Legislative Updates from the Covenant with North Carolina's Children

Provided by Stacey Massengill, NCSPA Legislative and Public Policy Committee Member

Originally Submitted by Rob Thompson, Executive Director of the Covenant with North Carolina's Children

Dear Covenant Members,

The pace of various study commissions has really picked up over the last month as deadlines approach, vacations end, and appointments have finally been made. The purpose of these task forces and commissions is to study an issue and make recommendations back to the full Legislature by next session. Below are some summaries of where these groups are at in their deliberations. I also included some good news(!) and announcements. Cheers, Rob

Children and Youth Study Commission

This Commission met Thursday, 11/19 for the first time since last interim. The meeting was devoted to a discussion of a proposed ban on shackling children as they are transported to and from involuntary mental health commitment hearings. Last session, the Covenant supported H656, which would have banned this practice. In some parts of the state, these children are shackled about the legs, waist, and arms, which humiliates them and exacerbates their preexisting mental health problems.

During the meeting, Commission members heard from Deborah Whitfield of Council for Children's Rights (Covenant member) and Eddie Caldwell of the NC Sheriffs' Association. Whitfield presented a strong case for banning shackling, while Caldwell made far-fetched comparisons to extreme cases involving adults, not children. Most questions from commission members had to do with potential logistical issues around implementing the ban. Members of the commission did express a strong interest in exploring the idea of doing video conferences for these hearings, which would eliminate this issue all together. The Commission did not make any recommendations at this meeting.

The Commission will meet again in November (11/30, 10 am, 415 LOB) and twice in December. The Commission will begin a discussion about how best to support the children of inmates at the next meeting. Follow this link to see a list of Commission members: http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/Committees/Committees.asp?sAction=ViewCommittee&sActionDetails=Non-Standing_677

Joint Senate and House Finance Committee Meetings

The Senate and House Finance Committees met twice in November with the goal of coming up with recommendations for modernizing North Carolina's revenue system.

Thus far, the Committee meetings have largely been educational, with a series of presentations by academics and legislative staff. The focus has been on the need to broaden the base of the sales tax to include a greater percentage of statewide consumption. While we generally support this idea, it's becoming apparent that many legislators and lobbyists see sales tax reform as a way to cut corporate and individual income taxes. The Covenant would strongly oppose any efforts to do this.

It's unclear when legislators will begin a serious conversation about what to do here in NC. The next meeting is on Tuesday, 12/1 from 10 am to 4 pm. (Also, Together NC will be hosting a revenue modernization workshop on Wednesday, 12/2 from 1:30 - 3:30 at NCAE).

As you all know, the Covenant has been co-leading the Together NC coalition ( http://www.togethernc.org/) to ensure that NC has adequate revenues to fund the important services that support children and families. Modernizing our revenue system is an important part of this effort.


Youth Accountability Task Force

At the end of last session, the Legislature created a commission to study how best to move 16- and 17-year olds into the juvenile justice system (though that policy change is still yet to pass). At the first meeting of this task force, members and attendees were educated on adolescent brain development, the respective roles of the Department of Juvenile Justice and the Department of Corrections, and the evolution of juvenile justice policy in NC over the past century. Task Force members also heard a presentation from a Connecticut legislator about their recent success about changing the age of juvenile jurisdiction in that state.

The next meeting of the task force will be on Thursday, Dec. 10 from 10 am to 3 pm at the NC Judicial Center. Follow this link to see a list of Task Force members: http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/Committees/Committees.asp?sAction=ViewCommittee&sActionDetails=Non-Standing_6432

Early Childhood Consolidation Study Commission

This Commission hasn't met yet. Their charge is to examine how best (of if) to consolidate early childhood programs, such as Smart Start, More at Four, and Child Care subsidies. It looks like the first meeting of this group will happen sometime in early December. Here are the members:

House: Rep. Ray Rapp (co-chair), Rep. Glazier, Rep. Insko
Senate: Sen. Dan Blue (co-chair), Sen. Purcell, Sen. Swindell
Governor: Stephanie Fanjul, John Pruitte, Olson Huff

Good news in the world of mental health and developmental disabilities?

Yep, it's true. Last Friday, 11/19, Leza Wainwright (director of the division of MH/DD/SA) informed LMEs that an additional 1175 CAP-MR/DD slots are immediately available (225 for the comprehensive waiver and 950 for tier one (partial) waiver). This is great news. The CAP-MR/DD program allows people living with serious disabilities to receive community-based services so that they don't have to move into an institution.

Announcements

Join Together NC for a Tax Modernization Workshop in Raleigh
This year, North Carolina's state government faced the first of what will be several large revenue shortfalls, jeopardizing the programs and services that support our families and communities. While the severe economic downturn is largely to blame for this shortfall, it has also highlighted our inadequate and outdated revenue system, which overreacted to the recession leaving us in a deep financial hole.

To ensure that we can maintain and build upon public programs, like education, health care, housing assistance, job training and so many others, we MUST create a stable, fair and adequate revenue system.
This year's massive state revenue shortfall created a unique opportunity for tax modernization. The House and Senate finance committees have come together and will be meeting over the next several months to craft recommendations for updating our state tax system, starting with the sales tax.

Please join us for a presentation and discussion on why strengthening North Carolina's tax system is critical to preserving public investments in our families and communities and how we can fix it. The presentation will focus on our state and local sales tax.


Wednesday, December 2nd 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm NCAE Auditorium 700 South Salisbury Street Raleigh, NC 27601


Upcoming Legislative Meetings:

Children and Youth Study Commission - 11/30, 10 am, 415 LOB, Raleigh
Senate/House Finance Committees - 12/1, 10 am, 643 LOB Raleigh
Youth Accountability Task Force - 12/10, 10 am, NC Judicial Center, Raleigh

Legislative Updates from The Covenant with North Carolina's Children

Provided by Stacey Massengill, NCSPA Legislative and Public Policy Committee Member

Originally Submitted by Rob Thompson, Executive Director of the Covenant with North Carolina's Children

Covenant Update - November 2, 2009

I. Impact of budget cuts
II. Finance Committee Meeting
III. Covenant Meeting, Roadshow and Revenue Workshop

I. IMPACT OF BUDGET CUTS


Over the past couple of weeks, I've been in touch with many of you to find out how budget cuts are impacting the children and families that you serve. I hope to develop a comprehensive report over the next couple of months that outlines the full impact of these cuts on NC's children. In the meantime, here's a sampling of what I've found so far:

-Level III/IV Residential Homes

Due to budget cuts to level III and IV residential homes, 40% of these extremely troubled children and youth have been discharged. Unfortunately, these kids were in residential treatment for a reason, and in most cases, families and communities don't have the ability or resources to facilitate a healthy and safe transition. If not properly treated, many of these children have the potential to hurt other kids or themselves.


