MIFed Policy Press March 2011: Issue 41 Policy Press Michigan Federation for Children and Families Your guide to keeping up to date with the latest legislative and policy news in the child welfare field! STATE BUDGET NEWS Governor s Chief of Staff Meets with Federation Dennis Muchmore, Chief of Staff for Governor Rick Snyder, joined the Federation Board of Directors for its quarterly meeting on Wednesday, March 9. This was a very unique opportunity to hear from Mr. Muchmore and for him to meet with our association. Dennis started his career as a lobbyist, worked within the Capitol, working with associations, and has a tremendous amount of experience in working in the political field, as well as a background in understanding child welfare issues. Dennis started out the meeting by sharing the good news there has been a "freeze" on issuing of DHS L-Letters, effective that Wednesday, March 9, 2011! Muchmore described L-Letters as very destructive to programming and budgeting, one of the reasons for the current freeze. Dennis noted that Director Corrigan was asked to step down from the Supreme Court to serve as Director of the Department for an obvious number of reasons related to her experience, but more so for her passion for doing the right thing for kids. With the federal consent issue, it was critical to have a leader who walks, talks, and understands the consent decree. Director Corrigan, Chief Deputy Director Berger, and Deputy of Strategic Services Spade will be meeting with the Federation Executives in an effort to get everyone the same page and working together under this new Administration. Muchmore articulated there have been a number of challenges in working with the Department and getting information and ideas through in the past, and that it is important for a strong collaboration as it only benefits the families and children we work with. State Updates National News Resource Corner In this Issue: -Governor s Chief of Staff Meets with Federation -Senate DHS Approps Hears About Wayne County JJ System -House to Move Quickly on Sex Offender Bills -House Republicans Unveil Proposed Changes to the Social Welfare Act -Urge Your Legislators to Attend -Obama Signs CR, Negotiations Continue -Action Alert: Call Your Senators Today - Senator Landrieu Reintroduces Foster Care Mentoring Act -Federation calendar Thank you for all of your participation in this very valuable meeting with the Governor s Chief of Staff. We at the Federation know that it was a privilege to have Mr. Muchmore dedicate his time to meet with our group on these critical issues. Celebrating 40 years of advocating on behalf of vulnerable children and families!
Senate DHS Appropriations Subcommittee Hears Presentation About Wayne County Juvenile Justice Program On Wednesday, March 9, 2011, the Senate Subcommittee on Human Services Appropriations chaired by Senator Bruce Caswell received a presentation from Tadarial Sturdivant, Director of the Department of Children and Family Services for the County of Wayne. Tadarial described the development of the Juvenile Justice and Care Management Organization system in Wayne, dating back to 1998 when then DHS Director Miller asked Wayne County if they could do a better job of handling the county s Juvenile Justice services. In 2000, DHS service mandates were realigned to Wayne County, which has since grown into a comprehensive network of prevention, diversion and juvenile correctional services. Mr. Sturdivant also recognized that many of the juvenile justice centers were represented in the audience during the hearing, including Federation member agencies. Sturdivant noted that since FY 2008, the core budget for juvenile services has been reduced 34% by the county, but in 2010 the system continued to provide services to 14,000 children and adolescents. Wayne County has focused services on prevention and diversion rather than rehabilitation and long periods of stay. As a result, recidivism rates have also dropped down from a baseline 38-56% recidivism rate, to 18% under the new model, based upon a two-year system of post-treatment tracking. Chairman Caswell was interested to learn more about the Juvenile Assessment Center in Wayne County, serving 12,000-14,000 individuals annually. The assessment process takes 14 days to complete, where youth ordered for out-of-home placement reside in a juvenile detention facility, and youth on probation reside at home during the assessment. Chairman Caswell also asked Director Sturdivant to speak to the greatest weakness of the Juvenile Justice system in Wayne County. Director Sturdivant noted that financial constraints prevent the intensity of in-home services from being increased, and that additional resources for staff training are needed. When asked what aspects of the program could be improved, Director Sturdivant spoke to the need to increase in-home care visits and services, allowing for the deinstitutionalization of the youth and keeping them in their home. House to Move Quickly on Sex Offender Registry Bills A package of bills that would prevent juvenile offenders and those engaging in consensual, but underage, sex from having to register on the same public list as pedophiles and rapists could come up for a vote in a House committee as soon as next week. The Senate unanimously passed the bills Thursday, March 10 th. Representative Walsh (R-Livonia), Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, said his plan is to get the bills to Governor