Volume 7, Number 4
In this Issue:
President, Congress Recognize Child Abuse Prevention Month
HHS Releases Latest Child Maltreatment Statistics
---PCA America Priorities Highlighted as Significant Sources of Funding for Prevention Services
Congress Moves Closer to Adoption of FY 09 Budget Resolution
Congress Attempts to Postpone Medicaid Regulations
May 7th “GrandRally” to Highlight Role of Grandparents in Raising Children
President, Congress Recognize Child Abuse Prevention Month
As he has done each April since he has been in office, President Bush issued a proclamation recognizing April 2008 as National Child Abuse Prevention Month. The proclamation notes that, “As we observe National Child Abuse Prevention Month, we reaffirm our loving commitment to America’s youth and our dedication to building a society in which all children can realize their full potential.” The President also called upon all citizens “to help protect our children from abuse and neglect and to take an active role in creating safe communities.”
The House of Representatives also recognized April 2008 as National Child Abuse Prevention Month by passing a resolution (H Res 1097) introduced by Representative Joe Courtney (D-CT-2nd) by a vote of 410-0. “I am grateful to my colleagues in the House for standing with me to shed a brighter light on this critical challenge for our society,” said Representative Courtney, adding, “We stand together in solidarity in calling for assistance for those who need our help the most.”
In the Senate, Senators Dodd (D-CT), Alexander (R-TN), and Kennedy (D-MA) introduced a resolution (S Res 518) designating the third week of April 2008 as National Shaken Baby Syndrome Awareness Week. The Senate passed the resolution by unanimous consent on April 21st.
HHS Releases Latest Child Maltreatment Statistics
The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently released Child Maltreatment 2006, a report which compiles data on child abuse and neglect from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) from 2006, the latest year for which national child maltreatment statistics are available.
According to the report, state and local Child Protective Services (CPS) agencies conducted investigations or assessments on an estimated 3.6 million children who were alleged victims of child maltreatment in 2006. Of these children, an estimated 905,000 were substantiated as victims of child abuse and/or neglect.
PCA America’s National Center on Child Abuse Prevention Research has prepared a summary of the report.
The full text of the report can be downloaded from the Child Welfare Information Gateway.
PCA America Priorities Highlighted as Significant Sources of Funding for Prevention Services
The report also includes information on the preventive services received by an estimated 3.8 million children in 2006 and their sources of federal funding.
According to the report’s data, 28% of the children who received preventive services received services funded by Promoting Safe and Stable Families (PSSF), along with 18% who received services funded by the Social Services Block Grant and 15% who received services funded by CAPTA Community-Based Grants. Unfortunately, Congress continues to fund PSSF and CAPTA below their fully authorized levels, and for the past several years, the Administration has proposed cutting SSBG.
This report demonstrates the important role these funding streams play in ensuring that children receive services to prevent child abuse and neglect from happening in the first place. Prevent Child Abuse America urges Congress to fully funding CAPTA, PSSF, and SSBG in FY 2009. For more information, please see our 2008 Legislative Priorities.
Congress Moves Closer to Adoption of FY 2009 Budget Resolution
A compromise reached in Congress on Tuesday indicates that there is some progress being made in the budget negotiations between the House and Senate. Progress had been stalled since both chambers passed their respective FY 2009 budget resolutions in mid-March.
A major point of contention in reconciling the differences between the two budget resolutions has been a provision that would prevent the alternative minimum tax (AMT) from affecting middle-class taxpayers, at a cost of approximately $70 billion. The provision had been included in both the House and Senate budget resolutions, but only the House version fully offset the cost in accordance with “pay-as-you-go” (PAYGO) rules.
On Tuesday, a majority of the fiscally conservative “Blue Dog” Democrats in the House, who have been some of the strongest proponents of enforcing PAYGO rules for all legislation and whose support of a final agreement was dependent on the inclusion of an offset, reached a compromise with the Budget Committee chairs from both chambers. Among other policy provisions, it has been agreed that a final Congressional Budget resolution will need to include sufficient offsets for the AMT provision.
While this compromise is a significant step towards establishing a final agreement, House and Senate conferees will still need to work through other differences, including negotiating an overall spending level. Although a Congressional Budget Resolution may get passed, it is looking increasingly likely that Congress will hold off on completing most of their annual appropriations bills until the next president takes office, in order to avoid the prolonged veto battles with President Bush (particularly over domestic spending levels) that have characterized the last several appropriations cycles. Both the House and Senate resolutions set discretionary spending levels above the $991.6 billion proposed by the President in his FY 2009 budget proposal. The House resolution (H Con Res 312) provides $25.4 billion more in discretionary spending than the Administration’s request, while the Senate resolution (S Con Res 70) would allot $21.8 billion more than the President requested.
Congress Attempts to Postpone Medicaid Regulations
Last week, the House passed the Protecting the Medicaid Safety Net Act of 2008 (HR 5613), which would delay until next April the implementation of seven Medicaid regulations issued by the Administration. The Congressional Budget Offices estimates that if implemented, the regulations would save about $17.8 billion over five years. The bill passed with a rare overwhelming majority of 349-62. The President has threatened to veto the legislation should it reach his desk.
Many children’s advocates are concerned that the regulations would reduce health care for vulnerable populations, including children in foster care, pregnant women, and low-income school-aged children. In particular, the regulations would:
- Limit federal Medicaid funds for targeted case management (TCM). TCM enables states to use Medicaid dollars to help eligible individuals, such as children in foster care, obtain medical services by identifying needed services, finding medical providers, and monitoring the services delivered.
- Eliminate federal Medicaid funds for school-based services including transportation to school for children with special needs who receive health care services at school, as well as Medicaid outreach and enrollment conducted by school personnel.
The strategy on the Senate side is still unclear. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) attempted to bring the bill to the Senate floor earlier this week for a voice vote, but was met with objections from Senator Coburn (R-OK). Bill supporters have floated the possibility of attaching the legislation to the war spending supplemental bill, which Congress is expected to take action on prior to the Memorial Day recess.
May 7th “GrandRally” to Highlight Role of Grandparents in Raising Children
The Children’s Defense Fund, AARP, and Child Welfare League of America, among other organizations are co-sponsoring a rally on Capitol Hill to highlight the important role that grandparents play in raising children, and their need for help from family, friends, their communities, state and national organizations and agencies and elected officials. The GrandRally, scheduled for May 7, 2008, is expected to attract more than one thousand grandparents and other relatives raising children and will include a rally at the U.S. Capitol along with meetings with Members of Congress.
Prevent Child Abuse America recently signed on as a supporter of this important effort. For more information, and to see how you can get involved, visit: http://www.grandrally.org/.
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