State Budget Update: Halfway there...

Yesterday, the State Senate and Assembly passed the main budget bill – consisting of mostly cuts.  This solves roughly half of the state's $26.6 billion deficit; we’re not quite in the clear yet.

Two of the most contentious pieces of Gov. Brown’s budget proposal remain to be decided:

• the elimination of redevelopment agencies
• place an extension of 2009 tax hikes on the June ballot

Without the projected revenue from these two sources, the Legislature will have to double the proposed cuts or find sources of revenue other than taxes.  So far, Brown and his allies are still pushing for GOP support.

We will keep you posted as things progress…

Congress Passes Sixth Extension

Yesterday, the U.S. Senate voted 87-13 in favor of yet another short-term spending bill that will keep the government funded through April 8.  It initially passed the house on Tuesday.

There have been reports of growing frustration on both sides of the aisle because lawmakers are eager to pass a long-term plan to cover government spending through September 30. 

Democrats and Republicans need to find middle ground on the depth of the spending cuts: Republicans want to cut $61 billion (including the defunding of Title X); Democrats find that amount to be too severe.

House Republican leaders have recently become less vocal about using the long-term spending bill to defund Planned Parenthood, despite objections from within their party.  Representatives Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Tim Huelskamp (R-KS) voted against the recent budget bill in part because it did not include this provision. Meanwhile, Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski (AK) and Susan Collins (ME) have come out publicly in support of both Planned Parenthood and Title X.  Our thanks to these brave women who took a principled stand for women’s health care.

We will keep you posted on any new developments as they arise – but for now, please continue to tell your legislators how important Title X and Planned Parenthood are in your community!  Call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to be connected with your representatives!

Pence Amendment Resurfaces in Senate

Planned Parenthood health services are yet again in serious jeopardy – this time, at the hands of Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC).  The Senator has filed his version of the Pence Amendment to a bill being debated in the Senate today about funding and provisions for small business programs.

Yesterday, in a 84-12 vote, the Senate agreed to invoke cloture, meaning there will be limited time spent deliberating this bill.    A final vote on the bill is expected to come this afternoon. 

A mirror image of the Pence Amendment, DeMint’s amendment would strip Planned Parenthood of all federal funding.  If this measure becomes a reality, it would limit health care access for low-income individuals and severely weaken the over-burdened public health safety net – ultimately denying the poor and low-income access to family planning services.

Planned Parenthood’s health centers offer primary and preventive health care, including lifesaving breast and cervical cancer screenings, annual exams, birth control, HIV testing, and STD testing and treatment. To strip Planned Parenthood of its federal funding is to deny millions of women, men and teens the health care services they need to make smart, educated decisions about their health.

Keeping our voices loud and momentum strong at this time is critical!  Please call Senators Boxer and Feinstein and urge them to oppose the DeMint amendment. 

Senator Barbara Boxer: 202-224-3553

Senator Dianne Feinstein: 202-224-3841

Federal Spending Still in Gridlock

The good news is that yesterday, the Senate rejected the House’s FY2011 spending bill that would have completely eliminated funding for Title X.

The bad news is that they failed to pass the Senate’s version of the spending bill as well (which maintained Title X funding).

It’s back to the drawing board for negotiations between the chambers – with the current Continuing Resolution (CR) set to expire next Friday, March 18.  Republicans in the House are already drafting another extension of 2010 spending levels, safely assuming they will not strike a deal in the coming week.

It will be a tough road ahead – the modest cuts proposed by Senate Dems are deemed not enough, while the extreme cuts coming from Tea Partiers and other conservatives are too severe. 

While all Senate Dems voted against the House spending plan, 10 Dems, plus Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), voted against the Senate Dems’ bill.  Sources say some of these votes are symbols of protest against the narrow focus on cuts to discretionary spending only. 

We are working with our friends at the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association (NFPRHA) to keep you posted on the latest news out of Washington.

Senate Dems Spare Title X

The Senate is expected to vote on the budget this week, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has introduced the Democrats’ long-term spending plan to fund the government through September 30, 2011.

Unlike the devastating cuts in the House Republican’s plan, the Senate Dems will thankfully maintain funding for Title X at its current level of $317.5 million.  The bill also includes funding for the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative and restores the Maternal Child Health Block Grant and community health centers to their current funding levels.