Furthermore, due to cuts to Therapeutic Foster Care rates (which is where most of these kids have been referred), we've decreased our ability to absorb these children back into the community.

-Rape Crisis Centers

Rape Crisis Centers actually didn't get cut in the state budget, but have been nearly overwhelmed by the increased demand for services caused by cuts to the mental health system. Specifically, many victims of sexual abuse received mental health services through Community Support, but now that many of those services are unavailable, they are turning to one of 64 crisis centers across the state. For these crisis centers to function effectively, they must have adequate resources and training to work with the population they serve.

-Perinatal Programs

In the early 1980s, North Carolina had the worst infant mortality rate in the country. To fix this problem, we implemented a number of programs and improved our mortality rate. Unfortunely, the severe cuts in the HHS budget threaten to undermine the progress we have made. Several services that support the health of infants have already been cut, or are slated to be cut later this year. The Perinatal Outreach Program, which leads regional initiatives to improve infant care among providers, is completely eliminated (and with only five days notice). Also, the 1-800-FOR-BABY number, which provided information and referral services for parents and providers, was eliminated, despite taking 40,000 calls / year.

Fortunately, cuts to Maternity Care Coordination have been reduced from 38% to 19%, which allows us to at least keep that program up and running.

-Childhood Vaccines

Currently, the state buys vaccines and distributes them to physicians to ensure that all children are protected from common, but very harmful viruses. Unfortunately, the Legislature has cut $4.5 million out of this $19 million program, and the most recent round of administrative cuts could add to that total. While the specific ramifications on combination vaccines and vaccine schedules are very complicated, the end result of this cut is not: more kids will get sick.

II. FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETINGS

Tomorrow, Nov. 3, the Senate and House Finance Committees will meet to begin discussing tax modernization. These meetings are a result of a session compromise between the Senate and the House in which the Senate agreed to postpone their demand for modernization so long as the House agreed to work on the issue during the interim. We expect Tuesday's meeting to be the first of several between now and May when the Legislature reconvenes.

We hope that this meeting is the beginning of a process that will lead to a fairer, more stable and more adequate revenue system. To ensure sufficient funds for investments in NC's kids and families, we must fix this broken system. We also know that this will be 'an uphill swim,' as a friend of mine recently put it.

As we saw last session, there are major policy differences between the two chambers. Generally speaking, the House is not sold on broadening the sales tax base to include services. The Senate, however, would like to broaden sales tax base, but would also like to reduce our reliance on the progressive income tax. (Again, this is very general - many Senators and House members don't fit this mold.) Together NC will work with (or against) both chambers to implement a good plan. In the upcoming weeks, we'll be putting out more information about components of a good plan. In the meantime, please feel free to contact us with questions.

If you'd like to attend tomorrow, the meeting begins at 10 am in room 643 of the Legislative Office Building.

III. ANNOUNCEMENTS

NEXT COVENANT MEETING -
Monday, 11/16 - 12 pm - 3 pm. We'll be going a bit longer than usual because we'll get to enjoy a Legislative Briefing from the United Way and the Justice Center for the last two hours (see below).
NCAE, 700 S. Salisbury St., Raleigh

LEGISLATIVE BRIEFINGS
Get ready for 2010 at a legislative briefing by local legislators and staff from the NC Budget & Tax Center, NC Justice Center and United Way of North Carolina. They will discuss top issues in state public policy such as:
Impacts of current economic conditions on working families and the state budget
Updates on key public efforts that support low-income workers and their families, such as the EITC, child-care subsidies, children's health insurance and affordable housing
Discussion of implementation and use of federal economic recovery funds



City/Date/Time: Fayetteville November 10 8 am-10:30 am
Host: United Way of Cumberland County
Location: Fayetteville State Rudolph Jones Student Center Room 235 - Olivia Chavis Conference Room
RSVP: Ashley Smith 910-438-1179 mailto:acsmith@unitedway-cc.org



City/Date/Time: Durham November 12 8:30 - 10:30 am
Host: United Way of the Greater Triangle


Location: Durham County Cooperative Extension 721 Foster Street


RSVP: Nate Goetz mailto:ngoetz@unitedwaytriangle.org919-463-5002

City/Date/Time: Raleigh November 16 1 pm - 3 pm
Host: NC Justice Center Covenant for NC Children United Way of NC
Location: NCAE Headquarters 700 South Salisbury Street
RSVP: http://www.unitywaync.org/calendar



City/Date/Time: Wilmington November 17 9 am - 11:30 am
Host: Cape Fear Area United Way
Location: Warwick Center at UNC Wilmington
RSVP: mailto:liveunited@cfauw.org



City/Date/Time: Rocky Mount November 18 9 am - 11:30 am
Host: United Way Tar River Region
Location: RBC Bank Campus 1515 Centura Hwy. Bldg #2
RSVP: Annette Mills (252) 937-2213, x-102 mailto:annettemills@



City/Date/Time: Hickory November 30 2 pm - 4 pm
Host: United Way of Catawba County
Location: Catawba Valley Community College Dunbar Bldg, Rm 345
RSVP: http://www.unitywaync.org/calendar



City/Date/Time: Asheville December 1 8:30 - 10:30 am
Host: United Way of Asheville and Buncombe Co.
Location: AB Tech Enka Campus Haynes Building
RSVP: mailto:Ron.Katz@unitedwayabc.org(828) 255-0696



City/Date/Time: Triad Area December 8 8:30 - 11:00 am
Host: United Way of Greater Greensboro
Location: Girl Scouts Tarheel Triad Council 8818 W. Market St., Colfax
RSVP: http://www.unitedwaync.org/calendar


