Public policies, institutional practices, and cultural norms all affect the families and children we serve. As the largest agency in the region committed to child abuse prevention, Family Resources has the capacity, and the responsibility, to influence all of those factors. That’s why we work to secure funding; to reform legislation that governs our programs; to raise awareness of our positive impact; to mobilize volunteers and donors; to encourage government investment in important social programs; and to remove barriers to more productive lives for parents and children alike.

Legislative Report

October, 2010: The Pennsylvania State Budget

The FY2011 state budget brings some good news (it could have been much worse) and some real concerns:

The budget was passed on time, meaning there will be no interruption in funding.

County Child Welfare funding declined from $1,048,374,000 to $1,045,607,000, a reduction of only 2.6 percent. $35 million was cut from the Mental Health budget, a 4.7 percent drop.

The budget was passed with the assumption that Congress will approve $850 million in federal enhanced Medicaid funds (FMAP). This measure is stalled in the Senate, and may die there. The governor’s contingency plan, if the funds don’t come through, is to cut the $250 million increase for public school instruction and operations, plus another $350 million from social services.

The budget counts on a 3.2 percent increase in state tax revenues over the next 12 months, even though those revenues have been below expectations for the last two years due to the recession.  FY2010 revenues were $1.2 billion below estimates as of May 31.

While the exact impact on Family Resources funding cannot be determined, the overall reduction in child welfare funding is minimal and, in mental health funding, modest.

What you can do
Contact your legislators and state your position on the approval of $850 million in FMAP.

Contact your elected officials
Check out Duquesne Light’s 2010 Use Your Voice handbook for contact information on all Allegheny County local, state, and federal representatives.