Government Affairs Update - Week of August 20 2010
Date Posted: 08/23/2010
Week of August 20, 2010
You will find this week’s Government Affairs Update shorter than usual. Since Congress is not in session and much of Washington spends August elsewhere to avoid the heat and humidity, we’ll keep it brief and to the point. Below, we include a Legislative and Administrative Update.
As always, we look forward to hearing from you about the Update’s contents or if you have suggestions for additions.
Please feel free to share it with others in your networks.
Legislative Update
- Congress and President Obama Pass Extension of Federal Medical Assistance Percentage
- Congress to Reconvene September 14, 2010 from August Recess
- Sen. Dodd and Sen. Voinovich to be honored at NHSA Leadership Institute
Administrative Update
- Homework assignment for State Head Start Leaders
- NHSA and Coalition Partners Look to FY 2012 and Support a $2 Billion Increase for Head Start and Early Head Start
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
Congress and President Obama Pass Extension of Federal Medical Assistance Percentage
We’ve kept you apprised of the states’ concerns about Medicaid funding in recent weeks and we are happy to report that earlier this week, President Obama signed the six-month extension of the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (“FMAP”) into law, under Title II of Public Law 111-226. As you may recall, the Senate approved the FMAP extension before adjourning for August recess. In order to move the measure forward, the House was recalled into session to vote on the bill last week, passing the extension 247-161.
The $16.1 billion bill funds additional payouts to the states for Medicaid, a critical influx of dollars for many states given the increase in Medicaid numbers during the current economic climate. The bill also provides approximately $10 billion to keep teachers employed.
For more information on the bill, please visit http://thomas.loc.gov/ and search for Public Law 111-226
Congress to Reconvene September 14, 2010 from August Recess
With the exception of the House’s brief return to the Hill last week to pass the Medicaid extension, Congress is currently in the midst of its August recess. Between now and their return to Washington on September 14, 2010, your Senators and Representatives are in their home states and districts. If they have been supportive of the FY 2011 Head Start Appropriations increase, please call them to thank them. If not, you may want to reach out and ask that they support the increase. Otherwise, get ready for Fall when they are back on the Hill!!!
To get in touch with your Members of Congress, call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 or go to:www.senate.gov and click on your Senator's website or www.house.gov and click on your Representative's website. You can also find out the phone numbers for their local district offices on their websites and call them there directly while they are home for recess.
Don’t Forget: Voinovich and Dodd will be honored at NHSA Leadership Institute
On September 22, 2010, NHSA will be pleased to honor Senator George Voinovich (R-OH) and Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) at this year’s NHSA Leadership Institute. At the reception, sponsored by the Connecticut Head Start Association and the Ohio Head Start Association in partnership with NHSA, we will honor the Senators’ hard work to better the lives of children across the country. For more information, please visit the event page here.
ADMINISTRATIVE UPDATE
Homework Assignment for State Head Start Leaders!
Edward Condon, Director of Affiliate Relations
Attendees at the early August Early Childhood 2010 Conference, co-convened by the US Departments of Health and Human Services and Education were sent home with their collaboration bags packed full! The multi-day, multi meeting effort to link over eighteen different federal and state partners, offices, funding sources and agendas invigorated many, yet others returned scratching their heads asking what’s next in my state/program/families.
So what’s new, or new again?
1. Leaders in Head Start Associations should learn the language and landscape of state system building. As directed in the 2007 Reauthorization of the Head Start Act, state are moving forward on the development of State Advisory Councils on Early Childhood Education and Care. Applications were due early August. At the EC2010 meeting, Richard Gonzales, senior staff at ACF reported all but four states (Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota, Indiana and Republic of Palau and Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands). To learn more about State Councils go to the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices or Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center. Councils should include a direct links to Head Start agencies and the State Head Start Collaboration Office. Who sits on your State’s Council?
2. Learning to navigate beyond ACF initiatives, collaborating in local communities with non-traditional partners is also on the horizon – leaders in Head Start Association should reach out to state partners in transportation, housing and the financial industry to enhance knowledge related to Federal efforts to leverage new partners focused on community building. Policylink, has excellent briefing material and learning sessions on the “built environment” and other Federal funding grant priorities. Join their email list and stretch your mind!
3. Focusing on opening doors for new grantees as well as non-Head Start, early care and education collaborators maybe the greatest leadership challenge facing each of us as we navigate going forward. Leadership at the top of US Departments of Health and Human Services and Education each called for a spirit of renewal among Federal, State and local program. Lifting up the many great local practices for examination, discussion and policy development will take the work of many. In the book, Ready or Not, authors Goffin and Washington called for adaptive leadership approach to remain focused on the real issues, not the myths, personalities and political agendas swirling around our Head Start families.
NHSA and Coalition Partners Look to FY 2010 and Support $2 Billion Increase for Head Start and Early Head Start
It’s hard to believe, but we are already looking forward to FY 2012 as the Administration’s Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”) takes the first steps to begin preparing the 2011 budget.
With our Child Care and Early Learning Coalition (“CCELC”) partners, NHSA is asking for an increase of $2 billion in FY 2012 for Head Start and Early Head Start to help us continue to ensure that every child is ready for life and to make another stride toward the President’s promise of quadrupling Early Head Start. An increase in funds would allow us to reach even more children and families and improve the quality of our program so that we may continue to serve the whole child. The CCELC is also requesting a $2 billion increase for CCDBG.
To that end, NHSA has signed onto letters to Robert Gordon at OMB and Secretary Sebelius at Health and Human Services, sponsored by CCELC, asking for the funding increase to be included in the Administration’s FY 2012 budget that it submits to Congress.
To see the letter to Robert Gordon, click here.
To see the letter to Secretary Sebelius, click here.
We will continue to keep you posted as we move forward through the FY 2012 budget process.
That’s all for this week, but there will be some pretty important notices and action items coming down the line over the next two months. Enjoy the rest of your summer!
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