"HATS OFF TO THE KIDS!" CELEBRATION
Our Children's Place invites you to help celebrate its support for the children of incarcerated women in North Carolinas.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The Carolina Inn • Old Well Room • 211 Pittsboro Street, Chapel Hill
Tickets $25; RSVP to (919) 843-2670 by Friday, November 20, 2009
Guest speaker: Ashley Lucas Doin' Time: Through the Visiting Glass

Announcements from the Covenant with North Carolina's Children

Provided by Stacey Massengill, NCSPA Legislative and Public Policy Committee Member

Originally Submitted by Rob Thompson, Executive Director of the Covenant with North Carolina's Children

Council For Children's Rights Announces Creation of
The Larry King Center for Building Children's Futures

Charlotte, NC - The Council for Children's Rights announced the creation of The Larry King Center for Building Children's Futures as a part of its mission and work during a special luncheon celebrating 30 years of service to children in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg community.

"The Center for Building Children's Futures is dedicated to supporting effective action for children in our community by meeting three key strategic needs," said Council For Children's Rights Executive Director Brett Loftis, who identified these needs as:

Research and Evaluation
Strategic and Community Planning
Public Policy Impact

"While the Council for Children's Rights will continue our advocacy work on behalf of individual children, The Larry King Center for Building Children's Futures will be a resource for the community at a strategic level - maximizing the effectiveness and impact of work being done for children by providers, agencies and funders," continued Loftis.

"We know that creating access to health and mental health care, reducing the incidence and impact of abuse and neglect and providing access to early care and education are critical needs for our children, but we've lacked shared infrastructure and capacity to meet these needs long-term. The core role of the Center was the long-time vision of Larry King, a tireless advocate for children, and the Center is named in his honor on behalf of the work that he did and inspired," said Loftis.

The Council For Children's Rights has received funding to create The Larry King Center for Building Children's Futures from the Bank of America Foundation, the Duke Endowment, Foundation For The Carolinas and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Wachovia Foundation (Wachovia is a Wells Fargo Company.)

For more information, go to http://www.cfcrights.org/.


Triangle MomsRising social - 10/25
(Note - Triangle MomsRising is a new member of the Covenant. For more info on MomsRising, check out their website - http://www.momsrising.org/.)

We welcome you to join Triangle MomsRising for a social on Oct. 25! We have met many new faces through this summer's visits to our representatives to advocate for health care reform. We would love to see you again, as well as meet those of you who would like to become involved, but haven't had the opportunity yet to participate in a "live" event. When: Sunday, October 25, 2:30-5:30 p.m. Where: The social will be centrally located in the Triangle to accommodate families throughout the area. We will meet at Davis Drive Park, 1610 Davis Drive Cary, NC 27512. What: We will meet at a playground to play, eat snacks, and decorate onesies with family friendly messages to display at upcoming events in the legislature. We will informally answer any of your questions about Triangle Momsrising, and are open to your ideas about areas of focus for the future. We are still a new group and are just emerging with a voice of our own. We are also one of only two local chapters in the country endorsed by National Momsrising, and they are providing us with the guidance and resources to reach our goals. Why: If you are interested in becoming involved, but either 1) don't have much free time 2) feel intimidated by the idea of lobbying for family-friendly policies in the legislature, come and check us out! We are all very busy (some of us work full-time outside the home, others of us work full-time as a parent, and some of us are attempting the crazy balancing act between the two), but each of us is free to commit however much or little time we choose to-- no guilt attached! And, the vast majority of us had no lobbying/legistlative experience before learning all we need to know as a Triangle Momrising member. Join us-- together we can achieve so much more than each of us acting alone, whether it be related to health care reform, paid sick days for all workers, early childhood education, getting toxins out of our children's environments, and so much more! All are welcome! Please RSVP to mailto:TriangleChapter@MomsRising.org.


2009 Annual Conference December 14, 2009

NC SCHOOL COMMUNITY HEALTH ALLIANCE ANNUAL CONFERENCE

"School Health Centers and Adolescents: Surviving and Thriving In Difficult Years"

KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Daniel P. Krowchuk, MD Department of Pediatrics Wake Forest University School of Medicine

Held at the Historic Carolina Inn
211 Pittsboro Street Chapel Hill, NC 1-800-962-8519

Produced in conjunction with the NC Adolescent Health Summit at the same location the following day.
Registration Information at http://www.ncscha.org/

Legislative Updates from The Covenant with North Carolina's Children

Provided by Stacey Massengill, NCSPA Legislative and Public Policy Committee Member

Originally Submitted by Rob Thompson, Executive Director of the Covenant with North Carolina's Children



In this update:

-CASE MANAGEMENT UPDATE
-COMPREHENSIVE SERVICE PROVIDER DEFINITION
-TOGETHER NC AND TAX MODERNIZATION
-ANNOUNCEMENTS
-STEP UP AND ACT FOR CHILDREN - 2009
-2009 MAKE A DIFFERENCE DAY
-STATE GRANT-REPORTING SYSTEM CHANGES

I hope everyone is doing well. Don't forget about the food-filled Covenant fundraisers!

1. 10/20 - NOFO at the Pig. 10% of all purchases will go to the Covenant, so this would be a good time to bring friends that like to drink and eat a lot.
2. 10/24 and 11/14 - Home-cooked meals by Jennifer Mahan, Covenant Board Chair and professionally-trained chef. Email Jennifer at mailto:Jennifer.mahan@mha-nc.orgif you're interested in attending.

CASE MANAGEMENT

As I reported in the last update, Medicaid is considering consolidating its case management services to meet budget targets that were mandated by the legislature. Last week, DMA released a proposed plan that would reduce case management costs. The following is a link to a powerpoint presentation that outlines the DMA plan: http://www.ncdhhs.gov/dma/provider/budgetinitiative/CaseMgtMeetingPresent092409.pdf.

