Get Involved!

How can you get involved? Advocacy is needed at all levels--local, state and federal--for our vulnerable youth. 

Here are a list of resources to get you started:
-Texans Care for Children: http://texanscareforchildren.org/Get-Involved
-Voices: http://www.voices.org/take-action/americas-kids-americas-future/
-Get involved in a child's life. Mentor a child in need through Big Brothers, Big Sisters
-Be informed! Sign up to receive emails and updates from the Kids Count program through the Center for Public
 Policy Priorities
-Join the Texas Chip Coalition in their efforts to strengthen Children's Medicaid and CHIP programs in Texas

A need for social workers

There is an extensive amount of research on early childhood development and the long-term benefits of high-quality early childhood intervention programs (click here for a list of articles). This research is staring policymakers in the face, however they still continue to cut from the programs that are in place only to benefit the underprivileged, developmentally delayed and at risk youth of our nation. They cut funds but expect more work by increasing service hour requirements and in the same breath decrease monetary resources. The policymakers create barriers not only to the implementation but also to the access of early childhood programs by forcing agencies into restrictive eligibility criteria.

Many different children benefit from the services of ECI, from children with developmental delays to children who have been abused or neglected to children of different ethnicities. Linette Azzi-Lessing, PhD explains, "the Federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) requires child welfare systems to refer infant and toddler victims of maltreatment for assessment by early intervention programs. CAPTA's intent is to identify and begin addressing developmental delays and other conditions as early as possible." Minorities--Latino and African American children--are overrepresented among young children with disabilities, which stems from socioeconomic issues around access to health care, nutrition and prenatal care. According to Azzi-Lessing social workers' presence in the field of early intervention is dwindling. Social workers bring vast knowledge and experience around child development as well as advocacy. Social workers need to stand up and "educate policy makers about the importance of extending early intervention services to young children affected by social and emotional risk factors such as poverty and maternal depression (Azzi-Lessing). We as social workers need to stand up and advocate for policies that benefit youth as well as get involved with early childhood programs to ensure the implementation of family-centered and culturally competent services.

NECTAC clearing house
Growing Together

Update on ECI cuts:

Josette Saxton--Mental Health Policy Associate and Texans Care For Children advocate--updates us on the dire situation around ECI funding in this recent email:
"The House passed a budget that would reduce funding for ECI by $35m in the next biennium, compared to its current base budget. Because of reduced funding, DARS will need to narrow eligibility requirements in order to serve fewer children. Although the Senate Finance Committee was originally looking to fund ECI at current levels, it instead voted out a budget that would reduce funding for ECI by $30m. While this is more than is being proposed by the House, the Senate Finance Committee also inserted a rider that, if included in the final budget, directs DARS to increase direct service hours to 3 hrs on average each month (current average is 2). This means DARS will have to narrow eligibility even more than under the House proposal. The estimate I've heard associated with the Senate proposal is that DARS would be able to serve around 23,500 children in ECI, compared to serving over 30,000 children today. The full Senate is expected to vote on the Senate Finance Committee's proposed budget later this week, with few if any changes to the committee's recommendations.  The next step will be for a conference committee, made up from 5 members from House and Senate each, who will hash out the differences between the two proposals."

Effects of ECI cuts

The need for Early Childhood intervention services continues to dramatically increase. We know that healthy care in the first 5 years of a child's life is crucial to their development. Bruce Perry M.D. Ph.D, Senior fellow of Child Trauma Academy, reveals that we are born with an undeveloped brain. During the development of the brain it "oganizes and grows in a sequential fashion" starting with the brain stem. If the child experiences chronic or traumatic stress in the first years of life their brain can become "sensitized, overreactive and dysfunctional" (Bruce Perry). Early intervention with this population of children is crucial in identifying possible delays and stressors due to delays in a child's development. According to Department of Assistive and Rehavilitative Services ECI has been growing around 7% annually. As the number of children needing ECI services increases the budget has remained stagnate creating a gap between service needs and service delivery. With a budget that is shrinking fewer special needs children are being served which inevitably costs the state more money down the road. ECI services are designed to provide upfront services early on which will help offset later costs in special education, diagnostic services, disability services, and juvenile justice services.
Another service provided through ECI is respite care. Respite care is a support service for families to get a needed break to run errands, work or just relax. The funding for respite care has remained the same over the years even with the increasing number of children ECI has served. The ECI program recieves federal funding from the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), which mandates that they provide services to all eligible children. DARS reports the ECI service system at the present time is "not sustainable and may not be delivering the benefits to children and families that lessen their dependence on special education and other state services over time." (Dept. of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services.

