You asked what legislation was raised (or passed) during the 2005 session addressing the Child Poverty Council’s recommendations.

We have taken verbatim the recommendations section of the January 2005 council report produced by the Office of Policy and Management (OPM), deleted the commentary, and added legislative responses (in bold). This document should be read in tandem with the OPM Draft Status report on implementation of council recommendations. For those bills that did not pass, we indicate their final status in parentheses

This report does not include legislation introduced by the governor (e. g. , DSS budget implementer) unless such legislation was folded into other legislation. It also excludes bills whose provisions were incorporated into public acts based on other bills.

I. Enhance Families’ Income and Income Earning Potential

PA 05-32 increases the state’s minimum hourly wage from $ 7. 10 to $ 7. 40 on January 1, 2006 and to $ 7. 65 on January 1, 2007.

A. Support and enhance job training and education for recipients of Temporary Family Assistance (TFA).

1. Allow post-secondary education and vocational training to count toward the federal work participation requirement under the Temporary Family Assistance (TFA) program.

HB 6875—required DSS commissioner to (1) permit the maximum number of TFA recipients to satisfy TANF work requirements through participation in educational activities directed toward obtaining a high school diploma or vocational education training and (2) allow educational activities to count towards the first 20 hours requirement. Also increased from two to three the number of six-month extensions and added high unemployment rates as a condition for additional extensions beyond the three (Died in Appropriations).

2. Provide a more comprehensive up-front assessment of barriers to employment to more quickly identify those fragile families/high barrier populations.

HB 6708 appropriated $ 18 million to Labor Department for supplemental assessment of Jobs First applicants who did not have high school diplomas or GEDs to determine education and other employment barriers and provide them with basic skills and vocational training (Died in Appropriations).

3. Implement a system to address the needs of Jobs First Employment Services (JFES) participants having inadequate reading or math skills, including assessing each participant to determine the problem and how to address it to the extent possible.

4. Spend higher proportion of Temporary Family Assistance (TFA) funds on job training and education.

B. Increase low-income parents’ access to literacy, post-secondary, and vocational education.

1. Enhance literacy programs for adults including Adult Basic Education (ABE) and GED services.

2. Increase vocational training opportunities for populations that do not have a high school diploma or have limited English proficiency.

PA 05-245, § 41—requires SDE to establish an adult education competitive grant program for young adults in FY 07. The total amount awarded under the program cannot exceed $ 500,000. The grants must be awarded to provide new and unique methods of educating young adults entering adult education.

HB 6101 appropriated $ 50,000 to DSS’ Human Resources Development-Hispanic Programs account to permit a Waterbury agency to purchase computers and offer vocational computer training to adults (Died in Appropriations).

HB 6103 appropriated $ 50,000 to same account to permit a Waterbury community agency to provide nurse’s aide training and other vocational training opportunities to area adults and high school students (Died in Appropriations).

3. Provide assistance with vocational and post-secondary education expenses such as tuition, books, and supplies, child care, transportation, tools or license fees.

4. Expand subsidies for low-income individuals to attend community college, e. g. through means-tested tuition relief.

PA 05-244 authorizes the Board of Trustees for Community-Technical Colleges to establish up to three pilot programs to provide household and family expenses for enrolled low-income students with dependents.

PA 05-110 makes any member of armed services stationed in Connecticut or his or her spouse eligible for in-state tuition at public colleges and universities.

PA 05-3, JSS § 42 increases from $ 2,000 to $ 3,000 the maximum per-student award for those attending Connecticut institutions under the Capitol Scholarship Grant Program.

HB 6859 established a grant program to pay tuition, child care, stipends, and release time from work for school paraprofessionals enrolled in BA (or higher) teacher preparation programs (Died in Appropriations).

HB 5368 exempted from sales tax textbooks used at private occupational schools (Died in Finance).

5. Increase English as a Second Language programming by partnering with businesses or offering incentives to businesses that provide English as a Second Language programming.

