Children First for Oregon

2010 Legislative Session Wrap Up from Children First

The 2010 special session has come to an end and CFFO had HUGE VICTORIES in this tough economy!

A special THANK YOU to those of you who wrote or called your legislators. Your emails to your legislators over the past few weeks were heard.

We must also remember that no victory is possible without strong leadership at the Capitol. Join us in sending a well deserved thank you to those who helped make this happen! Click HERE to send your legislator a Thank You.

Children First for Oregon 2010 State Legislative Session Wrap-up

For a more comprehensive review of our legislative accomplishments, click here

Keeping Children Healthy

Expanded Oregon Health Plan(OHP) coverage to former foster youth:

A bill to expand OHP coverage, HB3664 passed unanimously out of the House on Tuesday and passed Wednesday night with a 24-6 vote out of the Senate! Youth who age out of foster care at 18 will now continue to receive the same health coverage they had while in foster care, which means they can even keep their same medical and mental health providers!!

Special thanks to the Oregon Foster Youth Connection (OFYC) and Juvenile Rights Project (JRP) for bringing compelling testimony to legislators all month. Also thank you to Representative Greenlick, and the House Health Care Committee for sponsoring HB3664 and to Representative Kotek, Representative Buckley the Department of Human Services and the Office of Healthy Kids for securing funding for this expansion.
Click HERE to see how your legislator voted on HB 3664.
Click HERE to send them a Thank You.

Bill to protect children from synthetic estrogens in children’s products voted down in the Senate:

The ban on Bisphenol-A (BPA) in baby bottles failed to pass out of the Senate despite the more than 200 scientific studies linking very low doses of BPA to prostate and breast cancer, obesity, altered brain development, cardiac disease, diabetes, and early puberty. Advocates will continue to try and find ways to protect Oregon’s smallest citizens from this harmful product.

Strengthening Families:

Extended funding for Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) until 2011:

CFFO, child care providers, child care recipients, YOU and other advocates joined forces with legislators to ensure that 5500 children from 2,913 low-income families will continue to have quality child care so their parents can continue to work.

Special Thanks to House Speaker Dave Hunt and Representative Kotek for their strong support on this issue. Thanks also goes to the Senate Commerce and Workforce Development Committee and the House Sub-Committee on Workforce for highlighting this as jobs issue.

Paved way for expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit:

Legislators heard eloquent testimony from Oregonians who have been lifted out of poverty by EITC and they recognize that this tax credit is what low- income, working families need to make it in a tough economy. The informational hearings were a huge success and both advocates and legislators will be working hard over the coming months to have a strong proposal for the 2011 session.