state care will live in dozens of foster carehomes while waiting to be adopted. The experience can be traumatic, but for those young…

Florida, Georgia sign pact on troubled children

(MiamiHerald.com)
AP TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A dozen Florida and Georgia border counties have signed an agreement making it easier for children removed from parents or guardians to be placed with relatives in the other state. The Florida Department of Children and Families …

Study lauds role of early education in preparing poor students

(Tampa Bay Times)
…are their families arranged. Researchers have followed the children since then. Along the way, the child caregroup posted better scores on reading and math tests in school. The latest data from the…

Report 2,500 Georgia day care centers don’t meet safety standards

(TV – Jacksonville (WJXT))
…hool of Medicine professor, told the newspaper it is a “major, major problem.” “Programs that fail child careregulations are generally unsafe places for children to be,” said Gilliam, director of Ya…

SD First Lady Linda Daugaard talks about report on infant mortality

(The Republic)
CHET BROKAW AP PIERRE, SD — South Dakota must improve pregnant women’s access to medical care, teach parents about safe sleep practices for babies and take other steps to reduce the state’s infant mortality rate, first lady Linda Daugaard told a …

Panel advances child welfare bill

(Salt Lake Tribune)
A House committee gave a green light Wednesday to a proposed bill that would require child welfarecaseworkers to meet a higher standard of cause before removing a child from a relatives care based on…

Pro teams could be forced to return millions to Florida

(Ocala Star-Banner)
Florida State Sen. Mike Bennett has been complaining for the last six years that taxpayers shouldn’t have to help professional sports teams pay for new stadiums. The Bradenton Republican has repeatedl…

Bill would fine universities $1 million for covering up child abuse

(Florida Times-Union (blog))
A House panel unanimously passed Wednesday a bill that slams Florida universities that “institutionally protect child molesters.” The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Chris Dorwroth, R – Lake Mary, would fine a university $1 million and make them …

On food stamps? No junk food for you, Senate panel says

(Miami Herald)
Floridians could not use food stamps to buy soft drinks, candy bars or other junk food under a bill that survived contentious debate among members of a Senate panel Wednesday.The bill would expand the…

On average, children do rather well in meeting their daily vitamin and mineral needs except for one nutrient – calcium.  Its intake has become a growing concern as consumption of milk has declined in recent years.

Calcium is an essential nutrient.  Found mainly in milk and dairy products like cheese, sour cream and yogurt, it is contained also in plant foods like spinach, broccoli, almonds and canned red kidney beans.

Grocery shoppers can find orange juice, cereals, and soy milk along with many other foods fortified with calcium.  Fortified means extra amounts of the mineral have been added to the food item during production.

As children grow, their bodies use calcium to build bone mass.  As we get older still, and progress to the later years, calcium consumption is important to reduce the risk of bone fracture due to osteoporosis.  This is a condition whereby bones become fragile and can break easily. Remember, we never outgrow our need for calcium, no matter our age.

When is the Need for Calcium Greatest?

Calcium needs are highest during childhood and the teen years.  Bones are growing fast during this time and calcium must be absorbed to make them strong.  While most calcium is added to our bones by the age of 17, excess levels are stored for use later in life.  Think of it this way.  All of us will lose calcium as a natural part of aging. The more calcium “deposited” into our “bone banks” when younger, the less fragile our bones will become as we age.

Food labels inform us about the amount of calcium in a single serving of a food. Look at the “% Daily Value” (DV) next to the calcium number on the Nutrition Facts label (see food label example below).

• · Try to eat foods and drink liquids with 20% or more Daily Value (DV) for calcium (like milk). These foods are considered “good sources” of calcium.
• · Foods with less than 5% DV for calcium while helpful are not considered sources that will push you significantly toward your daily consumption goals.

For most adults aged 19 to 50 years, 100% DV means getting 1,000 mg of calcium per day.  Adults over 50 need 1200 mg. Children ages 1 to 3 need 700 mg per day and those who are 4 to 8 years old need 1000 mg.  But children ages 9-18 require extra calcium, 1,300 mg per day, an additional 300 mg compared to adults.  That means drinking an extra 8-ounce glass of milk or consuming extra servings of another calcium-rich food like cheese or yogurt.

Links for more ideas:

Harvard School of Public Health – Calcium and Milk: What’s Best for Your Bones and Health?

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/calcium-full-story/index.html

Milk Matters – National Institutes of Health

http://www.nichd.nih.gov/milk/kids/kidsteens.cfm

Calcium in the Diet

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002412.htm

Food Sources Rich in Calcium

http://www.uchospitals.edu/pdf/uch_015741.pdf

Janice Wade-Miller is a nutrition educator in Tallahassee, Florida. She has earned her bachelors and masters degrees in Food and Nutrition from Florida State University. In her role as a health educator, she has assisted all age groups, from young children to senior citizens in learning about good nutrition, health and food safety. Her email address is jmiller@iamforkids.org.