Rick Snyder before April. The bills come with a looming federal deadline for the state to get into compliance with federal rules on sex offender registries. States need to submit information on their plans by April 1, and states must be in substantial compliance by July 1, otherwise they risk losing $1.5 million in federal funds. The bills (SB 188, SB 189, SB 206) would exempt all juveniles from having to register on the public Sex Offender Registry unless they were tried as an adult. Additionally, anyone engaging in consensual sex when one or both of the partners are under the legal age of consent, 16, would not have to register provided that there is no more than a four-year difference in age between the couple and that both the partners were at least 13 years old. These individuals would, however, still have to register on the list kept by law enforcement and abide by restrictions preventing them from living near a school or working with children. 2
House Republicans Unveil Changes to the Social Welfare Act House Republicans introduced legislation on Thursday, March 10 th, to change the operations of the state's welfare system by amending the Social Welfare Act of 1939. The legislation amendments allow for drug testing in certain cases where there is suspicion of drug abuse by the client, ensure illegal immigrants will not receive benefits and continue to limit assistance to 48 months for able-bodied adults. "Welfare plays an important role in our society as a way to help people get back on their feet during a time of temporary crisis, not to create a lifetime of dependency," said Representative Ken Horn, R-Frankenmuth, who introduced one of the two bills. "The plan is focused on empowering chronic welfare recipients to find work while still protecting those who are most vulnerable." The measure requires the state to test recipients of benefits through the Family Independence Program for substance abuse if there is reasonable suspicion of abuse, a suggestion that has been controversial when raised in the past. Last year, random drug testing was proposed as part of legislation to end abuse of Bridge Cards, electronic debit cards that replaced food stamp coupons. "Drug testing will ultimately help people overcome their addictions so they can support themselves and their family," Horn said. "Welfare recipients also need to know that their assistance can't be used for alcohol or cigarettes instead of food for their children." Amendments to the Act would prohibit individuals from using Family Independence Program assistance to purchase lottery tickets, alcohol, or tobacco, for gambling, or for illegal activities or any other nonessential items. The plan also requires the state to verify the residency status of each non-u.s. citizen applicant. The legislation incorporates a three strikes and you're out disciplinary program where recipients could be permanently banned from cash assistance after three offenses to the program guidelines. Residents would still be able to use food stamps for longer than 48 months. It would also exempt from the time limit senior citizens, pregnant mothers, domestic violence victims and, adults who are physically or mentally incapacitated, and adults with a disabled child at home. The House Subcommittee on Human Services Appropriations, chaired by Representative Agema, has been discussing issues related to welfare fraud and abuse over the past several weeks during committee hearings. These bills are scheduled for discussion on Tuesday, March 15 th, at the House Families, Children, and Seniors Committee hearing. Urge Your Legislators to Attend! All Michigan Senators and Representatives have been invited to join DHS Director Maura Corrigan for lunch, Tuesday, March 22, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Troppo in downtown Lansing. The purpose of the lunch meeting is for legislators to learn about the strengths and needs of Michigan s child welfare system, how children and families move through the system, and successful innovative policies and practices. The event is hosted by Casey Family Programs and the MSU School of Social Work. The Michigan Federation for Children and Families' Executive Director Janet Reynolds Snyder serves on the planning committee and assisted with development of the program content. Federation member executives, PLEASE URGE YOUR LEGISLATORS TO ATTEND. A copy of the invitation flier is attached as information and for forwarding to your legislators. 3
NATIONAL NEWS Obama Signs Short-Term Continuing Resolution, Senate Releases Budget Plan, Negotiations Continue Last week President Barack Obama signed into law a short-term continuing resolution (CR) that cuts $21 million from child and family service programs under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) and Social Security Act (SSA) and $15 million from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The CR keeps the federal government operating through March 18, 2011 and cuts spending by $4 billion from the 2010 levels. Most of the cuts in the CR were to programs that have historically been earmarked by Congress, although several education programs were also reduced. The cuts from CAPTA and SSA programs were from funds that were used to support child abuse prevention and treatment and other social service programs for lowincome and at-risk families. The SAMHSA cut will reduce funding available for projects to prevent substance abuse and treat victims. In the