At this point, it's unclear what the repercussions of such a plan would be. Here's how HHS characterized the cost-savings in the plan:

-Limiting the number of units of case management that may be billed in any given month for a recipient.
-Allowing only one case management provider to bill for an individual recipient in any given month.
-Implementing further rate reductions (beyond the rate reductions specifically mandated by the General Assembly).
-Implementing administrative changes to reduce the burden on providers, including paperwork reduction and reducing or eliminating requirements around Prior Authorization (PA) (not an exhaustive list).

Our biggest concern is that any attempt to consolidate specialty case management services (MH/DD/SA, Maternal Health, etc) would result in a serious decline in the quality of health care for these populations. At the bottom of this email, I've pasted a letter the Covenant sent to HHS regarding this issue. DMA will be accepting feedback through 10/5, so if you've got something to say, please say it now. When the Covenant's cadre of experts digest the plan a bit more, I'll send out another update.

COMPREHENSIVE SERVICE PROVIDER DEFINITION

HHS is sending a proposal to CMS (federal Medicaid) that would require all service providers to meet new criteria to be eligible for Medicaid payments. This could drastically reduce the number of service providers in the state in all areas of health care and mental health, which would be extremely damaging to our very fragile provider-infrastructure. The new comprehensive service provider criteria would require all providers to have an accountant with five-years of experience, to provide three 'enhanced' services, and to have a full-time psychiatrist on staff.

It's unclear as to why DHHS is doing this now. A cynical person might say that it's being driven by the small number of large service providers that would benefit from such a provider definition. As soon as we know more, I'll send out an update.

TOGETHER NC AND REVENUE MODERNIZATION

Meg Gray (Budget and Tax Center) and I did the first of several revenue modernization workshops in Asheville last week. Our goal is to educate Together NC partners on why revenue reform is so important to public programs and what that reform should look like. In the next couple of months, we'll be holding workshops in Rocky Mount, Charlotte, Greensboro, Fayetteville, Raleigh, and a couple other place TBD.

If you would like a separate presentation for your group or organization, please let me know - mailto:rob@nccovenant.org.

Also, we still expect a joint Senate and House effort to take place this fall with the goal of putting together a revenue modernization plan.


ANNOUNCEMENTS

Step up and Act for Children 2009

Child advocates across the country are planning nonpartisan events on Capitol steps the first week in October to call on federal elected officials to make children's issues a higher priority. Action for Children and partners will be calling on our leaders to commit to increased investments in children's health and early education.

Where: Old Capitol building, southside (outside), downtown Raleigh (where Fayetteville St. dead ends into Morgan St.)
When: Monday, October 5, 11:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Who: Children's performance groups (11:15-12) will include: * Hunter Elementary show choir * Hunter Elementary advanced orchestra Press event speakers (12-12:30) will include: * Marian F. Earls, M.D., President, North Carolina Pediatric Society * Stephanie Fanjul, President of the N.C. Partnership for Children, Inc (Smart Start) * Worth Hill, Durham County Sheriff * Felicia Willems, mother and advocate for children


2009 Make a Difference Day

SaySo (Strong Able Youth Speaking Out) are participating in the 2009 Make A Difference Day Campaign (MADD). MADD is Saturday, October 24, 2009. This year's theme is "Give a Child a Smile", which is the suitcase project that we have had great success with in previous years. The goal is to collect 2,500 suitcases/duffel bags for children in substitute care throughout North Carolina. If you would like to help with this year's campaign, please contact Lauren Zingraff, SaySo Program Coordinator at mailto:lauren.zingraff@ilrinc.comor 1-800-820-0001. We need your help to meet our goal of collecting 2,500 suitcases by October 24, 2009. Thank you as always for your continued support of SaySo. Your efforts are greatly appreciated!

State Grant-reporting Changes
Some of y'all have experienced problems with this change. Here's a notice from the Philanthropy Journal:
RALEIGH, N.C. - As of Aug. 31, responsibility for state grants reporting has been transferred to the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management.

The function previously was handled by the Office of the State Auditor.

To simplify reporting for nonprofits receiving state funds, the Office of State Budget and Management plans to create a new web portal for online reporting and information.

In the meantime, the online Grants Information Center will be unavailable through the end of September.
Grantees that are scheduled to report before Sept. 30 will receive an extension through Oct. 30. For assistance or information, contact the Office of State Budget and Management at mailto:ncgrants@osbm.nc.govor call 919.807.4795.


Best, Rob



Letter to HHS re case management

9/9/09

To whom it may concern,

I am writing on behalf of the Covenant with North Carolina's Children to express our concern with the potential consolidation of certain case management services. The Covenant is a coalition of over 70 service providers, advocacy organizations, and civic groups working to implement public policy that benefits children.

We understand that the Division of Medical Assistance has been required by the legislature to find unprecedented savings within case management, but we believe that many case management services provided by state agencies are too complex to consolidate and too important to lose. Specifically, we are concerned that child and maternal health, substance abuse, developmental disabilities and mental health as well as other populations and illnesses demand specific areas of expertise and an understanding of systems of care beyond the medical infrastructure. As an organization that represents North Carolina's children and families, we feel strongly that the aforementioned case management services should not be consolidated.

While the Division might save money upfront by consolidating case management in these areas, it will doubtlessly incur even greater costs when serious conditions go undiagnosed and unmanaged, and when individuals lose financial benefits or become homeless. Most importantly, the loss of these crucial case management services will lead to greater human suffering, especially when combined with the drastic cuts to other child and family programs across DHHS. We urge you to find a solution that maintains these invaluable case management services.

Thank you for your consideration. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions - mailto:rob@nccovenant.orgor 919.866.3280.

Sincerely,

Rob Thompson
Executive Director
Covenant with North Carolina's Children

The Covenant with North Carolina's Children - Fundraising Opportunities

Save the Date!

The Covenant will be holding four fundraisers over the next three months, and all of them involve delicious food!

DINNERS BY JENNIFER

On Sept. 19, Oct. 24, and Nov. 14, Jennifer Mahan, Covenant Board Chair and professionally-trained chef, will host homemade dinners where you can come fill your belly and support great advocacy for the price of a night out. To reserve a space, email Jennifer . (For the Sept. 19 dinner, please rsvp by COB Tuesday, 9/15). For more information on these dinners, scroll to the bottom of the email.