(DARS) 2012-2013 Legislative Appropriations Request
Bruce Perry Neurosequential Model

Kids, Cuts, & the Texas Budget - Thursday, April 28th, 2011, 2:00 - 4:00pm

A great way to get involved in this cause!:


SAVE THE DATE!
Kids, Cuts, & the Texas Budget
April 28th 2011 | 2:00 - 4:00

An exciting symposium on Kids, Public Policy, & The Texas Budget is coming
your way!  The Texas legislature is proposing making huge cuts to public
education, children's health insurance, and many other services that kids
need.  Texas' budget this time around is going to have a huge impact on kids
in Texas.  Join Jane Burstain, Ph.D, and Frances Deviney, Ph.D, from the
Center for Public Policy Priorities, and Sue Milam from NASW Texas, as they
discuss what budget cuts mean for Texas kids, and what you can do about it.
Refreshments will be provided, and the first 20 to sign up will earn free
CEUs!

For more information, contact Bernard Klinke (Klinke@cppp.org).

Cuts to Texas CHIP in the All-Too-Recent-Past

            Eight years ago, in 2003, Texas experienced a budget crisis due to a shortfall of about $10 billion. Legislators targeted CHIP in an effort to make up for the deficit, by tightening eligibility requirements and raising premiums. The result? 130,000 children (25% of total state enrollment) were kicked out of the program. Texas Monthly reporter Jim Atkinson examines the impacts of dropping so many kids from CHIP in State of Emergency:

            Atkinson writes about his observations at the emergency room of the Children’s Medical Center Dallas – “the busiest pediatric emergency department in the country.” In speaking with one of the main doctors at the hospital, Dr. Thomas Abramo, Atkinson discovers that a direct result of the cuts to CHIP has been a significant increase in the number of patients who come to the hospital for nonemergencies, like upset stomachs, colds, and asthma attacks. Parents with uninsured children feel that they have nowhere else to turn when their kids are hurt or sick but the emergency room, which is legally obligated to treat them. At the time this article was written, in 2004, Children’s Medical Center in Dallas had experienced a 17 percent increase in the number of patients it treated since 2000 – from 90,000 to 105,000 per year. One nurse notes that waiting times can last up to twelve hours.

            After thousands of children were forced out of CHIP, the financial burden of medical care shifted from the program to the hospitals themselves. Children’s Medical Center estimates that “the amount that the hospital spends out of its own pocket on patients who have no insurance has more than doubled over the past decade.” Furthermore, it costs everyone more money when thousands of children and families skip the doctor’s visits (because they feel like they cannot afford them), and wait until their health deteriorates and requires urgent attention: “The shift from preventative care to emergency care is driving up the cost of health-care premiums statewide.”

            In perhaps the most poignant section of his story, Atkinson writes:

“Cases like these have created a sort of negative feedback loop: More and more uninsured children show up at the ER with minor problems, which drives up the cost of everybody else’s health care, which drives more children  out of the health-care system.”

This terrible cycle has a very negative effect on hospital finances, since they bear the burden that CHIP once did. Serving so many uninsured patients who cannot pay the hospital bills means a dip in revenue that the facility brings in. It is as unsustainable as it is humane.

            These examples of the negative consequences of forcing 130,000 Texas children out of the Children’s Health Insurance Program must be kept in mind as our legislators grapple with the difficult questions of what to cut in order to make up for our state’s now $27 billion dollar shortfall – nearly 3 times as much as it was back in 2003. The cuts to be made will be much deeper, and certainly have more far-reaching implications. May CHIP escape the worst of these cuts.

