As expected in a budget year, debates about spending continue to dominate this legislative session. So you think you can fix the Minnesota deficit? Give the budget your best shot with this online trial from MinnPost. Can you balance it? If you're reading this blog, chances are good that you have some opinions about the [...]
Let's dig a little deeper into the Governor's budget recommendations, specifically the CCSA allocation and adoption assistance. The Children and Community Services Act is the bulk of the state's contribution to Child Protection. Since last year's reduction was passed as a one-time cut, and since the proposal to make last year's cuts to CCSA permanent [...]
Yesterday the House passed the first round of budget cuts on a 68-61 floor vote. Today, the Senate will vote on the same conference committee report. Though the timing isn't certain, it appears the floor vote will happen at 11:00 am. You can attend in person, or you can stream the vote online. While the [...]
House and Senate Conference Committee members worked fast to reach agreement on cuts of $1 billion dollars in state spending. As MPR News put it, "Child protection among losers in first round of budget cuts." The reductions to funding for Child and Community Service Assistance grants ($13.7 million a year, or 21%) have remained unchanged [...]
A class of U of M School of Social Work students asked some great follow up questions to the earlier Funding 101 post. Here are the questions and responses. Thanks for your curiosity! Q: How does Minnesota compare, in terms of total Child Welfare expenditures, to other states? A: Minnesota spending is 14th highest out [...]
The Minnesota Senate approved a first round of budget cuts today, including permanent reductions to the state's funding of the Child Protection System. Here's a quick bit of coverage. If you've been reading this blog, this is same bill we've been covering for the last couple weeks. The budget proposal passed the House (HF 130), [...]
It's looking very likely that the Senate will pass the proposed budget cuts to Child Welfare funding, part of the $1 billion budget cut proposed and passed by the House last week. So just what does a $13.6 million reduction mean for Minnesota's Child Welfare system? There are a few ways to look at this. [...]
Where to begin? This was a fast-paced week for policy decisions impacting the Child Welfare field. So fast-paced that the Minnesota State Legislature's website couldn't even keep up with hearings, amendments, schedules and votes. Sources like MN Public Radio and the MN Budget Project have had up-to-date information and analysis. As noted in previous entries, [...]