CAFCA
BRIEF UPDATECAFCA
BRIEF UPDATE
July 2004
According to the Bell Action Network, nearly 90,000 signatures have already been collected for the TABOR initiative and 78,000 signatures have been collected on the Amendment 23 initiative. Bell is on target to attain its goal of 100,000 signatures for each initiative by the August 2nd deadline. If you have not yet turned in your petitions, please mail them today to: Campaign for Colorado, P.O. Box 18220, Denver, CO 80218. Volunteer petitioners should have their own signature notarized on the petition face page before mailing the petition. The full text of each ballot initiative is available at: www.thebell.org. The initiatives preserve the public’s right to vote on tax increases, maintain a cap on government growth and protect K-12 education. Colorado’s “Single Subject” laws prevent the inclusion of changes to TABOR and Amendment 23 in the same ballot measure, thus the two separate initiatives.
Initiative #126 (TABOR) replaces TABOR’s current local and state growth limits with a more reasonable cap based on growth of the state’s overall economy, using FY 2000 as the base year. This would solve the so-called “ratcheting effect” and would allow services to keep pace with real economic growth.
Initiative #137 would sunset Amendment 23, which provides for an annual 1% increase in K-12 spending, in 2011. It also allows a portion of this payment to be suspended during times of economic crisis, such as those we experienced the previous two years. For every year payment is suspended, the sunset date of Amendment 23 would be postponed by 1 year. This initiative is linked to the TABOR initiative, meaning it would not take effect unless the TABOR initiative passes.
We are all too aware of impact of budget cuts on child welfare and Medicaid. But if we are to be successful in communicating the extent of the damage done to Coloradoans by TABOR in its current form, we must be able to communicate the breadth of TABOR’s negative impact. According to the Bell Policy Center and the Bighorn Center for Public Policy, these are some of the impacts of TABOR in its current form:
Transportation: In 2003, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave Colorado a D+ for the condition of its roads and a C+ for the condition of its bridges.
Courts & Criminal Justice: In the past 2 years, a number of probation programs have been eliminated, family violence grants were eliminated and probation officers were laid off while caseloads increased dramatically.
Mental Health: State funding for mental health services has shrunk to an all-time low. But since 1991, the Colorado Department of Corrections has seen a tenfold increase in individuals with serious mental illness. With a population of nearly 2,500 individuals with serious mental illness, Corrections has become the largest “treatment” facility in the state.
Education:
In 2002, Colorado ranked 48th among states for elementary and
secondary public school funding per $1,000 of personal income, and 34th
among states for per-pupil elementary and secondary school financing.
Colorado ranks 48th in the nation for state funds for higher
education per $1,000 of personal income. In FY ‘03-‘04, state appropriations
for higher education were at their lowest level in 20 years.
Public Health: In 2004, state health department immunization funds
were cut by 455,741 at a time when Colorado ranks 50th in childhood
immunizations. In 2003, only 68.2% of pregnant women in Colorado received
adequate prenatal care compared to a national average of 76%.
Aging: In 2002, Colorado ranked 43rd in total per capita expenditures for long term care, despite the fact that persons aged 85 and older are the fastest growing segment of the state’s population.
Libraries: Despite the fact that Colorado has the third best-educated population and public libraries recorded 22.6 million visits in 2000, state funding for libraries was cut 79% between June 2002 and the present. This has resulted in many libraries reducing public service operation hours by a full day each week.
Committee chair Carol Lawson emailed Dana Andrews to recap our recommendations of supplying DEX with a listing of Colorado licensed adoption agencies and suggesting two headings; Colorado Licensed Adoption Agencies and Other Adoption Services. Kurt Olsson is currently heading up the committee (CAFCA & other agencies) investigating a potential statutory parentage registry similar to a putative father registry, but containing the names of both mothers and fathers. Thirty (30) states have some form of a registry and are converting the language to be Parentage vs. Fathers’. If you are interested in assisting Kurt in these efforts please contact him directly at LDS Family Services, 303 371-1000. The Committee continues to discuss the need for a bill to address out-of-state adoption facilitators and is exploring the possibility of hosting a quarterly or semi-annual birth parent counselors round table for continuing education and to discuss current or potential issues/problems. Next Meeting Date: Thursday, August 12, 2004, Adoption Options, 2600 S. Parker Rd., Suite 2-320. Please allot 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM, topics include an update on the Lt. Governor’s Adoption Group by Virginia Appel.
Committee members discussed the compilation of information about orphanages—their history and current status—as a result of a recent inquiry. If anyone has information that would be valuable to everyone please send to Mary at CAFCA. The CAFCA-county meetings continue on a bimonthly schedule. The next scheduled meeting is Tuesday September 21st 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM – Jeffco Human Services Building. CDHS has invited CPAs to attend a 3-day training on Trails input and access. Dana Andrews responded by email regarding a CAFCA member request to access Trails directly to conduct a child abuse background check. Dana Andrews replied that such access is not available, but that faxing requests to Lucy should result in a shortened turnaround. It appears that CDHS has used Schedule B in determining the anchor or base rate, even though they said they would not do so. Phyllis Mugele at CDHS is going to conduct a workgroup for CPAs on how to update Schedule B – please contact her at 303/866 4126 and let her know if want to be included in this workshop – it will be scheduled after 7/31. Every CPA is advised to be represented at the workshop. Next Meeting: Tuesday, August 10th 9:30 AM Capri Coffee 6th & Broadway.