6. The Council should explore options to provide low-income individuals with an expectation of success regarding possibilities and techniques for achievement.

C. Continue to link training to industries and encourage training programs to develop curricula to meet workforce shortage and high growth employment areas.

HB 5397 required the labor commissioner to establish a retail skill center pilot program at a Milford shopping center in cooperation with appropriate parties, to recruit and train people for retail jobs and upon completion, placements in long-term ones (Died in Appropriations).

D. Explore expansion of the Hiring Incentive Tax Credit program authorized under CGS § 12-217y which is available to companies that hire recipients of the Temporary Family Assistance (TFA) program and other programs to aid individuals in obtaining employment.

Increase participation in the Hiring Incentive Tax Credit authorized under Section 12-217y of the Connecticut General Statutes.

E. Provide additional incentives for businesses to locate in areas accessible to low-income individuals.

sSB 620 authorized annual grants to businesses from other states that relocated or expanded in CT and hire and retained new, full-time employees. Businesses that relocated or expanded in one of the 25 state-designated distressed municipalities qualified for grants (Died in Senate).

sSB 913 authorized up to $ 1 million in corporate business tax credits for companies that hired 16- to 17-year olds with prior criminal convictions, worked at least 30 hours per week, and resided in the distressed municipalities (Died in Appropriations).

F. Provide resources to the Connecticut Department of Labor, the Workforce Investment Boards and other CTWorks partners and strengthen the employer service component of the CTWorks centers as a “one-stop” for services that employers need.

G. The Council should seriously study tax relief methods including the following:

1. Create dependent exemptions against the state income tax.

2. Create a child care and/or child education credit that phases out as household income increases and is at least partially refundable for parents whose income tax liability is too low to take full advantage of the credit (offset some of a family’s costs in providing quality educational experiences for their children).

3. Expand property tax rebates (now available for low-income elderly and disabled homeowners and renter) to low-income families who are raising children (offset high housing costs).

H. Provide outreach to increase awareness of and participation in the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for families that are eligible.

PA 05-244 requires DSS to consult with the Council and encourage municipalities, public and private employers, community based organizations, and other entities to promote the credit.

I. Establish a refundable state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) program to supplement low-wage parents (This recommendation was adopted by a vote of 13 to 4. )

II. Help Low-Income Families to Build Assets

A. Strengthen the Connecticut Department of Labor’s Individual Development Account (IDA) program that assists low income earners to accumulate assets such as an automobile, education and/or other assets necessary to become more economically self-sufficient. Develop and/or enhance matched savings accounts such as IDAs and Universal Savings Accounts. Make IDAs available to all working families.

B. Encourage entrepreneurship.

C. Encourage homeownership programs that facilitate homeownership, especially in central cities and among minorities. Expand the second mortgage pool, which allows purchase of a home without down payment.

PA 05-5, JSS creates the Housing Trust Fund and Program to expand affordable housing opportunities for low- and moderate- income people.

D. Curb predatory lending by addressing loopholes that may be in the law.

III. Enhance Affordability of Health Care, Housing, Child Care and Early Childhood Education

A. Increase access to affordable child care.

1. Increase the Care4Kids (C4K) child care subsidy to more closely match the current market costs.

2. Increase the number of C4K child care certificates.

sSB 1334 increased the income limit for the C4K program from 50% to 75% of state median income and required DSS or program administrator to grant eligibility presumptively when parent supplied income information (Died in Appropriations).

3. Expand facilities for child care.

4. Expand Care4Kids eligibility to cover those in education or job training programs.

B. Ensure quality child care.

5. Enhance training of child care workers, especially for “kith and kin” providers. Continue to support the differential rate to encourage use of licensed child care centers.

