Policy Updates

Children First for Oregon 2010 State Legislative Session Wrap-up

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 and calls 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 !

Keeping Children Healthy

Expanded Oregon Health Plan coverage to former foster youth:

While in foster care, children have all their health care needs covered. Previously, at age 18, foster youth became solely responsible for themselves almost overnight. These Oregon kids who have been abused or neglected found they had little or no support when they became young adults.

Foster youth are considered to be a population with special health care needs by the American Academy of Pediatrics because of the high prevalence of medical, mental health and developmental issues. Providing health coverage alleviates one major challenge for these youth as they transition out of state care and into adulthood.

Legislative Victory! CFFO organized members of the Oregon Foster Youth Connection (OFYC) and Juvenile Rights Project (JRP) to bring compelling testimony to legislators all month and YOU sent emails and made calls. Our hard work paid off when HB3664 passed unanimously out of the House and passed 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 Representative Greenlick, and the House Health Care Committee for sponsoring HB3664. Also thank you 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::

Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a synthetic estrogen found in plastic which leaches out into food and beverages, and then into our bodies. More than 200 scientific studies have linked very low doses of BPA to prostate and breast cancer, obesity, altered brain development, cardiac disease, diabetes, and early puberty. The bill would have banned bisphenol A in food and beverage containers intended for the use of children under 3, including baby bottles.

More work to do next session: Legislators and advocates fought hard to remove BPA from products specifically for children under 3 years old, but the bill was voted down in the Senate. Advocates will continue this charge to protect Oregon’s smallest citizens from this harmful product.

Strengthening Families:

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

ERDC helps families with incomes below 185% of poverty (about $40,800 per year for a family of four) pay for child care. Affordable, quality childcare is essential to the well being of children, the economic stability of families, and the productivity of businesses from large to small.

The original 09-11 budget only funded ERDC through July 2010, when severe budget reductions would have left an estimated 2,913 families (5,500 children) without child care. The parents of these children would have been forced to either leave children home alone or quit their jobs.

Legislative Victory!: CFFO, child care providers, child care recipients, YOU and other advocates joined forces to make sure legislators knew that ERDC keeps kids healthy and safe, and that it keeps parents working. In the end, legislative leadership heard our messages and extended funding for ERDC to 2011!

Special Thanks to House Speaker Dave Hunt and Representative Tina 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 a jobs issue.

Paved way for expanded use of the Earned Income Tax Credit:

The federal EITC has been the most successful anti-poverty program, lifting over 2 million American children out of poverty every year. Oregon currently has one of the lowest levels of state EITC, not fully utilizing the federal max. Passing this bill would bring Oregon in line with the majority of states, eliminating income taxes on families below the poverty line with one or more children. Lifting families out of poverty gives children the best chance at a healthy, safe, and successful life.

More work to do next session: Hearing rooms were packed with supporters wearing “have a heart” stickers. Legislators heard eloquent testimony from Oregonians who have been helped by EITC and legislators 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.

CFFO 2010 Legislative Priorities

Here is what we’re working on for the February 2010 short session:

Employment Related Day Care(ERDC) funding through current biennium:

The current 09-11 budget funds ERDC only through July 2010. We expect 2,913 families (5,500 children) will lose child care due to the July 2010 reduction. The parents of these children will be forced to either leave children home alone or quit their jobs. You can help! Take a minute to write your legislator about ERDC.

OHP coverage for former foster youth:

Adolescents who age-out of foster care at 18 struggle to secure health insurance. This bill will utilize 2-1 federal Medicaid matching funds to provide OHP coverage for former foster youth from ages 18-22. Twenty-one other states utilize this Medicaid option to provide health care for this population. You can help! Take a minute to write your legislator about OHP coverage for former foster youth.

BPA ban in children’s products:

Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a synthetic estrogen found in plastic which leaches out into food and beverages, and then into our bodies. More than 200 scientific studies have linked very low doses of BPA to prostate and breast cancer, obesity, altered brain development, cardiac disease, diabetes, and early puberty. The bill bans bisphenol A in food and beverage containers intended for the use of children under 3, including baby bottles and formula containers.

Earned Income Tax Credit:

The federal EITC has been the most successful anti-poverty program, lifting over 2 million American children out of poverty every year. Oregon currently has one of the lowest levels for an EITC state, utilizing only 6% of the 18% maximum. The bill will phase-in an expansion of Oregon’s EITC to 18%, which would eliminate income taxes on families below the poverty line and benefit over 200,000 households (1 in 7) in Oregon (a majority going to families with children).