NOFO AT THE PIG

On Tuesday, October 20, Covenant staff and board members will be serving meals and drinks at the cute and tasty Nofo at the Pig . A percentage of all sales from the evening will go to support the Covenant.
Check out our Community Calendar for more information.

MORE ON JENNIFER'S DINNERS...

From September to November Jennifer Mahan is hosting a series of fundraising dinners to support The Covenant with North Carolina's Children, a non-profit advocacy group ( http://www.nccovenant.org/). Jennifer has more than a decade of professional cooking, baking and retail food experience and continues to expand her culinary skills at home. For the price of a night out, you'll have a chance to enjoy a great meal and benefit great advocacy.

The September 19th kick-off dinner is "Flavors of Asia," a selection of some of Jennifer's favorite dishes influenced by the fresh flavors of China, Thailand, Laos, and Singapore. Dishes will feature lime, sesame, curry, Thai basil, ginger and all the other fresh flavors of the land and sea from appetizer to dessert along with a selection of wine and Asian beer.

The October 24th Dinner is "Flavors of Italy," a five course dinner featuring Jennifer's grandmother's "dumpling style" ravioli with a Northern Italy twist, the infamous Italian boned stuffed chicken (an Easter favorite!) plus some new antipasti, contorni, dolci, and a selection of wines to complement the dishes.


The November 14th dinner is "Flavors of the Spice Trail," with dishes spanning the globe from Morocco to the Middle East to India featuring exotic spices and flavors to tempt your taste buds. Take a culinary world tour from starters to main course to dessert, along with a selection of beverages. Price: $40 donation per person to The Covenant with NC's Children or the Covenant with NC's Children Education Fund (tax-deductible as the law allows) Seating is limited! Please contact mailto:jennifer.mahan@mha-nc.orgto RSVP . We ask that cash or check payment accompany RSVP within one week to secure your seat. All dinners will take place in Jennifer's home in Apex, NC. Dress is casual. Directions will be sent when donation and RSVP are confirmed. Some, but not all, dietary restrictions can be accommodated. Please send a message with your request to Jennifer at the above address.

Legislative Updates from The Covenant with North Carolina's Children

Provided by Stacey Massengill, NCSPA Legislative and Public Policy Committee Member


The Covenant with North Carolina’s Children is a coalition of over 60 civic groups, professional associations, advocacy organizations and service providers who have formed a covenant by promising together to advance public policy to benefit children in North Carolina and to put children and youth first in our public and private lives. NCSPA is a part of this coalition and the Legislative Committee would like to share with you some of the updates provided to us by this organization.


Legislative Update: 9/3/09

I. BUDGET CUTS
II. CASE MANAGEMENT UPDATE
III. CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE TEAM
IV. EARLY CHILDHOOD UPDATE
V. PROGRAM EVALUATION OF CHILD AND YOUTH PROGRAMS
VI. TOGETHER NC UPDATE
VII. COVENANT CALENDAR
VIII. ANNOUNCEMENT

BUDGET CUTS

As you are all aware, numerous child and family programs had their funding slashed in the new state budget. We'll be monitoring what kind of impacts these cuts have in communities around North Carolina. Additionally, the legislature charged DHHS to find hundreds of millions of dollars in unspecified cuts, so we'll also keep a close on eye on where and how the Department chooses to cut costs.

Please let us know what is going on in your community and your area of work, so that we can help to create and implement solutions (or at least mitigate the damage). Below are some repercussions from the new budget that we are already experiencing.

CASE MANAGEMENT

The new budget requires Medicaid to cut case management services by over $40 million this fiscal year and over $70 million in the next fiscal year. The legislature justified this cut by citing the fact that many people have multiple case managers and that these services could be provided more efficiently by one case manager working across service areas. While this makes sense superficially, it's proving to be extremely problematic.

Many case management services - such as child and maternal care, HIV/AIDS, mental health and substance abuse - require specific expertise and direct involvement in the care of patients. Consolidating these services would result in a dramatic reduction in the quality of care. While nothing has been decided, it appears that the Division of Medical Assistance plans to include these services in the consolidation. Stakeholders within DHHS are currently meeting to try to resolve the situation, and we expect to have a final answer within a couple of weeks.

CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE TEAM

We learned earlier this week that WakeMed has eliminated the Child Sexual Abuse Team, citing budget restraints. The Child Sexual Abuse Team evaluates potential victims of sexual abuse to ensure proper treatment. More on this to come when we find out more.

EARLY CHILDHOOD

This is a pretty big deal - it appears that the federal government will not allow the state to use money from the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) to supplant state funding for child care quality initiatives. Translated into English, this means that the state cannot use this specific pot of federal dollars (CCDF) to replace state funding of child care quality projects, including the TEACH program. Unfortunately, that's exactly what we did in the new state budget. It is my understanding that this jeopardizes the entirety of federal CCDF dollars, which fund large portions of our early childhood infrastructure. DHHS is currently working to figure out a solution, and I'll keep you updated as the situation progresses.

Additionally, we are monitoring the nine person task force to study consolidating early childhood programs, including Smart Start and More at Four. This task force will include three Senators, three House members, and three members appointed by the Governor. We learned yesterday that Stephanie Fanjul, Executive Director of the NC Partnership for Children, will be one of the Governor's appointees. As soon as other appointments are made and meetings are set, we'll let you know.

TOGETHER NC UPDATE

Here's an abbreviated version of the most recent Together NC update:

TOGETHER NC COALITION MEETINGS

Through the fall, Meg and I, along with other Together NC organizers, will be traveling across the state to conduct local Together NC meetings. We plan to work with local partners on creating an appropriate agenda, but two primary goals include: 1. Gathering feedback on this summer's coalition efforts; 2. Educating the staff, board, and constituent groups on what revenue reform looks like and why it's important to progressive causes.

These meetings will likely begin in late September and continue through November. We'll send out a specific list of locations as we finalize the events.

Lastly, if you have any board, membership, or constituent meetings where you'd like a speaker, please let us know and we'll do our best to get someone there. We'd love the opportunity to talk about challenges and opportunities around our state's budget and fiscal outlook.

BRAC

The governor convened her Budget Reform and Accountability Commission (BRAC) for the first time last week. The Commission's goal is to consolidate and streamline state services to achieve cost savings while at the same protecting the core mission of state services and programs. We will begin discussions this fall with Together NC partners about how we want to participate in and influence BRAC recommendations.

