Children First for Oregon

CFFO 2009 State Legislative Session Wrap-up

Legislative Victories for Children’s Health

Expanded health care coverage to 80,000 additional kids and 35,000 more adults. Families will now have the peace of mind knowing that childhood bumps and bruises won’t turn into life-long health problems, and medical emergencies won’t drive families into bankruptcy. All Oregon children living in families at or below 200% FPL will receive free health coverage. Children living in families earning up to 300% FPL will receive a 75-85% subsidy for their health coverage.

Increased funding for School-Based Health Centers by $1.38m for physical health and mental health services. Lawmakers also made available $5.0m in grants to serve vulnerable populations. School-Based Health Centers are like having a doctor’s office in your school providing quality primary and mental health services where kids are – keeping them healthy and in school.

Passed School Nurse legislation so students get their medical needs met and are ready to learn. The law establishes student to nurse ratios based on the health needs of students and establishes a timeline to reach the standard by 2020. It also requires an annual report on the number of students with serious medical conditions that require services from school nurses.

Legislative Victories for Low-Income Families

Protected Temporary Assistance for Needy Families from many devastating cuts most notably protecting this cash assistance for two-parent families. This proposed (but not implemented) cut would have driven 2/3 of these families back to TANF as single parent households, encouraging families to split up. Maintaining TANF for the growing number of families seeking assistance was challenging due to shrinking resources, but legislators maximized federal matching dollars to ensure struggling families turning to the state will be served.

Protected Employment Related Day Care for low-income families and minimized increases to parent co-pays. Proposed (but not implemented) cuts reducing provider reimbursements, increasing co-pays, and limiting the program to families transitioning off TANF would have left 10,000 children without child care. Many parents would have been forced to leave children alone or quit their jobs, thus adding to the number of families seeking TANF.

Secured funding to provide free school breakfasts for low-income kids living in families earning up to 185% of FPL. Families living on very tight budgets can’t afford to provide good breakfasts at home or the money to buy them at school. For these children, school may be the only place they receive a meal. We can now ensure these children start the day with a full stomach, healthier and better able to learn.

Legislative Victories for Child Welfare and Foster Youth

Maintained funding for programs that help kids stay out of foster care or return home faster. Although foster care meets the immediate safety needs of a child, the experience of foster care creates greater difficulties for these kids later in life. Family Support Teams, Family Support and Connections, System of Care and IV-E waiver address the issues that bring children to the child welfare system by reducing foster care placements and reducing the length of stay in foster care, so children can return home safely and quickly.

Passed legislation allowing child welfare offices to house domestic violence specialists. The specialists will provide in-depth safety planning and on-going support to adult domestic violence victims, as well as consultation to Child Welfare workers creating case plans involving victims and perpetrators. When domestic violence is present in the home, it must be addressed before a child welfare case can be resolved. Coordination between domestic violence experts and caseworkers is a vital part of helping families avoid foster care and achieve safety.

Secured driver education funding for foster youth so youth can receive their driver license before they “age-out” of foster care at 18. Getting your driver license can be especially difficult when you are in foster care. Without it former foster kids have greater difficulties with employment and education once they are on their own. Providing this driver education money specifically for foster youth eliminates one of the obstacles to successful independence.