Children's Campaign, Inc.

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.

This information will add value to your advocacy efforts by creating an easy way to stay informed about policies affecting the children of Florida.

Session 2007
March 12 – March 16

A most favorable version of Kidcare reform passed the Senate Health Policy Committee (Chair- Dawson (D) - Broward) with unanimous approval but the road forward doesn’t appear to be so smoothly paved. Looming on the House side to be revealed in its fullness this week is a Kidcare bill that packs Medicaid reform into the mix, introducing managed care for children and the need for already overwhelmed and bewildered parents to choose between plans. Worse, the House package would not solve many of the problems addressed by the Senate Health Policy Committee such as administrative fixes to enrollment and expanded outreach. The bill that passed the Senate committee carried not only those “core reforms” but also expanded coverage to children of immigrants and state employees, and expanded coverage for pregnant women. Children’s Campaign, Inc. believes the “core reforms” have the best chance of passing the full Senate and will resist the unfavorable terms coming from the House. Stay tuned as Kidcare heats up in the coming week.

UPK was back in the spotlight when The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) released their State Preschool Yearbook, including Florida’s program for the first time. NIEER reported that enrollment for pre-k has increased across the country, but spending per child has declined; this negative trend due in part to Florida’s underfunded program being added to the national calculations. Florida, overall, was graded a 4 out of 10 in quality standards and ranked 35 out of 38 in spending per child. To read the full report click here.

On the heels of the report, newspapers across the state have begun to publish an op-ed penned by Martha Barnett, former president of the America Bar Association and partner in the law firm of Holland & Knight, LLP, in support of quality degreed teachers in every prek classroom. In her editorial Ms. Barnett writes, “Qualified, educated teachers are the backbone of any educational system. Teachers guide their students’ personal and mental development and make them want to achieve.” She continues saying “…the lead teacher in each classroom should be a qualified, degreed teacher. This was the vision of Florida voters when they passed the pre-K amendment.” To read Ms. Barnett’s op-ed as published first in the Lakeland Ledger, click here.

In support, the Children’s Campaign has updated www.QualityPreK.org and has summoned citizens and stakeholders to send a letter to Governor Crist in support of degreed pre-k teachers. Video streaming is available on the website and advocates can watch the testimony of David Lawrence who said that pre-k would go “nowhere” without quality degreed teachers and went on to support the E-A-R-L-Y platform. Advocates can tell a story of how a teacher made an impact on their life, and learn more about quality pre-k components. We encourage you to visit www.QualityPreK.org today.

The House Safety and Security Council and Senate Criminal & Civil Justice Appropriations Committee heard from the Florida Juvenile Justice Association for the first time. Interim Executive Director Cathy Craig-Myers stressed the public safety successes of the juvenile justice providers while reminding elected officials about the on-going crisis facing the programs due to nationwide lowly per diem rates. A balanced and fair juvenile justice system, the Committee was told via a powerpoint presentation, is dependent on a balanced and fair allocation of public safety dollars between juvenile justice and adult corrections.

The coming week will have groundbreaking developments for child advocates. First, in a most important moment to take place on Wednesday, the Senate Children, Families and Elder Affairs Committee is scheduled to hear Senator Rich’s (D-Broward) Children and Youth Cabinet bill. Mentioned by the Governor in his State of the State address, the Children’s Cabinet would develop a cohesive vision and plan with promise for a long-term commitment to children and youth issues. The Children’s Cabinet is supported by a long list of children’s organizations, and was featured in the Children’s Campaign Legislative Agenda.

Next, the House Committee on Infrastructure is scheduled to hear HB 0443 by Rep. Altman (R-Melbourne), revising requirements for safety restraints to be used by motor vehicle passengers under certain age and prohibiting a driver from transporting child who has not attained certain age unless child is properly restrained. An identical bill has been filed in the Senate by has been filed by Sen. Wise (R- Jacksonville) and co-sponsored by Sen. Jones (R- Seminole) (SB 956).

Children age 4 to 8 who use booster seats are 59 percent less likely to be injured in a car crash than children who are restrained in only a seat belt. Approximately 7,500 lives have been saved by the proper use of child restraints during the past 20 years. The appropriate measures to protect child passengers could save many young lives in Florida.

Continuing the tradition of former Representative Gus Barreio, Chairman Mitch Needleman (R-Melbourne) has invited current youthful recipients of services from the juvenile justice system to speak to the House Juvenile Justice Committee. Nick Millar from Associated Marine Institutes is gathering four youth speakers who embody success stories from the continuum of juvenile justice services. They are expected to thank legislators for their support and ask that they continue to sustain the services that have made a difference in their lives. The committee is scheduled to meet on Wednesday, 8:00 - 10:00 a.m. in room 24 H.

Also on Wednesday, Guardian ad Litem, the statewide child advocacy program for children in dependency court, will showcase their successes in the Plaza Level Rotunda of the Capitol. Information on the program and the state’s abused and neglected children will be available to visitors, legislative staff and legislators throughout the day.
Update:
On March 14th, 432 days after Martin Lee Anderson was apparently beaten to death at a Bay County boot camp, an enhanced video of the tragedy and more than 20,000 pages of documents from Hillsborough State Attorney Mark Ober's criminal investigation were released. The investigation has resulted in manslaughter charges against the seven drill instructors and the nurse involved in the incident. Governor Crist has pledged to “do what is right” for the Anderson family and has proposed a $5-million settlement to be matched with $5-million by Bay County. Observers believe the path in the Senate will be straighter than the path in the House.
May Martin Anderson’s family find peace, and may he continue to live in our hearts as a reminder of the reason why we advocate so passionately for children.
Roy Miller Amanda Ostrander
President Communications Coordinator
The next Legislative Update will be sent for the week ending March 23.
To read a summary of legislation on each of the 5 Promises use the following links:

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