Janice Wade-Miller is the nutrition editor for Grand Magazine, an on-line publication for   grandparents and their families, and the nutrition consultant to The Children’s Campaign headquartered in Tallahassee, Florida.  If you would like to receive a free subscription to Grand, click here: http://bit.ly/GRANDGiftFloridaChildren.

CHILDREN’S WEEK begins on Monday in the capital city.  Mostly sunny and blue skies with temperatures in the low 70’s are expected to greet the many dignitaries and visitors.  Inside the capitol building, however, beyond the streamers of colorful, cut-out hands of children cascading two stories downward in the rotunda, the forecast is not as clear.

Angst and concern permeate the many meeting rooms and hallways over the complex legislative decisions on policy and budget to be made in the coming weeks.  Ever increasing demands are being made of child welfare, health, education and justice administrators and providers at a time of ever-dwindling resources.

Never have conditions appeared to be as uncertain and, in some cases, as volatile. For example, only ONE of the following TEN statements is NOT true regarding events the past week across political, economic and children’s issues:

1. The powerful Republican chairman of a House health care committee called Governor Rick Scott’s proposed health budget “draconian” and said it would “shutter hospitals”.
2. Of the 50 most stressful places to live in America – according to data cruncher Sterling’s Best Places – Florida cities occupied 3 of the top 5 spots.
3. Two Leon County Democratic Executive Committee members got into a tussle at Tallahassee City Hall and police were called.
4. No fewer than 3 bills being debated would drastically change the administration of child care and early learning services.
5. A game changing question about children’s issues was asked by the moderator at one of the two televised Republican Presidential candidate debates.
6. In the initial round of House committee chairman proposed budgets, the Department of Juvenile Justice would take another 12% cut and the Department of Children & Families would lose another 600 positions.
7. Small towns across Florida are pleading for their very survival in the face of having institutions privatized and / or closed down.
8. President Obama and Governor Rick Scott both need job recovery in Florida to boost their lowly approval ratings, joining them at the hip whether they like it or not.
9. Early Steps, which serves children ages 0 – 3 years with developmental disabilities, is in trouble again.
10. A Senate panel voted to cap the salaries of Community-based Care agency executives at no more than the state’s highest paid elected official, or $129,000+, based on State Financial Officer Jeff Atwater’s salary.

For the curious, only statement #5 is not true.  While the Republican presidential hopefuls were questioned again and again about immigration, Iran, health care, jobs and taxes, America’s real future, its children, was barely mentioned.

Debate moderators, mostly from the major television networks, didn’t budge from the all too familiar line of questioning in spite of polls showing that 90% of Republican voters say children’s issues are important.  A majority of the same voters said they have no idea where the candidates stand on children’s issues!   On the eve of the primary, voters are no closer to knowing the answers after 19 debates than when the process started last year.

STATE BUDGET

Immediately upon release of the proposed House committee budgets, and hearings in the Senate, small towns feel as if they are fighting for their very survival against better heeled and more economically diverse cities.

Little alignment appears to be in place between the governor’s campaign pledge to create 700,000 jobs and legislative decisions on where to close state prisons and state hospitals or to either privatize or curtail other services.  Couldn’t a concerted and well thought out plan for economic development and investment strategy from the Governor inform the budget cutting process?  Do we really want small town Florida to be pushed into poverty any more than it is already?  In Chattahoochee, 44 miles west of Tallahassee, job losses last year closed its only grocery store.  Plywood covers most of the store windows on the town’s main street.  This year, other towns fear the same fate.

While health care is pitted against education, parents of developmentally challenged children – 45,000 of them – have reason to worry.  Without a roughly $7-million state revenue allocation, $24-million in matching federal funds could go away, and with it, critically needed services through the Early Steps program.  Prevention for troubled girls and runaways would be cut by 10%, certain to reduce service availability or close the doors of providers in some locations.  Children aging out of foster care would see support dwindle at age 21 instead of age 23.  A legislative proposal to amend subsidized child care, according to one report, would deny existing services to 132,000 before and after school program participants, ages 6 through 12.

There are several bright spots, however.  Initial House committee proposed budgets spare any further cuts to Healthy Start, a quality maternal health network, and restore non-recurring funds to Healthy Families, a quality child abuse prevention program.  DCF is gaining traction on its plan to stem the rate of turnover in its child protection investigator positions.  DJJ is wisely budgeting up to 40 domestic violence respite beds, an alternative to detention for girls (mostly) who are penetrating the criminal justice system via that pathway.  The good work of alcohol and drug abuse service providers has policy about treatment versus punishment moving in the right direction.  And 11,000 more slots would be funded for Kidcare.