Source:  Atkinson, Jim. (2004). Texas Monthly. Retrieved from http://www.texasmonthly.com/2004-10-01/reporter2.php

More on Texas Children’s Health from the Center for Public Policy Priorities

            The Center for Public Policy Priorities (CPPP) reports that as of October 2010, over 2.8 million children in Texas are insured through Children’s Medicaid, CHIP, or the CHIP Perinatal Program. Here’s the breakdown:

·        Children’s Medicaid: 2.3 million

·        CHIP: over 526,000

·        CHIP Perinatal: over 18,000

That’s one in every three children receiving public health coverage. There are two clear implications from this data – There are a lot of poor children and families in Texas, and public health insurance programs are extremely important and should not be the target of any budget cuts! CPPP argues that Medicaid and CHIP are some of “the most important anti-poverty and public health programs we have” in the state of Texas.

            The worldwide economic downturn that began in 2008 has not been kind to families and businesses in the U.S. Over the past three years, more and more Texas businesses have opted not to offer health insurance to their employees in an effort to cut costs. As a result, more children around the state have been unable to access insurance. In 2000, 57% of children received coverage through a parent’s plan; in 2009, it was down to 48%. We can only guess that this number has declined further, as economic conditions have worsened. This means that CHIP and Medicaid are important and indispensable programs for the children of our state! Cuts in these programs would have devastating consequences.

            The Texas Tribune reports, though, that a federal healthcare bill passed in March of this year “would prohibit states from dropping kids off the Children’s Health Insurance Program and Medicaid until 2019,” thus saving those children who would otherwise be cut immediately when funds are not allocated to the programs. Though this would be a clear advantage for beneficiaries, there are potential disadvantages (financially) for the state of Texas. Click here to listen to the report.

Well-being of Texas Children: Positives and Negatives

The Center for Public Policy Priorities is doing important research on the impacts of state policy on Texas’ children. The Austin, Texas think tank regularly releases comprehensive national, state, and local (by county or large cities) data and reports on the well-being of children across the Lone Star State.

One particularly informative annual report is The State of Texas Children. For this year’s recently released report, click here. Here are some statistics from the report that we found especially disturbing:

·        For the past 11 years, Texas has had the highest rate of uninsured children (19%) in the United States – and it continues to hold steady at the “top.” This means that nearly 1 in every 5 children in our state does not have health coverage. The national average is 11%.

·        Almost 1 out of every 4 Texas children is living in poverty

·        Children constitute 25% of Texas’ population – but constitute 40% of all impoverished individuals in the state

·        Recently, Texas was ranked:

o       34^th in overall child well-being

o       43^rd in child poverty

o       48^th in rates of teen pregnancy

o       Tied for last in food insecurity (term used to describe families who do not know where their next meal will come from)

·        From 2008 to 2009, the state experienced an unprecedented increase of children living in poverty: 163,000

In the uphill battle to provide public health insurance for more children in Texas and nation-wide, there are also some positives:

·        Over 2008 and 2009, the state lowered the overall rate of uninsured children. It did so by dedicating more resources (both human and financial) to the cause, ensuring greater ease and access in the sign-up process for public health insurance programs (CHIP and Medicaid).

·        Healthcare reform, which has taken place under the Obama administration, has significant positive implications for children:

o       “New reforms have ended discrimination against sick children.”

o       “Reform promotes preventive treatment, prohibits lifetime limits and denying children coverage based on a preexisting condition, will prohibit insurance companies from charging more for kids with health conditions, and strengthens the health insurance families already have.”

·        HB 2474 (authored by Rep. Marisa Marquez) proposes to raise CHIP income eligibility to 300% (it is currently 200%) of the Federal Poverty Level. 2011 FPL guidelines indicate that, for a family of three, 300% of the FPL is equivalent to $55,590/year. On March 18, 2011, the bill was first read and then referred to Public Health. As of April 25, the bill was still in committee.