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.

Voices 2008 Congressional Wrap-up

From Voices for America’s Children

In 2008, Congress took several legislative actions that were victories for America’s children and families. Actions such as the delay of potentially harmful regulations that would have restricted health services, the passage of foster care reform, and the extension of tax credits for families with children are all sound investments in America’s children and young adults. Despite these victories, the 110th Congress left a good bit of unfinished business for the incoming 111th Congress. Voices_08_Congressional_Wrap-up.pdf

CFFO 2008 State Supplemental Session Wrap-up

Foster Care: The Legislature approved $7.3 million to increase the number of child welfare case managers and assistants. This increase followed the release of a child welfare staffing study which shows that Children and Family Services is woefully understaffed, with caseworkers carrying high caseloads, failing to meet workload requirements and spending less than 17% of their time with the children and families in their care. Although much work lies ahead to truly correct the workload problem child welfare caseworkers face, this investment in staffing is a step in the right direction.

Health Care: Unfortunately, Oregon’s 110,000 uninsured children made no gains in the 2008 session. The Legislature chose not to make a change that would have allowed thousands more Oregon children to receive the health coverage for which they are already eligible. Children enrolled in the Oregon Health Plan are at greatest risk for losing their coverage at renewal time. HB 3614, as it was passed out of committee, would have extended 12-month continuous enrollment to all children currently eligible for the plan (right now only some children have 12-month enrollment periods, while some of the poorest children must re-enroll every 6 months even though their eligibility hasn’t changed). 12-month enrollment has been shown to significantly increase retention of children in the program, which is better for the health of those kids and more cost-effective overall.

**UPDATE - In his state-of-the-state address on March 21, 2008, Governor Kulongoski announced his plans to implement 12-month continuous enrollment for children as well as extend health coverage to Oregon’s uninsured children, partly through a renewed tobacco-tax increase. This is a win for Oregon’s children. Click here for more details on the Governor’s proposal.

CFFO 2007 State Legislative Session Wrap-up

Legislative Victories for Children’s Health

Expand School-Based Health Centers: Secured a $2 million investment to bring school-based health centers to 6 new counties. School-based health centers are a cost-effective way to deliver quality, comprehensive primary and preventive care to children and youth.

Junk Food Out of Schools: School districts will phase out high-sugar, high-fat junk food and soda in favor of healthier snacks.

Legislative Victories for Low-Income Families

Improved Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Program: $28.5 million in new revenue for stronger up-front assessments to ensure families with multiple barriers get the help they need to be successful, as well as increased access to higher education, more supports to help them transition into the workforce (like child care and health care assistance). Children will be also now be able to receive some of the child support they are owed.

Child Care More Affordable for Low-Income Families: $39.9 million investment to strengthen the Employment Related Day Care Program (ERDC) by restoring income eligibility levels to 185 percent of the federal poverty level and increasing provider reimbursements to 75 percent of market rate.

Legislative Victories for Child Welfare and Foster Care

Support for Relative Caregivers: Secured $4.8 million to provide financial support to relative foster parents so more children can be placed with relatives, rather than with strangers.

Improved Stability and Accountability in the Foster Care System: Passed a bill that requires greater efforts be made to place siblings together whenever possible and caseworkers to document face-to-face visits with children in foster care, as well as track their educational outcomes.

Increased Substance Abuse Treatment: Dedicated $10 million in new revenue to mental health and substance abuse treatment for parents of children in the child welfare system, so that more foster children can return home safely.

Decreased Child Welfare Caseload Ratios: Added $3.4 million in funding for child welfare services to restructure staffing in order to improve workload efficiency and child safety. The package does not resolve workload problems for the agency, but is a low-cost approach to improve staffing ratios to at least meet national standards. A work load study in this area will also be completed, and is expected to make further recommendations for staffing or operational improvements.

Other Legislative Victories We Supported:

Expansion of Head Start: $39 million in new revenue will mean 3,000 more children around the state will have access to the highly successful Head Start program.

Child Care Collective Bargaining: Passed legislation that allows child care providers to collectively bargain with the state of Oregon, which will improve child care by stabilizing the underpaid day-care labor force.