COVENANT CALENDAR

As I'm sure everyone has seen, the Covenant launched a new website in August - http://www.nccovenant.org/. Whoo hoo!

A exciting feature of the website is a community calendar where Covenant members can go to check out upcoming events and to publicize their own events. We've already got a few events posted, but we'd sure love to have more. To see the calendar, go to http://www.nccovenant.org/index.php?option=com_jcalpro&view=calendar&Itemid=37.

2010-2011 Budget Summary Provided by NC Covenant for the Children

Below is a summary of key child and family budget items. Please let me know if you have any questions about any of these cuts or if you have a question about a program that you do not see on this list. Also, this summary does not cover the special provisions in the budget bill, which have a significant impact on how these cuts will be implemented.
For a line-by-line summary of the HHS, Public Education, and Juvenile Justice budgets, go to Action for Children's website, www.ncchild.org .

BIG PICTURE -

In both public education and health and human services, the legislature leaves massive cuts to be made by state and local administrators. In some ways, this is good, because these administrators often have a better understanding of which cuts will do the least damage. On the other hand, legislators could be putting these folks in an impossible place - assigning them with so much money to make up that they cannot keep up basic operations. What we know is that lots of specific cuts will come out over the next several months as state and local officials are forced to make these decisions.

Also, large amounts of nonrecurring revenue, mostly federal stimulus money, is used to pay for recurring expenses. This means that when the stimulus money runs out after 2011, we'll have a large structural deficit waiting for us. It's hard to fault legislators for doing this given the severity of the budget shortfall, but it will be an issue we'll have to deal with down the road.

FY10 Departmental Budget Changes:

Public Education: 10% overall budget cut

Juvenile Justice: 16% overall budget cut

Health and Human Services: 30% overall budget cut
-Blind, Deaf / Hard of Hearing Services: 25% budget cut
-Child Development: 16% budget cut
-Medical Assistance (Medicaid): 37% budget cut
-MH/DD/SA: 19% budget cut
-Public Health: 17% budget cut
-Social Services: 12% budget cut
-Health Choice: 12% budget EXPANSION!

PUBLIC EDUCATION

LEA Adjustment - this one is very important. The legislature chose NOT to mandate increased class size and in fact requires LEAs to keep K-3 class size at current levels. However, they are leaving the LEAs with the unpleasant task of administering huge cuts in their districts. It's inevitable that this cut will result in fewer teachers, teachers' assistants, and classroom resources. FY10 ($225 million); FY11 ($304,774,366) recurring

Textbooks - the legislature phases in a complete moratorium on new textbook adoptions by FY11. FY10 ($47,977,278) nonrecurring; FY11 ($115,410,044) nonrecurring

Central Office Administration - this line item cuts funding to LEAs for district staff. FY10 and FY11 ($14,613,199) recurring

More at Four - this is only half of what we thought it could be, so good news here. FY10 and FY11 ($5 million) recurring

Support for struggling students - this line item eliminates funding for children who score low on certain state tests. FY10 and FY11 ($38,339,798) recurring

Literacy Coaches - eliminates funding for all literacy coaches. FY10 and FY11 ($12,034,400) recurring

Funding Reductions to non-profit support organizations - FY10 ($4,594,519); FY11 ($6,702,953) recurring

Dropout Prevention Grants - This allocation creates a competitive grant program for projects that address dropout prevention. FY10 and FY11 $13,000,000 recurring (yep, that's right, an increase!)

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Division of Child Development

Child Care Subsidies - damaging reduction to child care subsidies. FY10 and FY11 ($15,186,301) recurring

Smart Start - I thought this was going to be worse. FY10 ($15,965,000); FY11 ($16,330,000) recurring

MH/DD/SA

Eliminates 350 positions within the Division (unclear which ones). FY10 and FY11 ($12,858,290) recurring

CAP/MR-DD Reduction - FY10 and FY11 ($16,000,000) recurring

State Funded Services - this line item reduces funding for services provided by LMEs. FY10 and FY11 ($40,000,000) recurring

Crisis Services - this line item provides funding for inpatient capacity at community hospitals. FY10 and FY11 $12,000,000 recurring (another increase!)

Public Health

AIDS Drug Assistance - reduces funds to purchase AIDS drugs. FY10 and FY11 ($3,074,119) nonrecurring

Contracts - the legislature eliminates funding for the collection and analysis of data concerning infants and children, and it reduces funding for three contracts that have "unobligated funds." They do not specify which contracts.

More Contracts - Reduces the appropriation for public health contracts that: do not meet the Division's core mission; do not provide a direct service; have had unobligated funds in the past; have failed to meet past goals. FY10 and FY11 ($4,010,072) recurring

Infant mortality, birth defects, and teen pregnancy prevention - the legislature allocates an additional $1.4 million to these efforts. (all nonrecurring)

Health Choice - Provides funds to increase enrollment by 7% in FY10 and 3% in FY11 - $17,096,952 and $21,942,732, respectively. The legislature also imposes co-pays for prescription drugs and non-emergency hospital visits.

Division of Social Services

Work First - cash assistance for struggling families is reduced. FY10 and FY11 ($7,178,459) recurring

Child Advocacy Centers funding reduction - FY10 and FY11 ($200,000) recurring

Foster Care and Adoption assistance - the line item says this reduction reflects greater federal funding, but there is no specific replacement. FY10 ($2,840,235) nonrecurring and FY11 ($1,452,537) nonrecurring

State Aid to Counties - FY10 and FY11 ($5,473,985) nonrecurring

Eliminates funding for child support offices - FY11 ($4,082,811)

Child Welfare Collaborative - $900,000 increase for FY10!

Medicaid

Provider Rate Reductions - These rate reductions will be administered at the discretion of the Secretary. FY10 ($76,440,896) recurring and FY11 ($82,261,586) recurring.

Community Support reduction - FY10 ($65,000,000) and FY11 ($97,500,000), both recurring.

Level III and IV group homes - this cut is significantly less than what was in the most recent House budget. FY10 ($15,860,960) recurring and FY11 ($22,554,622).