Early Childhood Intervention intro and cuts

Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) is a "statewide program for families with children, birth to three, with disabilities and developmental delays" (Texans Care for Children). ECI uses a family centered approach and much of their services are provided in the home. The services available through the ECI program can include:
Assistive Technology: Services & Devices, Audiology, Developmental Services, Early Identification, Screening & Assessment, Family Counseling, Family Education, Medical Services (diagnostic or evaluation services used to determine eligibility), Nursing Services, Nutrition Services, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Psychological Services, Service Coordination, Social Work Services, Speech-Language Therapy, Vision Services.
(DARS)
According to Texans Care for Children think tank, as of April 14, 2011 the Senate Finance Committee has backed the house of representatives with the decision to cut Early Childhood Intervention by $30 million. Amy Patterson, program director of Bright Beginnings ECI center in San Antonio, testified in front of a house appropriations sub-committee meeting on February 14, 2011. She shared that ECI caseloads have been growing year after year, the number of children that ECI serves has grown year to year. Now due to the massive budget cuts these caseloads will be halted and thousands of children will be cut and even more will be turned away. In order to accomodate for less funding agencies have to re-evaluate their eligibility requirements and narrow their eligibility criteria in order to serve less children in need. As an agency who works directly with the most underpriviliged, delayed and vulnerable young children how do you decide who to cut from the program?
Amy Patterson YouTube

An Introduction to Children's Medicaid

Children’s Medicaid is a free public health insurance program for children in low-income families.

In order to qualify, one must be:

• Age 18 or under
• A Texas resident
• A U.S. Citizen or Legal Permanent Resident
• Live in a family that earns an income of 100% of the Federal Poverty Line or less
• For example, a family of three is eligible to apply for Children’s Medicaid if it earns an annual income of $18,530 or less

The vast majority of Medicaid beneficiaries in Texas are children. Here is a breakdown of the percentage of total Medicaid recipients in 2009, by age:

• 0-5:      35%
• 6-14:    30%
• 15-20:    5%
• 21-64:  17%
• 65+:       6%

It is clear, from these statistics, that Medicaid covers a significant amount of low-income children in the state of Texas. As of October 2010, 2.3 million children were enrolled in the program…and the numbers continue to steadily increase each month.

            As for coverage, “children…are eligible to receive a broader array of health care services than commercial health insurance policies or Medicaid services for adults typically offer. Medicaid for children provides certain health care services including long-term physical, occupational, and speech therapies, and comprehensive dental services.” Click here to see a full list of benefits offered to children through the Medicaid program.

            As our legislators debate whether or not to cut funds from the state’s Medicaid and CHIP programs, we hope they will consider this statement, from the Texas CHIP Coalition:

“Medicaid and CHIP bring billions of federal matching dollars to Texas that support the direct provision of health care services and help to sustain local economies. Across-the-board reductions in these safety net programs would directly diminish the well-being of Texas families and the Texas economy.”

We’ll leave you with a couple more sobering facts about the importance of the Medicaid program for children in the state of Texas:

• More than half of all Texas births are paid for by Children’s Medicaid. 
• Medicaid “is the only source of coverage for children with serious disabilities.” (Source: The Center for Public Policy Priorities)

Q & A: CHIP, From a Local Mom’s Perspective

Stacy (name has been changed to protect privacy) lives in the greater Austin area and has 2 children: a 3-year old and a 9-month old infant. Both her children have been covered by CHIP for several months now, through the Seton CHIP program. Here are some questions I asked about her experience with the program, and her answers:

Q:  How did you first hear about CHIP?

A:  I guess I always sort of knew about it, because I worked at a doctor’s office in the past. But I didn’t consider applying until I talked to a friend whose two children were on CHIP. I decided to apply then. I first applied when I was pregnant with my second child, but was turned down because our family made too much money. I continued to apply several more times after he was born, and finally began receiving coverage.

Q:  Did your children have health insurance before you got CHIP?

A:  Yes, they were on an independent insurance program with me (Blue Cross, Blue Shield), but had to be off of it for 90 days before CHIP would cover them. If we had been paying around $1,000 in order to be insured through my husband’s employer, CHIP would have considered us an emergency case and immediately begun coverage. But since we weren’t, the kids had to be uninsured for about three months.

Q:  When did you first begin receiving coverage?

A:  After our second child was born. It’s been about three months.

Q:  How did you apply?

A:  We applied online, and also talked to someone over the phone during the application process.

Q:  How easy or difficult was it to apply?

A:  The paperwork was easy to fill out, but we had to reapply several times because they kept finding these glitches and would just drop our applications without telling us. I had first applied when I was pregnant with my second child, but we didn't qualify then. We would have to wait weeks and sometimes months to hear anything. I had to call them over and over again to get any sort of answer.