6. Ensure adequate wages and health insurance benefits for child care workers.

sSB 1334—required the DSS commissioner to increase the unit cost reimbursement to providers for children under age three by amount equal to percentage increase required to equalize reimbursement for older children under the school readiness program. Providers must meet school readiness provider standards, effective July 1, 2005. Required commissioner to increase unit cost rate to service providers for older children to same degree and set standards for center operations. Also required SDE commissioner to ensure that Head Start unit cost rates similarly equalized (Died in Appropriations).

C. Provide a system of “education through birth” by continuing to support school readiness and early childhood educational programs.

1. Create one coordinated system for early childhood education.

PA 05-245, § 3 establishes an Early Childhood Cabinet responsible for, among other things, promoting consistent quality and comprehensiveness for early childhood services and conducting a statewide longitudinal evaluation of the school readiness program.

HB 6954 created the Early Childhood Research and Policy Partnership (Died in Legislative Management).

HB 6536 required the DSS commissioner, in consultation with the Child Day Care Council, to establish a competitive grant program to provide child care services to children under age six living in homeless shelters (Died in Appropriations).

2. Enhance pre-school teacher training, including on-site consultation for pre-school teachers to encourage continuing education toward advanced degrees.

PA 05-245 § 1 raises the minimum school readiness staff qualifications. § 4 allows DSS Quality Enhancement grants to be used for staff scholarships for training for any type of early childhood education or child development credential. It also expands the use of grants for supportive networks to include all child care providers, not just family day care homes. §50 establishes a 21-member committee to review and assess pathways to baccalaureate degrees in early childhood education and child development to promote the professionalization of the early childhood education workforce.

sSB 1339 allowed the education commissioner, within available appropriations, to award grants up to $ 3,000 to existing school readiness program employees to use in obtaining as associate’s degree in early childhood development. It also required the SDE commissioner, within available funding, to provide technical assistance and training to school readiness programs to assist in the application of SBE-adopted preschool curriculum guidelines (Died on Senate calendar).

3. Amend the pre-school system to allow for full-day, full-year or school-day, school-year pre-school programming.

4. Advocate for year-round school programming for grades K-3 in low-income districts.

5. Provide comprehensive early childhood education programs with mandated parent involvement.

PA 05-245, § 4 allows DSS’ quality enhancement grants for school readiness and daycare to be used for enhancing the quality of programs for kids aged 3 and under.

D. Reduce housing costs.

1. Expand availability of state rental assistance subsidies.

See supportive housing, use of RAP certificates, below.

2. Expand the Transitional Rental Assistance Program (T-RAP) to allow families to remain eligible for a longer period of time. In addition, the state should allow use of T-Rap for individuals re-entering education and needing assistance with rent.

E. Expand availability of affordable, family-sized housing units.

1. Provide incentives to housing developers to develop family-sized units

2. Create a Housing Trust Fund.

PA 05-5, JSS creates a housing trust fund.

3. Expand supportive housing for families

PA 05-280, §§ 32-34 requires the DSS commissioner to provide for up to 500 additional units of affordable supportive housing for people with mental illness, the second phase of the Supportive Housing Initiative. Allows the DSS commissioner to use RAP certificates for tenant-based and project-based units.

SB 492 required the DMHAS commissioner to implement and administer a program to provide grants-in-aid to nonprofits for providing support services to eligible households (Died in Appropriations).

HB 6108—authorized bonds for renovating the second floor of Norwich’s Martin House to create 17 additional efficiency units. (Died in Finance).

4. Expand use of Low Income Housing Tax Credits to help finance housing and rehabilitation efforts.

F. Support maintenance of owner-occupied housing by providing subsidy or tax incentive to low-income property owners for rehabilitation projects.

G. Enforce laws ensuring non-discrimination based on rent source.

H. Ensure public or private health care coverage for parents.

1. Provide tax incentives to small businesses that offer health insurance to employees and their dependents

2. Consider use of SCHIP or other funds to subsidize small employers to make it more affordable for families to provide health insurance coverage.