Consolidate Case Management - FY10 ($41,029,684) recurring and FY11 ($72,907,230) recurring.

Freeze CAP slots - FY10 ($6,646,956) recurring and FY11 ($7,274,842) recurring.

JUVENILE JUSTICE

Eliminates the Center for the Prevention of School Violence - FY10 and FY11 ($481,225) recurring

Eliminate funding for the Governor's 1 on 1 program - FY10 and FY11 ($1,645,545) recurring

Eliminate Support our Students program - FY10 and FY11 ($6,627,532) recurring

No additional funding for Juvenile Crime Prevention Councils

Samarkand YDC is closed; Dobbs stays open

ANOTHER BUDGET UPDATE FROM THE COVENANT

Early Saturday morning, the House passed its budget proposal, which included a $784 million revenue package that will mitigate some of the worst cuts. The original revenue package would have generated about $940 million, but members of the House Finance Committee voted to eliminate additional taxes on tobacco products, beer, and wine. The final revenue package includes the following: an expanded sales tax base that will include more services; a quarter cent increase in the sales tax rate; two additional top income tax brackets; the elimination of some corporate loopholes; and, an increased liquor tax.

Below are some key restorations that came as a result of the revenue package:

Education:

-Maintains K-3 classroom sizes at current levels
-Low wealth funds for counties
-At risk student funding

Division of Child Development:

-Cuts in child care rates were fully restored
-The Smart Start cut was reduced from $25 million to $5 million

Health Choice:

-The proposed enrollment freeze is lifted
-The ER co-pay is eliminated

DSS:

-Funding for Child Advocacy Centers is fully restored
-State aid to counties for work-first is fully restored
-Foster care and adoption assistance is fully restored

Public Health:

-Early hearing program - fully restored
-2 nd dose of the chicken pox vaccine - fully restored
-Oral health program - fully restored
-Public health contracts - $5 million of $10.5 million cut restored

Medicaid:

-Provider reimbursement rate - rate is reduced by 3% instead of 5.5%
-PT/OT/ST - fully restored
-Adult optical and dental - fully restored
-Orthotics and prosthetics - fully restored

Mental Health:

-MH/DD/SA state funded services are fully restored ($50 million cut proposed)
-CAP/MR-DD state supplemental funds - cut reduced from $16 million to $8 million

Covenant Legislative Updates:

H88 - Healthy Youth Act (Sex-ed)

A group of Senators have come up with a piece of compromise legislation that limits parental choice and diminishes the comprehensive program. The bill was pulled off of the floor last week, and is scheduled to be heard this Tuesday.

H442 - Parental Involvement in School Discipline (corporal punishment)

The Senate Education Committee passed the bill last week. It was a contentious hearing with a very close vote. The bill was debated on the floor of the Senate, but due to opposition from all Republicans and some Democrats, the bill was not voted on. It is now scheduled to be heard on 6/24.

S526 / H548 - School Violence Prevention Act (Bullying Bill)

The House Judiciary I Committee will hear the bill this Tuesday with a floor vote later in the week. We don't expect the Committee vote to be a problem, but we know that the vote on the House floor will be extremely close.

OTHER COVENANT AGENDA BILLS

H177, Healthy Families and Healthy Workplaces Act (Paid sick-days) has now been heard in both the Senate and House Commerce Committees, which is a great step forward for this needed policy. We hope to get a study bill on this issue by the end of session.

H656 / S666 - MH Proceedings / No Restraint - This bill would prevent the shackling of youth during MH hearings. It's been referred to the House Judiciary II Committee and the Senate Judiciary I Committee. Unclear where this will go.

H783 - Study Comm. / Youth Aging Out of Foster Care (Adams, M. Alexander, Earle, Wiley). This bill passed out of the Juvenile Justice Committee last week and will move the House Rules Committee.

H804, an Act to Amend the Personal Education Plan Statute, passed the House the week before last. In short, this legislation would facilitate greater parental involvement in the education of their children. Thanks to Angella Dunston at the NC Justice Center for her work getting this bill passed.

H1414 - Youth Accountability Act

This bill would raise the age of juvenile court jurisdiction from 16 to 18, so that the state doesn't automatically prosecute 16 and 17 year-olds as adults (we're the only state in the country that still does this).

Unclear when this bill will come back up.


PASSED BILLS

Senate Passes Due Process / Suspension Bill

H218 / S737 - Parental and Student Educational Involvement Act (Due process for long-term suspensions and expulsions).

Yea! The bill has now passed both chambers and is headed to the Governor's desk. Kudos to the ACLU and others for their great work on this bill.

Financial Literacy Bill Passes Both Chambers

H817 / S1019, Establish NC Financial Literacy Council, have passed their respective chambers and seem likely to become law very soon. Kudos to Action for Children for its leadership on this issue.

Anti-Smoking Bill Wins Final Passage

The House voted to approve the Senate's version of the secondhand smoking bill, which would ban smoking in all restaurants and bars across the state. This is a great victory for the health of children and families in North Carolina. The Governor is expected to sign the bill into law on Tuesday morning. Cheers to the NC Alliance for Health, the American Cancer Society, and the American Heart Association for the hard (and smart) work on this bill.

Legislative Updates from The Covenant with North Carolina's Children

Provided by Stacey Massengill, NCSPA Legislative and Public Policy Committee Member

The Covenant with North Carolina’s Children is a coalition of over 60 civic groups, professional associations, advocacy organizations and service providers who have formed a covenant by promising together to advance public policy to benefit children in North Carolina and to put children and youth first in our public and private lives. NCSPA is a part of this coalition and the Legislative Committee would like to share with you some of the updates provided to us by this organization.


Legislative Update - 6/8/09

BUDGET UPDATE

The House still hasn't included a revenue package in their budget, but momentum is moving in the right direction. It's fair to say that the Covenant and our allies have had a good bit to do with this change of course. Last Thursday, at the Durham Together NC Town Hall meeting, State Rep. Paul Luebke had this to say:

"Let me say first of all that because of events like this and events that have been happening around the state, and generally just a barrage of emails that have been coming in to members of the General Assembly, there is a growing consensus now that revenue must be raised. This was really not the case even 10 days ago."