Q:  How long did you wait to find out if you would be covered?

A:  It was months before I was finally able to get any coverage.

Q:  How much does CHIP cover for prescriptions? Doctor’s visits? Hospital visits?

A:  For prescriptions, there’s a small copay of $7. For office visits, we pay $12 – unless it’s a wellness check-up, and then it’s free. The copays on office visits actually just went up, from $7 to $12, which is sort of annoying. But that’s still really cheap! We haven’t had to go to the hospital since we’ve been on CHIP, so I’m not sure how much our copay would be there. Since we’re on the Seton CHIP program, I think it would be fully covered, as long as we went to a hospital in the Seton network.

Q:  What service do you utilize most through your CHIP coverage?

A:  Definitely doctor’s visits. Max (the younger child) has had a lot of ear infections, so there have been periods of times when we’ve had to go see a doctor once every week. He just had to have tubes put in his ears, and we haven’t gotten the bills for that yet, so I’m not sure how much that’s going to cost. Up front, we just had to pay the $12 copay to see a specialist.

Q:  What would you do if you didn’t qualify for or were cut from CHIP?

A:  We would go back on independent insurance, which covers pretty much nothing. But the kids have to have insurance.

Q:  Has your experience having your children on CHIP been positive? Negative? A combination of the two?

A:  Once we were finally approved, it has been awesome! They even retroactively paid for a doctor’s visit that we had to go to before we were covered by CHIP, which was so great. It was just the initial application process that was a bit difficult.

Q:  Do you have anything else to say about CHIP?

A:  It’s great! It’s tons cheaper than regular insurance! I wish I qualified to be covered by the equivalent (Medicaid), but I guess it’s a blessing that we make a little too much income for me to be on that.

An Introduction to the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in Texas

            The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is one of two public health insurance programs for children in the state of Texas (the other is Children’s Medicaid, which is discussed in another post). CHIP offers health insurance for children in families who cannot afford to purchase private insurance, but whose families earn an income higher than the cut-off rate to qualify for Medicaid.

Here are some important points to know about CHIP:

In order to qualify for CHIP a child must:

·        Be 18 years of age or less

·        A Texas resident

·        A U.S. citizen or Legal Permanent Resident

o       Application does not inquire about the citizenship status of the child’s parents

·        Live in a family that earns an income of 200% of the Federal Poverty Line, or less

o       For example, A family of 3 cannot earn more than $37,060/year in order to qualify for CHIP

·        As of March 2011, there were 534,201 children enrolled in CHIP, which was an increase of nearly 1,000 children from the previous month

·        Families eligible to enroll in CHIP must pay an annual enrollment fee, which is based upon the family’s income

o       Enrollment fee is usually $50 per family, per year

·        The program covers:

o       visits to doctors’ offices

o       hospital care

o       prescription drugs and vaccines,

o       dental care

o       eye exams and glasses

o       treatment of special needs and pre-existing conditions

o       x-rays and lab tests

o       access to medical specialists and mental health care

o       and more…

·        CHIP participants are required to pay copays for prescriptions and doctor’s visits, ranging from $5 to $25

·        The CHIP Perinatal Program offers coverage for the unborn children of pregnant women before and immediately after childbirth:

o       20 prenatal visits and prescription drug coverage

o       Labor and delivery

o       Health and medical services for the baby’s first months of life, including regular checkups, vaccines, and prescriptions

o       Up to two doctor’s visits for the mother after childbirth

Here are some important and informative websites regarding CHIP in Texas (which were used as sources for this post):

CHIP | Children’s Medicaid

Texas CHIP Coalition

Texas Health and Human Services Commission (chapter on CHIP)