MORE ON EARLY LEARNING AND OTHER DEVELOPMENTS

Three bills have been directed at the early learning community due to several complex reasons, including long simmering divisions between some child care provider groups and their early learning coalition program managers.  The ante got upped several notches in the aftermath of a critical OPPAGA audit report and the recent failure of the federal Race to the Top early childhood grant application.  A PCB – Proposed Committee Bill – under consideration by the House Business and Consumer Affairs Subcommittee – would rewrite the School Readiness Act, with worrisome changes to educational standards and quality improvement activities.  The bill also would curtail much of the operation of the Early Learning Coalitions.  HB 5103 – sponsored by House Pre-K through 12 Committee Chairman Marti Coley – would reduce the number of Early Learning Coalitions and revise the minimum number of children to be served.  Other revisions affect eligibility criteria, administrative costs, payment rates and nondirect services.  HB 7055 by Rep. Matt Gaetz amends the operation and rule making authority of the Office of Early Learning and its relationship and supervision of the Early Learning Coalitions.

A Smart Justice “push style” survey of only Florida Republican voters shows widespread support for more progressive corrections and juvenile justice policy.  These mostly conservative voters when led down a logical rationale bought into the premise that offenders who aren’t public safety risks shouldn’t be incarcerated at the high cost to taxpayers.  It’s a big step, though, from poll to candidate promises to actual policy.

Doug Darling, job czar for Governor Scott, has resigned his position of executive director of the Department of Economic Opportunity.  He served less than eight months in the position.  The interim jobs czar will be former Department of Juvenile Justice Chief of Staff and former Agency for Workforce Innovation Director Cynthia Lorenzo.

This Legislative Connection was brought to you by Roy Miller with assistance from Amanda Ostrander with bill tracking and reporting.

Roy Miller President The Children’s Campaign		Amanda Ostrander Grants & Policy Coordinator The Children’s Campaign

Bills:
Promise 1:

SB 608 sponsored by Sen. Flores (R-Miami) which revises the membership of the board of directors of the Florida Healthy Kids Corporation to include a member nominated by the Florida Dental Association and appointed by the Governor, is in messages. The companion bill HB 519 has passed its first committee unanimously and is now in the House Health and Human Services.

SB 1826 sponsored by Sen. Gardiner (R-Orlando) has its first hearing tomorrow (1/31) in the Senate Health Regulation Committee. The bill requires that health care providers provide pregnant women with current information about conditions that are tested for in a prenatal test and the accuracy of such tests and contacts for obtaining support services. It also establishes a prenatal advocacy council within the Department of Health and requires schools to provide information about scholarships for children with developmental disabilities.  Identical HB 1371 by Rep. Boyd (R-Bradenton) has yet to be heard.

See all Promise One Legislation.

Promise 2:

Bills tied to the tragic Nubia Barahona case were recently reviewed by Carol Marbin Miller of the Miami Herald in her article, “Fixes to child-welfare system might make things worse, advocates warn”. The bills (HB 803 and SB 2044) relate to child protection, and make it easier for the Department of Children and Families to close cases, not respond to calls to the abuse hotline, and eliminate the state standard for case load. Quoted in the article, Roy Miller, president of The Children’s Campaign who spoke about the bill to DCF Secretary Wilkins stated; “It’s really unfortunate that they would use the name of that child attached to that bill. It does not address the specifics of that case.”

HB 5303 sponsored by House Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee Chair, Rep Hudson (R-Naples) has been filed and referred to the House Appropriations subcommittee. The bill will reduce the age for Independent Living transition services from 18 – 23 to 18 – 21, remove 22 year olds from being eligible for renewal awards for Road to Independence, and require that applications for reinstatement of the program must be made before the child turns 21 (rather than 23). There is not a companion bill in the Senate.

See all Promise Two Legislation.

Promise 3:

The Early Learning PCB (referenced in the above narrative) that would rewrite the School Readiness Act and curtail much of the operation of the Early Learning Coalitions is on the agenda to be heard by the House Business & Consumer Affairs Subcommittee on 1/31 at 3:30pm in room 12 H.

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Promise 4:

Legislation (HB 431) that encourages district school board to develop policies to promote public access to outdoor recreation and sports facilities on school property has passed its first committee unanimously with a committee substitute. Its companion bill (SB 808) has not been heard.

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Promise 5:

Florida Safe Harbor Act (HB 99 & – SB 202), legislation that we have written about extensively at The Children’s Campaign since 2010 when the legislation was first filed, is moving through committees. Next stop for HB 99 is the House Civil Justice Subcommittee on 1/31 at 8:00am in room 404 H.

HB 949 sponsored by Rep. Baxley (R-Ocala) passed the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee. The bill requires that a juvenile committed to a juvenile justice commitment program have a transition plan upon release, which includes an education transition plan component. The Senate companion (SB 834) has been Temporarily Postponed by the Senate Criminal Justice Committee.

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