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Meeting Schedule
All
meetings begin at 10 a.m. in
Room 2-C of the Legislative
Office Building in Hartford. (Directions)
Thursday, Dec. 17
Thursday, Jan. 21
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On June 16, 2009,
House
Speaker Christopher G. Donovan announced the
formation of a legislative task force to find ways of meeting
the needs of Connecticut's youngest and most vulnerable citizens
in this economic crisis.
You'll find full reporting on the task force's activities below.Background
Connecticut has entered an
economic recession that will affect children and families for
decades to come. Three things have become painfully clear:
- Virtually all the progress
made in children’s economic well-being since 1975 is likely
to be wiped out by the downturn.
- The impact is especially
severe for low-income children of color.
- Children who fall into
poverty now will feel the impact well past the economic
recovery.
First Focus, a nonpartisan research group based in Washington,
D.C., has developed some estimates of the economic costs
relating to two aspects of recession-induced child poverty in
Connecticut: lost earnings and poorer health outcomes.
Specifically:
- An additional 35,000
Connecticut children will fall into poverty during this
recession.
- As adults, these children
will earn an average of $19,000 less annually than their
Connecticut peers who avoided poverty.
- Their health will worsen. By
age 37, they’ll be 20 percent less likely than their peers
to report being in very good health.
- The economic cost to
Connecticut from the forgone earnings and poorer health
status of these children will run to $800 million per year.
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 Jarmoc
on children and the recession in HBJ
The Hartford Business Journal has published an op-ed article by
Representative Karen Jarmoc of Enfield on the recession's
effects on Connecticut children and on the Children in the
Recession Task Force, which she co-chairs. "We cannot turn back
the realities thrust upon so many Connecticut families by the
collapse of our economy," she writes. "What we can do is take
action and work to turn the tide to decrease the number of
children and families who fall into a lifetime of poverty."
Read the article on the HBJ website
or
download a PDF copy. |
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Task
Force gets under way
A legislative task force formed by
House Speaker Christopher G. Donovan to address the needs of
Connecticut children and families affected by the recession held
its first meeting on Tuesday, September 29, in Hartford.
Read more about it |
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The
latest articles
about children in the recession
New York Times columnist Bob Herbert
put it best: "With so much attention focused on the banking system and arguments over bailouts, the plight of America’s children in this severe economic downturn is getting short shrift." That's why
the Commission on Children, acting in conjunction with the task
force, started a blog called Connecticut Children in the Recession, at
childrenintherecession.blogspot.com.
There, you'll find links to news articles and other information on how children are faring in this crisis. |
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Members of the Children in the Recession Task Force
The panel is co-chaired by state
Representatives Karen Jarmoc of Enfield and Diana S. Urban of
North Stonington. In addition to lawmakers of both parties, the
membership includes representatives from business, philanthropy,
the various nonprofit agencies that assist children and
families, researchers, and parent advocates,along with the
staffs of Connecticut's congressional delegation.
View the
roster. |
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Children in the Recession Task Force launched
Connecticut Speaker of the House of Representatives Chris Donovan announced on June 16 the formation of a legislative task force that will help plan Connecticut’s response to
the economic crisis for its youngest citizens. “There is no
greater risk to Connecticut’s future than the adverse effects of
this recession on our children," Donovan said.
Read more
here |
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