If a revenue package is approved, we expect it to include a small increase in the tobacco tax, an increase in the liquor tax, a temporary increase in the sales tax, and an additional top income tax bracket. The package would raise about $1 billion, which will mitigate some of the worst cuts, but this budget will still be painful. It's also unclear as to whether or not the House will approve a revenue package before they pass the crazy, draconian budget proposal currently on the table.

Your legislators still need to hear from you! They are going to be flooded with emails telling them not to raise revenue, so we need to keep up the pressure. Click on the link below to tell your House member to take a balanced solution to the state budget:

http://capwiz.com/cwncc/issues/alert/?alertid=13453506

BUDGET CUTS

Action for Children has put together three extremely helpful documents that show the Governor's, Senate's, and House's proposed budget cuts side-by-side. To take a look, follow the links below:

HHS
http://www.ncchild.org/action/images/stories/PDFs/Budget/Long%20Session%202009-10%20HHS%206_5_09.pdf

EDUCATION
http://www.ncchild.org/action/images/stories/PDFs/Budget/Long%20Session%202009-10%20Public%20Education_6_5_09.pdf

JUVENILE JUSTICE
http://www.ncchild.org/action/images/stories/PDFs/Budget/Long%20Session%202009-10%20Juvenile%20Justice%206_5_09.pdf

ON THE MOVE

H88 - Healthy Youth Act (Sex-ed)

A group of Senators have come up with a piece of compromise legislation that limits parental choice and diminishes the comprehensive program. Bad. Please encourage your Senator to move a sound, comprehensive sexual education bill - http://eqfed.org/campaign/hya3(action alert courtesy of Equality NC).

H1414 - Youth Accountability Act

This bill would raise the age of juvenile court jurisdiction from 16 to 18, so that the state doesn't automatically prosecute 16 and 17 year-olds as adults (we're the only state in the country that still does this).

This bill will be heard in the full Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, June 10 - we expect a close vote.

H442 - Parental Involvement in School Discipline (corporal punishment)

The full House passed this bill by a whopping 91-24 vote. The Senate Education Committee should here the bill on Tuesday, 6/10.

S526 / H548 - School Violence Prevention Act (Bullying Bill)

The House Education Committee approved the Bullying Bill last week with no harmful amendments. We expect that Judiciary I will take up the bill this week with a possible floor vote by Thursday.

OTHER COVENANT AGENDA BILLS

H177, Healthy Families and Healthy Workplaces Act (Paid sick-days) didn't pass the House, but we think we might be able to get a study commission on the issue.

UPDATED - H539 - Merge Smart Start / More at Four (NOTE - this is not a Covenant agenda bill, but it is extremely important to the future of early childhood care in the state). It doesn't look like this will happen on the House side in the budget process. While they've proposed a large cut to More at Four, they don't seem intent on merging the programs. However, we don't know what will happen when the House and Senate start on their budget negotiations.

H656 / S666 - MH Proceedings / No Restraint - This bill would prevent the shackling of youth during MH hearings. It's been referred to the House Judiciary II Committee and the Senate Judiciary I Committee.

H783 - Study Comm. / Youth Aging Out of Foster Care (Adams, M. Alexander, Earle, Wiley). This bill passed out of the Juvenile Justice Committee last week and will move the House Rules Committee.

H804, an Act to Amend the Personal Education Plan Statute, passed the House the week before last. In short, this legislation would facilitate greater parental involvement in the education of their children. Thanks to Angella Dunston at the NC Justice Center for her work getting this bill passed.

PASSED BILLS

Senate Passes Due Process / Suspension Bill

H218 / S737 - Parental and Student Educational Involvement Act (Due process for long-term suspensions and expulsions).

Yea! The bill has now passed both chambers and is headed to the Governor's desk. Kudos to the ACLU and others for their great work on this bill.

Financial Literacy Bill Passes Both Chambers

H817 / S1019, Establish NC Financial Literacy Council, have passed their respective chambers and seem likely to become law very soon. Kudos to Action for Children for its leadership on this issue.

Anti-Smoking Bill Wins Final Passage

The House voted to approve the Senate's version of the secondhand smoking bill, which would ban smoking in all restaurants and bars across the state. This is a great victory for the health of children and families in North Carolina. The Governor is expected to sign the bill into law on Tuesday morning. Cheers to the NC Alliance for Health, the American Cancer Society, and the American Heart Association for the hard (and smart) work on this bill.


Legislative Update - 6/10/09

The House Finance Committee just passed merged the revenue proposal and the appropriations bill. So, we now have a budget bill that is ready for a House floor vote tomorrow.

Follow the link below to see the legislation:

http://www.ncleg.net/sessions/2009/budget/2009/S202-ASVxf-21.pdf

Go to page 25 to see what cuts were restored as a result of the tax package, which totaled around $900 million.

To be clear, this debate is not over. HOUSE MEMBERS NEED TO KNOW THAT THEY MUST RAISE REVENUE. PLEASE TAKE ACTION NOW! http://capwiz.com/cwncc/issues/alert/?alertid=13453506

NCSPA Newsletter Article

The legislature convened 12:00 Noon, on January 28th. Our Lobbyist, Steve Shaber talked to Representatives Rick Glazier, Doug Youngue, and Maggie Jeffus, who all have shown us support in the past. While we are not sure exactly who will sponsor our bill this session, we plan on reintroducing the bill in conjunction with NCAE. The bill, an act to establish a salary schedule rate increase for certified personnel of the public school who are paid on the advanced degree (sixth year) or doctorate degree salary schedule, will be pursued despite the projected 2 billion dollar state budget shortfall. We are staying positive, while recognizing that this will be a difficult year not only for state institutions, but also for those of us who are paid by those institutions. Stay tuned, and read our Legislative Blog, accessible through the NCSPA website to obtain the most up to date information as the 2009 legislative session gets underway.

In other news, the legislative and public policy committee needs your help. If you are interested in making contacts with your legislators or being involved in the exciting changes facing our profession, please contact Chris Tufts, ctufts@wcpss.net. As a profession, we have a great deal to offer our legislators, who are concerned about the future and welfare of the students in our schools. They want to hear from us on issues that we know about.