Well Fair

"Come play a full-sized game of LIFE in which you learn to navigate the web of services we call Welfare."
On April 7, 2011 St Edward's University's Social Work Student Association hosted the 2nd annual Well Fair. This event was free and advertized around the St. Edwards University in an effort to educate students about the welfare sytem. Attendies started by spinning a wheel, which landed on a scenario. Mine read:
"You are a single parent, with two children ages 4 and 13. You are on SSDI benfits, which you receive once per month, on the 1st of each month. Today is the 15th of the month, and after you dropped your kids at school, the car starts to smoke from the hood. You depend on your car to get your kids to school and yourself to work ever day. You'll have to make some budgeting changes."
I began by going to the TANF booth to see if I was eligible for benefits. I was eligible but for the minimum amount because I am receiving SSDI. The person at the booth teels me that there is a 2 year limit so if I have recieved TANF before, for example if I recieved TANF from 18-20 years old, I would not be eligible. The person at the booth was very informative and talks about the decrease in TANF funds by 29% since 1996. Since TANF was reformed into a block grant the amount available has decreased. Next I make my way over to WIC to see if I am eligible. Since I have a 4 year old child I am eligible for about $20 per month. My WIC can be spent on nutritious food items like fruits, vegetables and 100% juice (I cannot buy juice that states less than 100% on the label). Next I head to Food Stamps (SNAP) to see if I am eligible. I am eligible for around $500 per month for my household of three (they subtract my WIC benefits from the maximum amount available). The following table is a store where I can attempt to buy groceries on a my food stamp budget. When I attempt to buy toilet paper or shampoo I'm told that my SNAP card does not cover this. I am able to buy some groceries but I'm unsure if they will last me all week. There were also booths on Medicaid, Medicare, Public Housing and Non-profits in order to get extra assistance. Thinking about being a single mother with two children trying to navigate the welfare system was a little overwhelming. Trying to balance how much you may be able to get from this program and that program while also keeping in mind that I need to repair my vehicle, pick the kids up from school and make it to work was stressful.
The Well Fair volunteers did an excellent job of studying up on the programs and being able to answer questions about eligibility, funding and the process.

Save Our State Rally

            More than 2,000 people representing over 20 organizations showed up at the Capitol to protest Texas budget cuts at the Save our State Rally on Wednesday, April 6^th. Though the turnout was substantial, it was far below the predictions that over 5,000 people would attend.

Marching to the Capitol

            Save our State Rally participants met at Waterloo park and marched to the south steps of the Capitol, holding signs and chanting all the way there. We met up with them about ten minutes before they reached the south steps and marched with them the rest of the way. Streets had been closed off all around the Capitol because of the marchers. It was inspiring to see so many groups and individuals from various walks of life out to protest. Young children and the elderly alike came out to make their voices heard. Many of the protestors represented minority groups: Hispanics, African-Americans, and disabled individuals.

A man was singing and playing the guitar on the steps as we walked up, and soon afterwards several different speakers got up to address the crowd. The main theme of the rally was – Why are the priorities of those in the Capitol so different than the priorities of most Texans? And the main target of the protest was House Bill (HB) 1, the state’s budget bill. A woman took the stage to announce the names of various legislators who had voted against the budget cuts delineated in HB 1, including Representative Donna Howard (Austin), Rep. Armando Martinez (Rio Grande Valley), and Rep. Sylvester Turner (Houston). The speaker then listed the ways in which HB 1 (which, at this point, had already been passed by the legislature) will negatively affect Texans:

·        HB 1 spends $23 billion less than the previous budget

·        Cuts funding for education by 21%

·        Cuts funding for Medicaid by 30%

·        Cuts funding for the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services by 37%

·        Will cut 335,000 jobs in Texas over the next two years

In light of these facts, she announced: “We [Texas] just won the race to the bottom!” (to which some rally attendants cheered…) She acknowledged the fact that HB 1 had already been passed, but stated her intention to continue protesting until a more satisfactory version of the budget is passed.

            Those who had registered their attendance for the Save Our State Rally went on to meet with legislators throughout the afternoon to discuss these issues.

Add caption

            Overall, the rally felt somewhat anticlimactic. Not as many people showed up as expected. Things felt a bit disorganized once we actually arrived to the south steps of the Capitol. The fact that HB 1 had been passed earlier this month seemed to overshadow the rally and the efforts of those who had organized. No agenda for action was presented by the speakers.

Social Work Advocacy Day

          March 3, 2011 was Social Work Advocacy Day at the 82^nd legislative session. We arrived at the Capitol that morning, and were a bit overwhelmed at how rushed and disorganized everything seemed to be. We signed in, were handed a packet of papers to look over, and were hurriedly briefed on what we, as participants, would be expected to do that day. The theme of the day was: “Social Workers are the Bootstraps of Texas!”

