Missouri Children's Leadership
Council
#KidsWin
2015 Legislative Wrap-Up
TWO YEAR CHIP EXTENSION PASSED!!!
• Congress adopted H.R. 2
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2 year extension of CHIP
23% FMAP rate increase
Funding for home visiting programs
House of Representatives vote was 392-37 with the
entire Missouri delegation voting in support
– Senate vote was 92-8 with both Senators McCaskill
and Blunt voting in support
– President Obama signed the bill on April 16
– Thanks to all who made calls and sent emails
FY16 Budget Highlights
• Most programs flat funded
• $84M increase in foundation formula ($3.2B)
underfunded
• $5M increase in early childhood special education
($149,660,376)
• $2.45M increase in Parents as Teachers ($17,462,250)
• $3M cut to $12.6 for Missouri Preschool Program ($2M
earmarked for programs in provisionally accredited and
unaccredited districts
• Did not include $2M for inspection of childcare
facilities as required by federal Child Development
Block Grant
FY16 Budget (cont.)
• Home visitation programs $3M (flat)
• Early Head Start $6.1M (flat)
• First Steps $53M (flat)
FY16 Budget Highlights (cont.)
• $172,191,119 purchase of childcare
 3% provider rate increase
Increase in income eligibility thresholds
< 138%FPL / full benefit
<165%FPL / 75% benefit
<190%FPL / 50% benefit
<215%FPL / 25%benefit
SB341 Omnibus Children’s Bill
• SB341 Protection of Vulnerable Persons
(juvenile’s with problem sexual behavior)
• HB976 Protection of Children
(immunization)
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HB707 Safe Sleep Practices
HB1045 Community Children’s Services Funds
HB1074 Office of Child Advocate Audits
Children’s Division Hotline
SB341 Protection of Vulnerable
Persons
• Applies to juveniles under age 14
• Abuse does not have to be committed by a
person responsible for care, custody and
control of the child
• Hot-line report is communicated to local office
• Local office responds with family assessment
and services
• Does not prevent investigation if warranted
HB976 Protection of Children
Immunization
• Applies to all public, private and parochial day
care centers, preschools and nursery schools
• Upon request, parents shall be notified if
there are children enrolled for whom an
immunization exemption has been filed
HB707 Safe Sleep Practices
• Department of Health and Senior Services empowered to
approve safe sleep recommendations of American Academy
of Pediatrics
• All licensed child care facilities providing care for children
under one year of age SHALL
 implement and maintain written safe sleep policy in
accordance with most recent AAP recommendations
 Require all employees and volunteers to successfully
complete DHSS approved safe sleep training every three
years
HB1045 Children’s Services Funds
• Prohibits adding services in addition to those
adopted at the time the tax levy is approved
by voters
• Prohibits the state legislature from mandating
expenditure of funds
• Exempts St. Louis County
HB1047 Office of Child Advocate
Audits
• Grants the Office of Child Advocate the
authority to conduct an independent review
of any entity that has had three or more
review requests within a calendar year
• Includes Children’s Division, Juvenile Office or
guardian ad litem
• May make recommendations for changes in
the entity’s policies and procedures
Children’s Division Hotline
• Requires all public and charter schools to post,
in a clearly visible location in a public area of
the school, a sign in English and Spanish
containing the toll-free child abuse and
neglect hotline number
• Must be posted in all student restrooms
• Children’s Division to develop an easily
remembered acronym
SB354 Amino Acid Based Formula
• Requires DHSS to provide coverage, through
state and federal appropriations, for the full
cost of amino acid-based elemental formula
for children under 19 with a medical diagnosis
of allergies, syndromes, or disorders
HB 531 E-Cigs
• Requires liquid nicotine containers to satisfy
child-resistant effectiveness standards
• Applies to nicotine liquid containers sold as a
bottle or other container intended for use in a
vapor products
• Does NOT apply to e-cigs sold as a prefilled
and sealed cartridge
• Applies until federal regulations are adopted
SB 24 Welfare Reform
• Full family immediate sanction if person is not complying with
work activity requirements
• Department SHALL conduct face-to-face meeting
• TANF recipient has six weeks to comply with work activity
• Failure results in 50% reduction in benefits for maximum of 10
weeks
• Work activities required for minimum average of 30 hours per
week for one month to cure sanction
• Failure to cure sanction results in case closed
Welfare Reform (cont.)
• New life-time limit of 45 months (was 60 months)
• No grandfathering of current clients impacting 6,400 children
on January 1, 2016
• In lieu of long-term monthly cash assistance, creates new cash
diversion program of lump-sum cash grants for short term
needs
• Six month disregard of new spouse income and assets
• 2% set aside to fund alternative to abortion services and
awareness
• 2% set aside for healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood
promotion
What Died?
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HB152 Sexual Trafficking of a Child
HB458 Anti-bullying
SB328 Youth Suicide Awareness
SB342/HB735 Perinatal Advisory Countil
HB684 Foster Care (host families)
HB734/SB464 Visual and aural recordings of Safe
Exams
• HB1268 Early Childhood Education/Tobacco Tax