3. Continue to explore ways to expand health coverage for parents.

PA 05-1 provided HUSKY coverage to families with incomes between 100% and 150% of federal poverty level (FPL) scheduled to lose benefits on April 1. PA 05-280 increased HUSKY A eligibility to 150% of FPL.

PA 05-120—requires the DSS commissioner to apply for a federal waiver to provide Medicaid coverage for family planning services at higher income levels (up to 185% of FPL).

PA 05-280—restored presumptive eligibility for children in HUSKY A

PA 05-280—requires the Insurance and Real Estate Committee to study possible implementation of a “Nutmeg Health Partnership” to (1) increase number of residents with health insurance, (2) provide broader health care access, and (3) make health care more affordable.

SB 1147 created a new state-run health insurance (“HUSKY W”) program for employees of employers with workforces of more than 100 that were not providing their own health insurance. Created a surcharge for these employers, with credits for employers who provided coverage (Senate recommitted to Labor)

SB 1178 required group health insurance policies to provide coverage for elevated blood lead level testing of children at 12 and 24 months (Died on Senate Floor).

4. Enhance mechanism to provide information about employer sponsored health insurance coverage for TFA participants transitioning off cash assistance.

I. Ensure access to sufficient number of health care providers in the community and timely appointments.

SB 5697 appropriated unspecified amount for DSS to increase reimbursement rates to Medicaid dental providers. (Died in Appropriations).

J. Strengthen health care coordination and outreach to improve effectiveness.

K. Enhance prevention and early intervention programs.

1. Increase education about preventing disease and accessing disease prevention services, e. g. diabetes, obesity.

2. Provide immunizations for all children.

3. Increase early identification and accessible, culturally appropriate health promotion and care services for all families, especially families with a parent or child with mental illness or substance abuse problems

PA 05-280, § 3 requires DMHAS to develop a website that provides access to information on programs, services, and providers and diagnosis and treatment options, among other items.

L. Enhance medical and behavioral health care availability for families with special needs

1. Strengthen care for children with special health care needs through transitional programs and medical home model through the Department of Public Health.

2. Expand availability of behavioral health inpatient and outpatient treatment services for all children and parents in need

PA 05-280—Several sections

§§ 92-102 creates a Behavioral Health Partnership between DSS and DCF to implement an integrated behavioral health system for children and families receiving HUSKY; children enrolled in DCF’s voluntary services program; and, at the DCF commissioner’s discretion, other children and families the department serves.

§ 84 requires the DSS commissioner, in consultation with DMHAS commissioner and the Community Mental Health Strategy Board, to amend the state’s Medicaid plan by December 31, 2006 to include assertive community treatment teams and community support services in the definition of optional adult rehabilitation services, thereby making them eligible for federal reimbursement.

§ 86 permits the DMHAS commissioner, within available appropriations, to expand services for young adults with psychiatric disabilities to cover additional state catchment areas. And it requires him to identify service gaps for this population and report by January 1, 2007 on the need to expand existing services or add new ones.

§ 87 requires the DCF commissioner, within available appropriations and in consultation with the DMHAS commissioner and the Community Mental Health Strategy Board, to maintain the availability of flexible emergency funds for children with psychiatric disabilities who are not under DCF supervision.

SB 553 required DCF, within available appropriations, to make emergency mobile psychiatric services available on a continuous basis in order to divert children from emergency rooms. Also created a system to track children awaiting discharge from hospital emergency rooms and find in-patient or community-based placements for them (Recommitted to Public Health).

SB 1237 required the state to amend its Medicaid plan or receive Medicaid waivers to enable it to be reimbursed for some of the costs of supportive housing; assertive community treatment for adults; nursing home, hospital, and incarceration diversion for adults and young adults; in-home and mobile services for children; training; and public information (Died on Senate calendar).

3. Increase transitional living options for people discharged from inpatient behavioral health treatment facilities.

M. Expand, enhance and subsidize after-school programming.

PA 05-245 allows SDE, in conjunction with the After-School Committee and within available appropriations, to provide grants to school districts, municipalities, and nonprofit organizations for programs that take place when school is not in session.