            As participants, we were expected to meet with legislators to speak about legislative issues, bills, etc... The event’s administrators had failed to mention to participants beforehand that these discussion sessions would be an important part of Social Work Advocacy Day. I had not researched the bills or issues that we were expected to discuss, and did not feel as if I had any authority to speak with a legislator on the subjects. I felt nervous and unprepared. Since Natalie was with me and we were both uncertain about how we were going to hold an intelligent discussion with a legislator, I dropped my own schedule and decided to tag along with her.

First, we went to meet with State Rep. John V. Garza (R). Two other girls had been assigned to speak with Rep. Garza, and we met with them outside of his office while we waited for him to return. When he did, we told him why we were there, and his surprise showed that he was clearly not expecting us. He welcomed us into his office, where the four of us sat in the lobby and spent the majority of our time speaking with his assistant. One of the other girls did most of the talking. I was silent – I had absolutely no idea what to say. I felt largely uninformed about the issues, and intimidated by the idea of speaking with a state representative who I assumed was very knowledgeable on these issues. We stayed in Mr. Garza’s office for fifteen minutes. The group spoke mostly about the Texas budget crisis, and House Bill 1 (LINK). We advocated for balancing the state’s budget by: 1) Using the Rainy Day Fund; 2) Exploring new sources of revenue, such as raising taxes on things like alcohol, cigarettes, and soda; 3) Expanding our sales tax base and eliminating exemptions in the tax code.

After the appointment with Rep. Garza, we headed to the house chambers to observe the House Resolution 177 to designate March as Professional Social Workers’ Month pass. We watched as several other House Resolutions were passed, and it was strange to notice how casual everything seemed to be. Most of the legislators on the floor of the chambers were holding discussions amongst themselves as resolutions were announced and proceedings took place. I had been under the impression that legislative sessions were formal and very professional – but this did not seem to be the case, at least during the session that I observed. After HR 177 passed, I did not stay for my next scheduled appointment with the legislator because I felt that I would simply be too unprepared.

Overall, Social Work Advocacy Day at the Capitol was disappointing. It might have been a better experience had I been informed ahead of time that I was to meet with legislators in small groups and that I would need to do some research on bills and issues relevant to social work. The idea of an advocacy day for social workers is wonderful! The execution needs some work for the next time around, though…

The Budget and Texas Children

            To give you an idea of how much Texas spends on its kids, the 2010-2011 state budget allocated $80.5 billion of combined federal and state funds to children. Here is the breakdown:

                        Education: 56%

                        Health: 20%

                        Nutrition: 13%

                        Special Needs: 4%

                        Protective Services: 3%

                        Income Support: 3%

                        Juvenile Justice: 1%

*Source: Deluna Castro, E. (2009). The Texas Children’s Budget. Center for Public Policy Priorities.

The Center for Public Priorities says that “Texas targets child spending in the right areas.” However, one cause for concern is the fact that funds from the Federal Recovery Act (FRA) comprised a significant amount of those in the state budget – and those are funds that aren’t here this time around. FRA funds actually allowed Texas to increase the amount of money it spent on children in 2010-2011 (as compared to the 2008-2009 budget).

CPPP released another report revealing that HB 1, the proposed state budget, would decrease Texas’ investments in children by $10 billion. (To read the report, follow this link: Playing Keep-Away: New report, analysis show state will invest $10 billion less in kids even as their needs rise). This would mean a 13 percent decrease in the amount of funds allocated to kids. The majority of the cuts target education and healthcare. The report says that "federal funds would decrease by approximately $8 billion or 23 percent."

            In terms of spending on children, the federal government isn’t a very good example either. Less than 10 percent of the federal budget is dedicated to services for kids. Bruce Lesley, of First Focus, says: “That means states bear the majority of the responsibility for protecting our children and most vulnerable.”  

