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LEGISLATIVE UPDATE is a service provided by the Children’s Campaign to advocates and concerned citizens at the end of each Committee Week and weekly during regular Session.

January 22, 2007 – January 26, 2007
Committee Week

It feels as though Session has started early this year as this was the third consecutive week that the Legislature met in Tallahassee. This anomaly translates to one-third the total time of Regular Session.

Each week it seems that one item more than anything else stands out; sometimes it’s a topic of discussion, sometimes a tone, sometimes a lesson. This week it was a lesson - the need for all advocates to educate state policy makers in-depth about the issues facing the children and families in this state. Well educated legislators ask insightful and penetrating questions with the potential to lead to better policy. Those without the complete background are susceptible to accepting incorrect or skewed information as truth, or fall short at getting to the true heart of the matter.

The House Committee on Healthy Families held a panel discussion on KidCare that included Rose Naff of Healthy Families Florida, Dr. Louis St. Petery from the KidCare Coordinating Council, Dr. Betsy Shenkman from the Institute for Child Health Policy at the University of Florida, and Dyke Snipes from the Agency for Health Care Administration. The discussion focused on the number of uninsured children in Florida, barriers to enrollment, changes in eligibility, and federal re-authorization. Several of the committee members, obviously well versed on Kidcare, asked pointed questions of the panel. During the discussion, Dr. St. Petery stated that Florida will be penalized in the federal reauthorization of S-CHIP because the state under spends as a result of chronic under enrollment of children. This fact was certainly driven home recently when $20-million in unused federal funds were diverted from Florida to other states with more proactive children’s health enrollment efforts.  Representative Galvano (R – Bradenton) stressed the need to cover as many of Florida’s uninsured children as possible and create a more efficient state system.  KidCare was also addressed by the House Healthcare Council, and the Senate Committee on Health Policy. 

Well-informed members of the House Committee on Economic Development asked important questions about Universal Pre-Kindergarten, similar to questions asked by the Senate Committee on Education PreK-12, focusing on quality components missing from the program.  At both meetings AWI and DOE officials respectively offered the newness of the state-run program as a barrier to change.  What was missing from the testimony was information about the benefits of a high quality program gleaned from 30-years of pre-k in Florida and research immediately available streaming into Florida from other states with more advanced programs.  To learn more about national research in support of high quality early learning and positive outcomes for children visit www.preknow.org, and www.nieer.org.

The Senate Committee on Health and Human Services Appropriations and the Senate Committee of Children, Families and Elder affairs both heard testimony on Community Based Care (CBC) Agencies, specifically the new formula they have developed for Title IV-E funding allocation. Current funding allocation is “per child”, resulting in the interplay between increased numbers of children in the system translating into increased dollars.  The new recommended formula is based on four factors:  prevalence, workload, efficiency, and price level.  These factors would allow the CBC’s flexibility to provide services to children in their homes. 

The Senate Committee on Children, Families and Elder Affairs also heard a presentation by General Bob Butterworth, the new Secretary of the Department of Children and Families.  The agency would continue to focus on issues that have been priorities in the past, he said, but would add four that may be new. He identified adoptions, homelessness, victims of human trafficking and childhood obesity.  Freshman Senator Ronda Storms (R – Brandon), Chair of this important  Committee, was specifically wary of addressing childhood obesity even though it’s a national epidemic costing taxpayers billions of dollars with life-long impacts on those so afflicted.  Repeated references to “chubby children” produced strained silence in the room. Children and health advocates huddled afterwards to plan a way to put more complete information in front of the committee members.

Legislator Connection, the new information handbook produced for the first time this year by the Children’s Campaign, continued to be disseminated this week to legislators, media, editorial boards and citizen leaders. The response continues to be very positive. If you would like to read more about Legislator Connection click here.

Next Committee Week is February 5, 2007 – February 9, 2007. The next LEGISLATIVE UPDATE will be released February 12th.

For more information please contact Amanda Ostrander, Coordinator of Communications at 850.425.2600 or aostrander@iamforkids.org.

Bill are separated by Promise:

1. Pre-natal, Infant, and Child Health Care
2. Safety, Permanence, and Services to Children in Out-of-Home Settings
3. High Quality Pre-K, Child Care, and Early Learning Opportunities
4. Safe and Enriching Before and After-School Experience
5. Delinquency Prevention Programs and Services to Treat Children with Problems