2008 Legislative Summit New Orleans, Louisiana FEDERAL UPDATE · 2008. 7. 30. · Legislative Summit 2008 New Orleans, LA 25 SSI • 2 year extension of SSI benefits for certain refugees

2008 Legislative SummitNew Orleans, Louisiana

FEDERAL UPDATE

Sheri Steisel, Federal Affairs Counsel, Senior Director, Human Services

Where We Are…on the Federal Budget for FY 2009

• Budget Resolutions (House and Senate)• Excellent marker that tells us what Congress is

thinking• Little to quibble about from a human services

– Reserve funds, including programs like child support, child care

– Rejected some cuts proposed by the President (LIHEAP, CDBG) and increased funding in some cases (CCDBG and WIC)

Will There Even be a Labor/HHS Appropriations Bill for FY 09?

Possible CR in September into early next year?

Legislative Summit 2008 New Orleans, LA

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Supplemental Appropriations

• Emergency! economic downturn, wildfires, etc.• Vehicle for spending priorities• July 22nd markup scheduled• Veto likely, but potential override• Possible CR in September into early next year

Economic Stimulus

• Stimulus 1 – tried to get Food Stamps, unemployment insurance, Medicaid, child support,

• Got refundability of rebate checks• Discussions have begun on Stimulus 2

– Potential vehicle for child support, LIHEAP, unemployment insurance, Food Stamps, FMAP, and state fiscal relief

CHILD SUPPORT

Incentive Funding Cut Restoration• S. 803, H.R. 1386• vehicles for at least temporary fix• at least 10 states did not make up the

cut with state funds for FY 08• Early reports show deficits for FY 09

Talk to your Members!

• Co-sponsor Restoration bills: H.R. 1386 and S. 803

• Restore child support funding now – a short-term fix will help state budgets programs

• Economists Letter

Possible Vehicles

• Omnibus appropriations / reconciliation• Stimulus 2• Supplemental spending bills

FARM BILL (P.L. 110-246)

• Two Presidential vetoes later, we have a Farm Bill.

• P.L. 110-246 was finally passed in June.• Food programs were the big winner


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$10.4 billion in new spending for the nutrition title is the dollar equivalent of the entire new spending in the Farm Bill.

Food Stamps: What the Farm Bill Did• Simplified the application process for food stamps by allowing

applications to be completed by phone. • Raised the monthly minimum benefit, which has remained at

$10 for almost 30 years. • Permanently extended the exemption of active-duty military pay

from “household income,” eliminated the cap on dependent care deduction, and exempted tax-preferred retirement accounts and education accounts from asset limit calculations.

• Raised the asset limit for inflation.• Increase the standard deduction allowed to families of non-food

essential items and index it to inflation beginning in 2008; thestandard deduction has not been increased or adjusted for inflation since 1996. (Depending on household composition, that would be $144, $246, $203, or $127.)

• Allow single, unemployed adults to receive Food Stamp Benefits for six out of 24 months rather than the current three out of 36 months


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Food Stamps: Other Farm Bill Provisions

• Food Stamp Program is renamed the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or “SNAP.”

• Major Systems Failure– states will be liable for amount of excess benefits distributed.

• Major Changes in Program Design—the Secretary is watching.

Other Nutrition Programs in the Farm Bill

• Increases funding for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) by $1.26 billion.

• Expands the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program to provide free fresh fruits and vegetables to schools in all 50 states and D.C. w/$1.02 billion in new funding.

• Contains clarifying language regarding preferences for locally grown food for child nutrition and related programs.

• Removing the requirement to report Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) benefits as income in determining eligibility for programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or Medicaid.

Welfare Reform Final Rule

• Final welfare rule issued February 5– in effect October 1, 2008– States have been operating under an Interim

Final Rule since June 29, 2006• New Legisbrief describes state impact

Little Change from Interim Rule

• Some administrative flexibility• Except for MOE

– Limits use for purposes 3 and 4– First step at limiting state flexibility by rule– Attempt to restrict state spending and use of

“excess MOE”


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Further Flexibility Limits by Rule

• New limits to diversion programs• Possible new regulation to eliminate the use

of excess MOE towards the caseload reduction credit

• Expected August release


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Congressional TANF Wish List• Treatment of families with disabilities• Job search• Drug and alcohol abuse treatment• Two parent work rate• Moratorium on MOE rule • Block potential MOE rule• Penalty relief


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Talk to your TANF Administrators

• Did your state pass or fail?• What is the prospect for the following year?• Can your state get access to TANF

contingency funds?• REMEMBER: Fiscal penalties are

severe/corrective compliance plans possible

TANF Supplemental Grants

• Extended in Medicare Law• No change in distribution

– (Rockefeller /Graham bill, S. 2819)• Also extended TMA and abstinence funds

under Title 5• Do over next year

Child Welfare

• Bipartisan Interest in Congress• Invest in KIDS Act, H.R. 5466• Interest in kinship care • Comes down to financing• No comprehensive bill this year


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Child Welfare cont…

• Action possible!• HR 6307: Fostering Connections to Success

passed the House• Senate vehicle will be S. 3038: Improved

Adoption Incentives and Relative Guardianship Act of 2008

• Both reauthorize adoption incentives and provide resources for kinship care


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HR 5876 Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act

of 2008• New federal role: standards and enforcement provisions

to prevent child abuse and neglect in residential programs

• On June 24, amended on the floor and recommitted to House Committee on Education and Labor due to an amendment requiring parents or legal guardians to give consent before prescription medication is administered to children.

• Removed the twice a year visitation requirement which would be a great cost to states


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Pre-K

HR 3289: The PRE-K Act• Passed House Committee on Education and

Labor – June 26, 2008• $1 billion per year for five years to establish

Early Education Grants• Early Education Grants require matching

funds, pre-k MOE, and child care MOE.


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SSI• 2 year extension of SSI benefits for certain refugees unable to

naturalize• House passed H.R. 2608, sponsored by Washington

Representative Jim McDermott and 15 co-sponsors, by a 2/3 majority voice vote on July 11, 2007

• Senators DeMint (South Carolina ) Cornyn (Texas) and Bunning (Kentucky) identified concerns with the House bill and placed “holds” on Senate consideration.

• Agreement reached with regards to concerns – S. 821 (Lead sponsor Oregon Senator Gordon Smith)

• New attempt to “hot line” Senate bill; offset has many takers• Searching for vehicles for passage

– Supplemental?– Stimulus?– Stand Alone


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Immigration: Unfinished Business

• Agricultural Job Opportunities, Benefits and Security Act of 2007 (AgJOBS)

• Visa Reform• SSA No-Match Letters• E-Verify authorization expires November 2008• SAVE/NEVA• Comprehensive immigration reform• Dream Act

Thanks for Listening!Feel free to contact the Human Services Federal Affairs Staff with any questions:

Sheri Steisel – [email protected] Posey – [email protected] Taylor – [email protected]

Or call the DC office at (202) 624-5400Or visit us on the web at

http://www.ncsl.org/statefed/humserv/fedhumserv.htm

2008 Legislative Summit New Orleans, Louisiana FEDERAL UPDATE · 2008. 7. 30. · Legislative Summit 2008 New Orleans, LA 25 SSI • 2 year extension of SSI benefits for certain refugees

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