HB 6802—required SDE to administer a grant to help municipalities to form public/private partnerships to meet the need for quality programs and activities for enrichment and education. Programs had to be available during non-school hours, including after school (Died in Appropriations).

SB 5691—appropriated $ 50,000 to DSS for grant to organization providing mentoring and athletic services to New Haven youth (Died in Appropriations).

N. Enhance availability of transportation.

O. Develop incentives to recruit and retain qualified teachers to work in low-income school districts

HB 6957—Provided $ 3,000 bonuses to teaches who teach in priority school districts and $ 5,000 to those who teach in schools in need of improvement (Died in Education).

sHB 6359 required the Court Support Services division to create community-based services for females, especially status offenders (Died in Appropriations).

P. Enhance drop out prevention efforts.

HB 6923—required school officials to hold a meeting with the parent or guardian of a truant child, and to make home visits for failure of parents to attend. Required districts to adopt policies for superintendents to file reports of educational neglect with DCF (Died in Education).

IV. Support Safety Net Programs for Families (with parents who have multiple or extraordinarily high barriers to employment)

A. Provide intensive case management to identify the ways to reduce barriers to employment for families identified with extreme barriers to employment.

B. Rethink the 21 month time limit in the Temporary Family Assistance (TFA) Program. (This recommendation was adopted on a vote of 10 to 5. )

C. Improve food stamp participation rates.

V. Enhance Family Structure and Support

PA 05-254 makes relative guardians, at the agency’s discretion, eligible for DCF’s higher subsidized guardianship rate after they have cared for the child for six, instead of 12, months.

HB 5706 loosened eligibility for DCF Subsidized Guardianship program (Died in Appropriations)

A. Create stable, two-parent homes with two earners.

1. Increase economic opportunity for men in order to increase marriage rates.

2. Enhance fatherhood initiatives and child support enforcement

B. Provide family planning and decrease teen pregnancy

C. Ensure culturally competent case management services.

D. Establish and maintain an infrastructure to support young at-risk families through early intervention. Provide culturally competent newborn-though-five home visiting medical and social services to enhance parent/child interaction and parenting skills, parent education, work and life skills and to access community resources and build social support.

PA 05-246 transfers responsibility of the Nurturing Families Network program from DCF to the Children’s Trust Fund, among other things.

E. Convince the general public and the business community of their self interest in ending poverty

OTHER LEGISLATION THAT ADDRESSED CHILD POVERTY

PA 05-244 requires OPM, by July 1, 2006, to develop a protocol for including performance-based standards and outcome measures in contracts with anti-poverty programs. And it requires the Council to meet at least twice a year to review and coordinate state agency efforts to meet the child poverty reduction goals.

HB 1244—imposed a 2% tax on income over $ 200,000 for an “End Poverty Social Investment Account. ” Funds used by Council to implement its mandates. (Died in Human Services)

HB 5700—appropriated $ 100,000 to DSS for grant to social services agency to provide community services, including after school programs and case management. (Died in Appropriations)

HB 6540—authorized bonds of up to $ 2 million for DSS to provide grant for the Institute for the Hispanic Family in Hartford to relocate in order to serve more children and adults. (Died in Finance)

HB 6927—restored State-Administered General Assistance services and benefits (Died in Appropriations)

HB 6943—(1) restored optional services previously cut and (2) required DSS commissioner to amend Medicaid plan to provide periodontal disease coverage for pregnant women. (Died in Appropriations)

SB 1175—created an In-Classroom School Breakfast Pilot Program (Died in Education)

HB 6362—required $ 250,000 to be moved from the General Fund to the Parent Trust Fund, which provides support to improve the health, safety, and education of children by training parents in civic leadership and parental engagement in community affairs (Died in Appropriations).

RC: ts