            To see how Texas plans to bear its responsibility for protecting our children, take a look at the proposed Texas children’s budget for 2012-2013, click here. $77 billion would be spent on kids. Here is the potential breakdown in spending (the arrows indicate a percentage increase or decrease from the 2010-2011 budget):

                        (↓) Education: 49%  

                        (↑) Health: 25% 

                        (↑) Nutrition: 16%

                        (↓)Special Needs: 3%

                        Protective Services: 3%

                        Income Support: 3%

                        Juvenile Justice: 1%

            As you can see, the future looks grim for education, with a decrease in the total budget as well as a decrease in the proportion of funds allocated specifically to education. Total spending on health and nutrition will stay at about the same levels, although both are experiencing a percentage increase. And total funds allocated to special needs, protective services, income support, and juvenile justice will take a hit.

Think Tanks

Texans Care for Children is a neutral organization that focuses on policies that effect children and families. They advocate so that "kids can have what they need to be healthy, secure and thriving and so every Texan can have the best start to life." Texans Care for Children focuses on 5 different areas: child and maternal health, child protection, child mental wellbeing, juvenile justice, and family financial security. This organization provides comprehensive information, innovative ideas around service implementation and a vast network of agencies centered around the best interests of children in Texas. Texans Care for Children has joined with the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities, ARC of Texas, Advocacy, Inc., and the Texas Council of Community Centers to form the ECI Advocacy Coalition. This coalition seeks to secure strong Early Childhood Intervention services that encourage the best outcomes for Texan children.
Texans Care for Children

The Center for Public Policy Priorities (CPPP) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit located in Austin, Texas. It is a policy institute dedicated to “improving public policies to better the economic and social conditions of low- and moderate-income Texans.” In terms of child welfare, CPPP is committed to improving child well-being and child protection in the Lone Star State. Each year the organization releases a comprehensive report entitled The State of Texas Children, including important data, statistics, and policy analysis. Kids Count is a national program whose Texas base finds its home within CPPP. It is a “national and state-by-state effort to track the status of children in the U.S.”

Introduction to HB1

House Bill 1: General Appropriations Bill
Author: Pitts Sponsor: Ogden
House Bill 1 is the proposed Texas budget for the 2012-2013 year (to see the full bill click here). This bill was passed on April 3, 2011 by the house of representatives and is currently being considered by the Senate. This bill includes huge cuts to many programs that directly support children ages 0 to 5. These drastic cuts include:
-Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) by $30 million (or 20%).
-CHIP/Medicaid: 10% rate cuts, 1% cut for physicians and 3% cut to hospitals (Texans Care for Children).
-Women, Infants and Children (WIC): $747.2 million cut (http://frac.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/approps_leavebehind_oppose_hr1_safetynet_cuts.pdf)
-Suplimental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): SNAP is 100% federally funded, however there are cuts to the Health and Human Services Commission which will effect the SNAP administration--determining eligibility and enrolling participants. (Legislative Study Group)

Why we blog...

The 2010 elections indicated a dramatic shift to the right in response to the current administration’s attempt to overhaul the ineffective and oppressive healthcare system.  Fueled by anti-welfare and “rugged individualist” rhetoric championed by “Tea-party” proselytizers and pro-business flacks, lawmakers across the country have begun to attack programs deemed “socialistic” in an attempt to balance the ailing state and federal budgets. Rather than ridding the country of the criminal business practices--predatory trading, neoliberal trade agreements, unsustainable credit system, and the systematic destruction of unions--that led to the current financial crisis, legislators aimed their red pens at the demographic least likely to affect them at the polls, the underprivileged youth.  This voiceless demographic represents the culmination of the groups least represented in government--the youth, lower classes, and minorities--resulting in it becoming easy prey when conservative governments implement “cost-cutting” measures. We not only believe that it is economically irresponsible to turn our backs on the underprivileged, but, more centrally, that it is the moral obligation of government to see that the most voiceless and vulnerable have their most basic needs met. Void of public outrage and unrest, socially-conscious and welfare-oriented programs will continue to be cut and negated until the underprivileged will have to rely on the beneficence of passersby flipping pennies in a cup for a bite to eat. Because the young and poor cannot speak out against its governmental attackers and aggressors, this blog attempts to highlight the current legislative abuses inflicted upon the poor children--ages 0 to 5--as to incite the unrest necessary for beneficial change. As they cannot speak, we must be their voices. As they cannot march, we must be their feet and bear their pickets.