But the fight is far from over.  It is crucial that we keep up the pressure on both the House and the Senate to maintain Title X's current funding.  Members of Congress need to understand how draconian cuts to Title X and restrictions on Planned Parenthood would affect the health and health care of the women and families in their communities.

Remember:

• For every public dollar invested in family planning care, $4 is saved in Medicaid expenditures.
• California serves 22% of all Title X clients with essential, cost-effective family planning services. Without these funds clinical services for low income individuals are at risk.
• California has over 314 clinic sites providing Title X services to over 1.1 million clients.
• Title X has contributed to the decline in California’s teen birth rate.

Contact your legislators today!  Call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to be connected with your elected officials.

Community Challenge Grant Program Eliminated

Yesterday, the state Budget Conference Committee agreed to severe cuts for the CalWORKS program – including the elimination of $20 million for Community Challenge Grants related to teen pregnancy prevention.

The Community Challenge Grant program (CCG), administered by the Office of Family Planning, Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program, provides community-based teen pregnancy prevention programming, helping adolescents avoid pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection (STI). 

The CCG Program was enacted in 1996, and over the years has provided age-appropriate, culturally sensitive, curriculum-based, comprehensive sex education; changed risky sexual and personal behaviors of at-risk youth; and increased contraceptive use in adolescents. The program served approximately 166,749 youth and families in 2006-2007 alone.

The final version of the state budget is slated for a floor vote next week. 

In addition to eliminating the CCG Program, these sweeping cuts also included reductions of:

• $20 million in the CalLearn program for teenage mothers
• $5 million for substance abuse and mental health services for CalWORKs recipients
• $477 million for Stage 1 child care, welfare-to-work programs, and administrative costs

We do urge you to contact your members in the state legislature and let them know the level of disappointment this news brings – and the devastating impact it can have on our communities.

Click here to find your State Senator and Assemblymember (under “Find My District”).

Title X and Planned Parenthood Spared…For Now

When President Obama signed House Joint Resolution 44 on March 2, he bought two weeks for Congress to find a solution to the budget.

He also stopped any potential efforts to defund Planned Parenthood, Title X and Health Care Reform – for now.

The stopgap spending bill will keep the government funded through March 18 while House and Senate leaders examine long-term solutions for current fiscal year spending. 

In addition to echoing President Obama’s proposed elimination of several programs, the Senate bill will also incorporate broader funding cuts – potentially totaling $30 billion in overall cuts for the remainder of the fiscal year.

During the Senate debate yesterday, a group of Democrats – including California’s own Barbara Boxer – spoke out against the negative impact of H.R. 1 (the House-passed long-term funding bill that defunds Title X and strips Planned Parenthood of federal funding) on women, children and families.

The fight is far from over.  It is imperative that we keep up the pressure on both the House and the Senate to maintain Title X's current funding.  Members of Congress need to understand how draconian cuts to Title X and restrictions on Planned Parenthood would affect their states and communities. 

While it’s crucial our concerns be heard, it’s also just as important to support the legislators who support us.  Call Senator Boxer’s office at 202-224-3553 and thank her for being a champion of Title X and family planning programs!

Remember:

• For every public dollar invested in family planning care, $4 is saved in Medicaid expenditures.
• California serves 22% of all Title X clients with essential, cost-effective family planning services. Without these funds clinical services for low income individuals are at risk.
• California has over 314 clinic sites providing Title X services to over 1.1 million clients.
• Title X has contributed to the decline in California’s teen birth rate.

Show your support for Family Planning!

As the fierce debate over Title X continues, we need to rally our friends and resources to get the facts out. I hope you will join CFHC in spreading these messages through social networks, e-mail, and through communication to your elected officials.

Here are a few simple things you can do today to support Title X:

1.       Go to www.facebook.com/savefamilyplanning and “like” the page. Post your support for Title X and/or concerns facing Title X funding cuts in your community. You will also find a variety of fun and informative posts from others.  Please “share” them on your own pages and help get the word out virally.

2.       On Twitter, connect to www.twitter.com/savefamplanning and share or “retweet” what you can. 

Let's keep the momentum strong in support of family planning services!