2007 Legislative Priorities

Critical issues in which CHSFS will play a leadership role:

• Adoption:  Birth Records

We oppose the proposed legislation of (HF 1445/SF 347) to make original birth records available to adoptees on demand at age 19, as it repudiates the confidentiality that was promised birth mothers prior to the current Open Birth Adoption statutes.

Read below our agency statement on Open Birth Records.

• Adoption:  General

We will monitor all proposed legislation regarding adoption, and take positions and involve staff, the Advocacy Committee and other agencies and stake holders as necessary.

Critical issues in which CHSFS will play a partnership role:

• Child Safety: We support legislation that will sustain or increase financing for services available to support the safety, permanency, and well-being of children in Minnesota. 
• Child Safety:  We support increased financing for child abuse prevention including restoring crisis nursery funding at the state level.
• Child-care Reimbursement and Eligibility:  We support the position of Child Care Works, Greater Twin Cities United Way and other coalition partners to restore childcare funding lost in the last two state budgets.  This includes returning eligibility to 250% of poverty, reducing co-pays for eligible families, funding programs so that all families meeting eligibility receive assistance, continuing the rate differential for programs that are accredited or meet quality standards, and maintaining a reasonable reimbursement rate for childcare providers.
• Children’s Health Coverage:  We support the Children’s Health Security Act at the state and federal levels, providing universal coverage so all  children have access to affordable, quality health care including expanded mental health care. 

Other issues that CHSFS will monitor and report on as needed:

•  Minnesota – Office of Legislative Auditor – State Grants to Non-Profit Organizations: We will monitor any legislation presented as a result of this Report and report as needed.
• Minnesota - Legislative Commission to End Poverty:  We will monitor any legislation presented by this Commission and will support legislation which will impact the lessening of poverty in Minnesota.
• Congress – Federal Welfare Reform:  We will monitor reports from Greater Twin Cities United Way and Affirmative Options regarding legislation which ensures that states have the funding necessary to provide work supports for individuals and families leaving welfare but earning low wages, and to make poverty reduction, not just caseload reduction, an explicit goal of welfare reform (TANF).  Work supports include – child care and housing assistance, and education/ training for job improvement.
• Congress – Federal Charitable Contributions Laws:  We will monitor and support as needed the following proposed changes:  
  •  Full deductibility of charitable contributions for all taxpayers including those who do not itemize.
  •  Elimination of the 2007 sunset of tax code provision which allows taxpayers to “roll over” all or part of an IRA to a charity as an untaxed withdrawal.