meantime, the Senate has released its long-term budget alternative to the House-passed plan. There is a $51 billion difference separating the House and Senate budget plans and serious policy differences must be overcome as well. Generally, the Senate plan is much more protective of funding for programs dedicated to vulnerable children and families. For example, the Senate bill includes more than $1.4 billion more than the House bill for Head Start, which is the difference between 218,000 children having access to the program. In addition, compared to the House bill, the Senate version provides an additional $1 billion for community health centers, $349 million for child care, $348 million for nutrition assistance to low-income pregnant mothers and their children, $317 million for family planning, $214 million for substance abuse and mental health programs, and $141 million for home energy assistance for low-income families. From a policy perspective, the House bill would defund and block implementation of the health reform law and prohibit funding for Planned Parenthood, while the Senate plan would not. Despite passage of the two-week extension, the two chambers are no closer than before to resolving these differences. The White House has recently stepped up its engagement level, and Vice President Joe Biden is leading a series of negotiating sessions with House and Senate leaders. The situation remains fluid and the details of which program cuts are being debated have not been made public, but at present the parties are still tens of billions of dollars apart in their proposals. Action Alert: Call Your Senators Today Urge your Congressional Senators to protect funding for programs serving vulnerable children and families by opposing the House CR and supporting the Senate substitute! The Senate is expected to hold two votes on competing budget plans for the remainder of the fiscal year. There is a more than $50 billion baseline difference between the two proposals, and funding levels for a number of critical programs serving vulnerable children and families are at risk. Take a moment TODAY to call your senators to tell let them to OPPOSE the House-passed budget plan and to SUPPORT the Senate substitute proposal. To be connected with your senators, dial 888-340-6521 and ask them to protect resources for programs dedicated to serving vulnerable child and families by opposing the House-passed version of H.R. 1 and supporting the Senate substitute proposal. 4 Continued on page 5
BACKGOUND: On February 19, the House passed H.R. 1, the Full Year Continuing Appropriations Act of 2011. This bill would cut more than $60 billion from current federal spending levels, with many of the cuts coming from critical social service programs. Last week, the Senate crafted its own plan, and this week the full Senate is expected to vote on both the House and Senate proposals. While neither is expected to receive the 60 votes necessary for passage, the votes will signal which plan has the upper hand and will impact further negotiations on a settlement. For this reason it is important to contact your senators and urge them to support the Senate proposal. Senator Landrieu Reintroduces Foster Care Mentoring Act Last week Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA), introduced the Foster Care Mentoring Act of 2011 (S. 420) with cosponsors Mark Begich (D-AK) and Tim Johnson (D-SD). A longtime focus for the co-chair of the Senate Caucus on Foster Youth, Landrieu has introduced this bill in each Congress since the 107th. Currently, it has been referred to the Senate Committee on Finance. The bill's findings assert improved achievement, social, and academic outcomes for youth when they have a relationship with a caring adult. It also points to the 423,773 children and youth in foster care and their need for an intentionally structured mentoring program. Finally, mentoring programs are characterized as a cost-effective way to improve youth outcomes. The bill's proposed mentoring program would be added to Promoting Safe and Stable Families statute which is located in Title IV-B, part 2 of the Social Security Act. It would entail a grant program authorized at $15 million for states and eligible political subdivisions to apply for no more than $600,000 to expand or establish a foster care mentoring program. The bill also includes an additional $4 million to fund a national public awareness and recruitment campaign. Finally, a separate provision intended to incentivize recruitment would make mentors eligible for $2,000 in student loan forgiveness for every 200 hours served as a foster care mentor for up to $10,000. 5
Resource Corner Upcoming Meetings: Mark Your Calendars! April 7: Accreditation/CQI MIN, 10:00-12:00 April 13: Adoption MIN, 10:00-12:00 April 13: Licensing MIN, 12:30-1:30 April 13: Foster Care MIN, 1:30-3:00 April 13: Independent Living/Homeless Youth MIN, 3:00-4:00 April 20: Residential Treatment MIN, 10:00-12:00 April 20: Staff Training MIN, 12:30-2:30 May 10: Annual Spring HR Training Day, 9:00-3:30, at Lansing Community College West Campus June 8: Board of Directors, 1:00-3:30 (lunch available at noon) June 21-22: Michigan Teen Conference at Ferris State University September 14-16: Federation Annual Senior Management Conference & Annual Membership Meeting, location TBA : Michigan Federation for Children and Families 320 N. Washington Square, Suite 100 Lansing, MI, 48933 P: 517-485-8552 F: 517-485-6680