Thank You To --- Citizens and Community Advocates

An estimated 1200 individuals participated in various PAFCO citizen days throughout the legislative session. Many different groups lead these days. Many more citizens made calls and sent letters or visited their legislators and advocated on behalf of vulnerable populations.

Without your persistent presence and relentless advocacy, health and human services can easily fade into the background. The needs of vulnerable children, working families, the poor and those in need can be easily dismissed. Your advocacy makes all the difference.

State Budget

The fiscal year 2008 state budget authorizes $10.6 billion in expenditures, only a 2% increase over the previous year. There were modest gains in several health and human services areas while other areas like caseload growth kept up with necessary funding.

Highlights of gains and steps forward for health and human services Kidscare the so called gag rule was eliminated. Now an estimated 120,000 children eligible for public health care coverage may get information and outreach materials enabling them to apply for health care.

Child care - $ 9 million dollars was newly funded for a 5% increase. This is one small step to catching up to rates that are seven years behind.

Homeless Support Services - $1 million from lottery funding to expand services to families and individuals experiencing homelessness.

Domestic Violence funding - $ 3 million dollars to provide more shelter and safety services to eliminate turnaways. This is part of four year plan to eliminate turnaways from domestic violence shelters.

Respite Care for families not currently eligible for other respite will be expanded, $500,000 of new money is provided to be matched with federal programs.

Additional funding for home and community based services for elderly and people with disabilities and ombudsman services.

Crisis Intervention Training funding was funded for a small expansion of this critical training for law enforcement agencies to protect the needs and rights of people with serious mental illness. ($250,000)

Federal Backfill in child welfare, child support and mental health, the Legislature backfilled over $20 million dollars to cover lost federal funds. This just enables the systems to stay current and is not an expansion at all.

$ 1 million dollars to expand services to young people transitioning from foster care. Public health funding: $2.2 million for vaccines, $600,000 for senior food programs, $400,000 for county tuberculosis, $300,000 for valley fever, $250,000 for breast and cervical cancer screening, and $250,000 for crisis intervention training grants.

$1.8 million to increase the eligibility limit for pregnant women to 150% of the federal poverty level.