As expected in a budget year, debates about spending continue to dominate this legislative session. So you think you can fix the Minnesota deficit? Give the budget your best shot with this online trial from MinnPost. Can you balance it? If you're reading this blog, chances are good that you have some opinions about the Child Welfare elements of the...
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February 2011 Archives
Among many advocates who provided public testimony in the House Health and Human Services Finance Committee, two individuals spoke specifically about Child Welfare elements of the budget. This testimony took place on Wednesday, February 23, 2011. You can listen to the audio or view the video recordings at this link. The advocates who spoke about Child Welfare issues each have...
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Let's dig a little deeper into the Governor's budget recommendations, specifically the CCSA allocation and adoption assistance. The Children and Community Services Act is the bulk of the state's contribution to Child Protection. Since last year's reduction was passed as a one-time cut, and since the proposal to make last year's cuts to CCSA permanent were vetoed by the Governor,...
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This week, Governor Dayton released his budget proposal. Keep in mind that the legislature and the Governor are taking opposing approaches to resolving this budget deficit. So don't get too attached to the details within this budget, as it's very likely to change through the legislative process. That said, this link will take you to several resources about the Governor's...
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The Senate passed HF 130, the budget proposal cutting $900 million in state spending. This was a fast turnaround following the House passage of the bill late on 2/9. The bill was sent to the Governor, and he vetoed the bill within a couple hours of receiving it. You can read coverage here, here and here. And the Governor's veto...
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Yesterday afternoon was a busy one for Minnesota politics. The Senate passed HF 130, the budget proposal cutting $900 million in state spending. Read Senator Claire Robling's statement - she's the Senate Finance Chair, author of the Senate's companion bill to HF130 and a member of CASCW's Advisory Board. This was a pretty quick turnaround following the House passage of...
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Yesterday the House passed the first round of budget cuts on a 68-61 floor vote. Today, the Senate will vote on the same conference committee report. Though the timing isn't certain, it appears the floor vote will happen at 11:00 am. You can attend in person, or you can stream the vote online. While the bill is expected to pass,...
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House and Senate Conference Committee members worked fast to reach agreement on cuts of $1 billion dollars in state spending. As MPR News put it, "Child protection among losers in first round of budget cuts." The reductions to funding for Child and Community Service Assistance grants ($13.7 million a year, or 21%) have remained unchanged in recent weeks as the...
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A class of U of M School of Social Work students asked some great follow up questions to the earlier Funding 101 post. Here are the questions and responses. Thanks for your curiosity! Q: How does Minnesota compare, in terms of total Child Welfare expenditures, to other states? A: Minnesota spending is 14th highest out of all states, including Washington,...
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The Minnesota Senate approved a first round of budget cuts today, including permanent reductions to the state's funding of the Child Protection System. Here's a quick bit of coverage. If you've been reading this blog, this is same bill we've been covering for the last couple weeks. The budget proposal passed the House (HF 130), now the Senate (SF 60)....
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It's looking very likely that the Senate will pass the proposed budget cuts to Child Welfare funding, part of the $1 billion budget cut proposed and passed by the House last week. So just what does a $13.6 million reduction mean for Minnesota's Child Welfare system? There are a few ways to look at this. Below is a basic overview...
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