Members discussed the provider panel for the institutional abuse investigation training to occur July 27-28. Several executive directors planned to attend the CCM symposium on RTC rate setting, Medicaid flexible funding and transfer of the RTC program to HCPF.
Chair Stephanie Brown asked members for suggestions of topics or presentations to be included in future agendas. Peg distributed the attorney opinion letter regarding changes required by HB 04-1119 to the child care tax credit. The next CTS committee meeting will be Friday, August 20, location TBA. Ted Trujillo, Judy Rodriguez and Kathy Chase will attend the General Membership meeting and will remain for a discussion and question and answer session with CTS members.
The group reviewed proposed changes to the Volume VIII rules and Peg’s compilation of CAFCA member concerns. There was also discussion of the Volume VII rules regarding transition services, which were proposed emergency rules to implement the transfer of mental health services from CDHS to HCPF as required by HB 04-1265. Another bill of interest to the committee is HB 04-1119, which extends the child care tax credit and makes changes to eligibility requirements. Peg is obtaining both a legal opinion and an accounting opinion for CAFCA members. She will distribute these as soon as each is available. Potential legislative issues for 2005 include adoption facilitators and transfer of the RTC program from CDHS to HCPF. The System of Care Workgroup has a task force that is focusing 04-1451, Rep. Clapp’s bill that creates pilots for developing systems of care at the county level. Mendez Steadman and Peg are part of this workgroup. Committee chair Cyndi Dodds, Peg and Fofi met to develop a Public Policy Action Plan for the summer and fall. Mary and Fofi presented the plan, which includes voter registration activities, beginning with many of our members’ employees. Fofi explained the TABOR and Amendment 23 initiatives proposed by the Campaign for Colorado. If the Campaign for Colorado’s information is not specific enough, Mendez, Steadman will repackage it so that it will highlight child welfare information and talking points. Mendez, Steadman will also arrange for a training session for their clients in August/September to help agencies become active in the campaign. Peg will work with the Bawmann Group and the Denver Post to develop a reader-awareness of the impact of TABOR on many aspects of government-funded services. The Facility Schools Task Force will meet 3x (Oct. 2004, Feb 11 and May 13th 2005); most work will be done in subgroups: DPS Cost Analysis Follow-up, Joint Licensure (CDHS/CDE), district & facilities exploring options on their own, grant for pilots,
continuous progress monitoring/tracking academic progress; volunteer education directors will be sought for subgroups depending on topic & interest. Next meeting is Tuesday, August 3rd at 1120 Lincoln St., second floor conference room.
The committee finalized its draft of the CAFCA ethics statement and presented its at the general membership meeting on July 16th. Some additional modifications were suggested, and Jim Worthen, committee chair, will make revisions. The Committee will also review and compare CWLA’s membership expectations/ethics statement with CAFCA’s draft. Based upon the members survey responses and responses received from external child welfare stakeholders such as legislators, state and county government people, advocacy groups and related nonprofits, the committee will be reviewing all membership categories and proposed that membership be limited to nonprofit or government-operated child welfare services programs and that a new category of child advocate affiliate for for-profit child welfare providers, private companies, law firms, or affiliated nonprofits such as CASA programs, COCAF, etc. A more detailed proposal will be developed for member consideration prior to the October deadline to propose bylaws changes. Next meeting is TBD.
REMINDER: The Association will be holding its
inaugural silent auction of art donated
by more than 60
If you haven’t already taken a look, the Pew Commission Report “Fostering the Future: Safety, Permanence and Well-Being for Children in Foster Care” may be accessed from their website: http://pewfostercare.org. It focuses on funding and the court system and makes a number of reasonable recommendations for improvements. A California Senator (R) has already undertaken drafting of a bill to implement the Report’s recommendations.
Tuesday, August 11th, “Survey of 2004 Ballot Issues,” hosted by CANPO. $10 for members, $12 for nonmembers. Location: 455 Sherman St, 1st floor conference room. Seating is limited. Contact jsmarr@canpo.org.
September 3rd & 4th, Institute for Families at University of Denver presents “Healing Traumatized Children in Substitute Care.” Location: CDHS Regional Training Facility, 550 Thornton Parkway, Suite 240B, Thornton. Register online at 222.cocwtraining.com (Use Class Code HTCS090304D” when registering. Cost: $25 for foster parents with private CPAs. For more information go to: www.ifduonline.org. Or call Melissa Thompson at 303 871-3796.
September 22nd & 23rd, COA Training Institute presents “Guidelines to Reaccreditation” (22, full day, $250) and “Introduction to Accreditation” (23rd, half day, FREE). Register by September 15th online: www.coanet.org or call 212 797-3000, X258 for more information.
To participate in a Jefferson County System of Care grant input workshop regarding available human services and gaps in services, contact April.Smith@Research.colostate.edu or 970-491-6007 to find out more about workshop times, locations and free childcare.