Legislative Updates

Session 2007
April 9th – April 13th

Editor’s Note:  The hearts and minds of all Floridians are with the students, faculty, and families of Virginia Tech following the unthinkable carnage that struck that campus today.  There are moments when it seems as all hope is lost, and it is in those moments that through our collective will our country comes together.  It is up to every one of us to look for ways to prevent these horrifying moments and to ensure that through our actions the true spirit of America will have a chance to shine due to our triumphs rather than our tragedies.

Now for latest developments at the capitol concerning children’s issues:

Governor Crist took leadership roles in support of several children’s issues this past week.  He certainly is making it clear that he is dedicated to fulfilling the will of Florida’s citizens, and Florida citizens have made it clear that they care about children. Gubernatorial action included speaking at a press event in favor of degreed teachers in Florida’s pre-k classrooms, reading a far-reaching resolution in support of a new direction for the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, and offering improvements to Kidcare through proposed legislation based on input from the advocacy community.

Governor Crist was joined at the pre-k teacher event by Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, Martha Barnett, Citizen Leader for Children’s Campaign, Inc., Spencer Ingram, certified public accountant and Citizen Supporter, and Tosha Wiley, Parent of a Pre-K Student.

Bolstered by an opinion editorial coordinated by Generations United and penned by six of Florida’s former Governors, and Rhea Chiles, the wife of the late Lawton Chiles, along with a report on pre-k teacher capacity authored by Florida TaxWatch, the press event included passionate remarks from state leaders, a show of support from executive branch officials, legislators and a range of stakeholders spanning education, business and law enforcement, and widespread television, radio and print media coverage.

While legislation supporting degreed teachers for pre-k classes has yet to move through the key committees, Governor Crist publicly showed interest in working with important members of the legislature to introduce the issue this Session.

The creation of a Juvenile Justice Blueprint Commission was announced at a press event commemorating “Juvenile Justice Week”, featuring Governor Crist and Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) Secretary Walter McNeil.  Other speakers included DCF Secretary Bob Butterworth, Representative Mitch Needleman (R-Brevard County), and a youth whose life was turned around by an effective juvenile justice program.

The Blueprint Commission will consist of a volunteer group of private and public stakeholders, citizen leaders, policy experts and advocates. The group will assist DJJ with a comprehensive strategic plan to improve the lives of at-risk youth while ensuring public safety.  Efforts to define the scope and composition of the Commission are underway and further announcements are expected in the coming weeks.

This development comes on the heels of the release of the draft of a new mission, vision and core values statement by DJJ and a pledge for a new direction by Secretary McNeil, who himself passed his first confirmation hurdle with flying colors. Standing before the Senate Committee on Criminal Justice with many law enforcement officers in the audience to show their support, McNeil, who is the former Tallahassee Police Chief, pledged to emphasize community-based prevention programs but to always be mindful of the partnership with law enforcement. He also said he would improve the agency’s administrative procedures and keep the legislature informed of issues of concern to them.  The committee voted unanimously in support of his confirmation.  The next stop on Secretary McNeil’s path to confirmation is the Ethics and Elections Committee before moving onto the full Senate.

DJJ is working to address issues of balances and fairness in the system, including gender specific services to girls.  One Florida program that has received national attention for its unique intervention work, the Girls Advocacy Project (GAP), Inc., is in danger of being shut down due to a funding glitch that left it out of the budget this year. Last year $775,000 was allocated with non-recurring funds to GAP to expand from its home base of Miami into Orlando, Fort Myers, and West Palm Beach.

GAP is the only comprehensive intervention/education project in Florida specifically serving girls while they are detained in a juvenile detention center. The Miami program will be renewed because it was funded with recurring dollars, but the expansion programs need $500,000 to continue to operate but only have $100,000 in the House budget as it stands now. It will take a couple of legislative heroes (or heroines) to step in during budget conference to ensure that girls do not lose these much needed services and that the state did not throw away $775,000.

Continuing on girls issues, DJJ along with the Juvenile Justice State Advisory Group, Florida Network of Youth and Family Services, Children’s Campaign, Inc and the Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association are sponsoring a national conference,  “Faces of Courage: Charting New Direction for Girls Entering the Juvenile System with a Special Focus on Women of Color.”  Your help is requested to nominate for The Faces of Courage Awards a person whose extraordinary contributions have touched the lives of girls and whose work has dramatically improved programs and services for girls.  This year's ceremony will take place during the Faces of Courage National Conference at the Plaza Resort & Spa in Daytona Beach, FL., May 15-17. Please log onto www.floridanetwork.org to register and to nominate a courageous award recipient

KidCare was not heard in committee this week, but legislation from the Governor’s office under development reflects the fixes work shopped during session, input from the advocacy community, and coordination between the Governor and Chief Financial Officer. Advocates are hopeful that the final product will provide the streamlined, consolidated framework that will allow hundreds of thousands of Florida’s children access to healthcare. The Legislature will have to hear and pass the bill with an additional appropriation in order to realize improvements in outreach to find the eligible yet not enrolled children of the state, and to enroll an additional 100,000 new children in the coming year. Stay tuned for more updates as the House of Representatives is expected to consider a Kidcare Bill that advocates will surely oppose .

Friday, in a shocking development in Broward County, and as reported by the Miami Herald and Sun-Sentinel, FBI agents swooped down on ChildNet, the community based care child welfare agency, due to serious alleged irregularities involving fraud, kickbacks, theft, and the hiring of employees with serious criminal histories.  In a maelstrom of actions, the state contract with ChildNet was terminated then re-instated, and the board of directors fired its founding President.  Click here for the Miami Herald and Sun Sentinel stories.

BREAKING NEWS:  KIDCARE UPDATE

As of Monday morning, and this is subject to change as legislative action moves quickly, the Florida Senate is expected to pick up the governor’s proposed Kidcare language as a “strike-all” to SB 930.  Essentially, it does not expand eligibility as did the original bill that moved out of Health Policy Committee chaired by Senator Dawson (D-Ft. Lauderdale), but does contain streamlining language, removing some of the barriers to enrollment.  This action has been expected.

Efforts will be made to amend the new language after review for the best bill possible at the present time.Conversations continue with House leadership to adopt the Governor’s language instead of the House version (as it exists at this time) that is onerous in many of its provisions and does not have the support of children’s health advocates.

The Governor is reported to be holding firm on his request for 43-million more dollars than is currently budgeted in House and Senate appropriations.  This would provide sufficient funds to expand enrollment by more than 100,000 children, the threshold number advocated for by the Children’s Campaign in its 2007 Legislative Platform.

Roy Miller- President
Amanda Ostrander - Communication Coordinator

Promise 1 - Pre-natal, Infant, and Child Health Care -
http://www.iamforkids.org/info/promise1/current_legislation

Promise 2 - Safety, Permanence, and Services to Children in Out-of-Home Settings - http://www.iamforkids.org/info/promise2/current_legislation

Promise 3 - High Quality Pre-K, Child Care, and Early Learning Opportunities - http://www.iamforkids.org/info/promise3/current_legislation

Promise 4 - Safe and Enriching Before and After-School Experience - http://www.iamforkids.org/info/promise4/current_legislation

Promise 5 - Delinquency Prevention Programs and Services to Treat Children with Problems - http://www.iamforkids.org/info/promise5/current_legislation