Bills in the legislature 

Early care and education

CPR in family child care. AB 1368 (Adams) would require small family child care programs to have at least one person trained in CPR on site at all times. Now this rule applies to large family child care and center-based programs.

Child care subsidy priorities. SB 244 (Wright) would give priority for child care subsidies to children in relative care or foster care. Also to children who were recently adopted from foster care, are homeless, or have a parent in foster care or prison.

Alternative payment program rules. AB 315 (DeLeon) would require the agencies that run child care voucher programs to promptly pay child care providers and notify providers when a child is no longer eligible for subsidies, and also set up systems for dealing with complaints and late payments. Sponsored by Child Care Providers United of California (CCPU), 866-336-9333 (NorCal), 866-574-8907 (SoCal)

Direct deposit of child care vouchers. AB 304 would enable child care providers to receive subsidy reimbursements by direct deposit. Sponsored by CCPU, 866-336-9333 (NorCal), 866-574-8907 (SoCal)

Education

End testing of second-graders. SB 800 (Hancock) would remove second-graders from the state’s annual testing program—federal law does not require testing until third grade. Sponsored by California Teachers Association, 650-697-1400, www.cta.org

Community facilities at schools. AB 346 (Torlakson) would make it easier for schools to get grants to develop community facilities such as clinics, educational programs, and safe places for physical activity.

Preschool special education. AB 1124 (Yamada) would require school districts to serve preschoolers with special needs if federal funds are available.

Family policy

Paid sick leave. AB 1000 (Ma) would guarantee California workers a certain number of paid sick days a year, making California the first state in the nation with a paid sick leave policy. Sponsored by California Work and Family Coalition, 510-643-7088, www.paidsickdaysca.org

Health

Health care for all children. SB 32 (Steinberg) would provide health coverage through Medi-Cal and Health Families for all children in California regardless of immigration status in families with incomes up to 300% of the federal poverty level, if funds are appropriated. It would also simplify enrollment and would allow families with higher incomes to buy into Health Families. Sponsored by 100 Percent Campaign, 510-763-2444 x 122, www.100percentcampaign.org

Expand Medi-Cal and Healthy Families. SB 311 (Alquist) would require the state to take advantage of federal funds for enrolling more children in Medi-Cal and Healthy Families and keeping them enrolled. It would streamline enrollment, increase outreach funds, and provide dental insurance to eligible children with private health insurance. Sponsored by 100 Percent Campaign, 510-763-2444 x 122, www.100percentcampaign.org

Ban toxic chemical in baby products. SB 797 (Pavley) would ban bisphenol A, a chemical linked to obesity, breast cancer, and other health problems.

State-run health insurance. SB 810 (Leno) would create a single, nonprofit, state-run health insurance program with comprehensive benefits that would cover all California residents. It would be funded by a payroll tax.

Maternity care insurance. AB 98 would require most individual health insurance plans to cover maternity services.

Doctors for underserved communities. AB 646 (Swanson) would allow public and health agencies, and public and nonprofit hospitals, and clinics to directly hire doctors in underserved urban and rural communities—this is now prohibited by state law.

Nutrition

Better nutrition and limited “screen time.” AB 627 (Brownley) would create new nutrition requirements for the federal food program, but only if reimbursements increase. The requirements would limit sugars, fats, processed meats and increase whole grains and vegetables. For all programs, the bill would limit each child’s “screen time” (TV, computer, video game) to one hour per day. Sponsored by California Food Policy Advocates (CFPA), 510-433-1122 (NorCal), 213-482-8200 (SoCal)

Easier access to food stamps. AB 1057 (Beall) would remove the current requirement for fingerprinting for food stamp applicants who are not on CalWORKs. It would require families on food stamps to renew their eligibility just twice a year—now it’s four times a year. Sponsored by CFPA,  510-433-1122 (NorCal), 213-482-8200 (SoCal)

Combating the Cradle to Prison Pipeline

Action: Find out about this campaign and how you can participate

Background:

1 in 3: That’s the chance that an African American boy born in 2001 will go to prison in his lifetime

1 in 7: That’s the odds for a Latino boy

Black and Latina girls also have a much higher chance of going to prison than white girls.

Children of color, says the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF), are caught in a Cradle to Prison Pipeline, caused by

• Poverty
• Racial disparities
• A culture of punishment rather than prevention and early intervention.
  
  

As part of its national campaign to dismantle this Cradle to Prison Pipeline, CDF held a two-day “National/California Summit.”  The first day, young people from around the country discussed ways they could act against this pipeline. The second day the youth were joined by adults from all over California sharing ideas and promising practices.

Summit chair Angela Glover Blackwell, executive director of PolicyLink, declared the mass incarceration of people of color “the biggest scandal since slavery.” Connie Rice of the Advancement Project quoted an Oakland youth who told her, “This jail s*** is our Jim Crow.”  And NAACP President Benjamin Jealous told the crowd, “It’s movement time again.”

For more information including facts on the Cradle to Prison Pipeline in California: www.childrensdefense.org/helping-americas-children/cradle-to-prison-pipeline-campaign/

For information on the campaign in California: Children’s Defense Fund California, 510-663-3224, 213-355-8787, www.cdfca.org

Stimulus funds

California is deciding how to spend its share of the federal stimulus funds. Check out our Resources and Reactions blog for a round-up of tools that advocates can use to help make sure the state uses these funds to better support children and families.

More info at http://childrensadvocate.blogspot.com/2009_05_01_archive.html

State budget

Action: Tell your state legislator your views on how to solve the budget crisis: Should Sacramento balance the budget only by cutting state spending, as Gov. Schwarzenegger proposes? If so, what should be cut? Or should legislators raise more funds through fees, taxes, and other measures?

Background: California’s state budget is in crisis, facing historic deficits. Some members of the legislature have vowed not to raise taxes of any kind. The governor has suggested cutting more funds from K-12 education and completely eliminating CalWORKs (support for poor families) and Healthy Families (health insurance for children in low- and moderate-income families).

Meanwhile, according to the state budget adopted in Febru-ary, some cuts are already scheduled for July 1. They include:

• 4% cut in CalWORKs grants (approximately $30 from a family of three receiving the maximum grant)
  
  
• End to some Medi-Cal benefits for adults including dental, podiatry, psychology, optical care
  
  
• 10% cut in rates for public hospitals
  
  

To get contact information for your state legislators: Look in the blue pages of your phone book, under State Government, then find Assembly and Senate. Or go to www.legislature.ca.gov/legislators_and_districts/legislators/your_legislator.html and enter your zip code. 

For info: California Budget Project, www.cbp.org