Senate Announces First Farm Bill Hearing: Counties Encouraged to Comment – Action Needed
Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, announced the Committee’s first Farm Bill field hearing will be held on May 31 at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan at the Kellogg Center. The hearing, “Opportunities for Growth: Michigan and the 2012 Farm Bill,” will focus on the upcoming reauthorization of the Farm Bill, examining agriculture as well as energy, conservation, rural development, research, forestry and nutrition policies.
NACo members are encouraged to attend and can RSVP by calling 202-224-2035 or by emailing aghearing@ag.senate.gov. Chairwoman Stabenow is also accepting written testimony, which will be included in the official record. Send your testimony no later than June 7, 2011 to aghearing@ag.senate.gov. You may also submit questions for possible consideration by the panel members during a limited question and answer period before May 26, 2011.
Click here for NACo’s Farm Bill priorities fact sheet which can be used as a guide for your comments. http://www.naco.org/legislation/policies/Documents/Agriculture%20and%20Rural%20Affairs/ecj%20%20–%20%20Farm%20Bill.pdf
Action Needed! Homeland Security Assistance to Counties At Risk of Being Eliminated in 2012
Action Needed! Homeland Security Assistance to Counties At Risk of Being Eliminated in 2012
Today, Friday, May 13, 2011 at 11am, the House of Representatives Appropriations’ Subcommittee on Homeland Security is scheduled to markup the FY2012 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations Bill. The legislation proposes massive reductions in grants, technical assistance and programs important to States, local governments and public safety agencies nationwide. Additionally, the legislation proposes a major change to the current formula for distributing State and local grants; and many counties would presumably be at risk of not receiving any future State and local grant assistance from the DHS.
Specifically, the legislation proposes only $1 billion dollars for DHS Grants, Exercises, and Technical Assistance important to States, local governments and public safety agencies. This is a decrease of $1.2 billion compared to the current year, and the legislation also proposes major reductions in DHS’ Fire Grants ($350 million), FEMA Flood Mapping ($120 million), and PreDisaster Mitigation Grants ($40 million).
Additionally, the legislation proposes a major consolidation of programs important to States, local governments and public safety agencies. Specifically, the legislation proposes combining DHS’ State Homeland Security Grant Program, Urban Area Security Initiative Grant Program, Metropolitan Medical Response System, Citizen Corp Program, Rail and Transit Grants, Intercity Bus Security Grants, Port Security Grants, Interoperable Emergency Communications Grants and DHS/FEMA Training, Technical Assistance and Exercises into one single line item; and awarding future grants to States, local governments and public safety agencies at the discretion of the DHS Secretary.
For many years, Counties have been strongly opposed to any effort to reduce funds to DHS’ State and Local Programs and asserted that a minimum level of preparedness must be provided to all communities.
The Appropriations’ Subcommittee on Homeland Security is scheduled to markup the FY2012 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations Bill at 11am on Friday, May 13, 2011. The Full Appropriations Committee is expected to markup the legislation next week. Call your Members of Congress today and oppose efforts to eliminate homeland security assistance to counties.
To see the alert and take action, click here.
Federal Health Reform Implementation Information
The National Association of Counties (NACo) is helping counties adjust to the changes brought on by the Federal Health Reform. If you visit the NACo site, there is a section on Health Reform Implementation along with a PDF of Health Reform Implementation Frequently Asked Questions.
Along with all of these great resources, NACo has also compiled a list of resources available to help as well:
- U.S. Government Resources
An official U.S. government website managed by the Department of Health and Human Services covering issues related to the Affordable Care Act along with a search engine for individuals to find health insurance coverage options and other information.
www.healthcare.gov
- Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Consumer Information and Insurance OversightThe Office of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight within the Department of Health and Human Services issues regulations and implements many of the provisions of the legislation that address private health insurance. Its webpage contains links to proposed regulations, requests for comment and other updates.
www.hhs.gov/ociio
- U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate Information on the Affordable Care Act
The congressional take on health care reform can be found at:
http://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/ legislation?id=0361
http://dpc.senate.gov/dpcdoc-sen_ health_care_bill.cfm
Other Resources
- Alliance for Health Reform
The Alliance for Health Reform is a nonpartisan, nonprofit group that offers an array of resources and viewpoints regarding health care system changes in a number of formats to elected officials and their staffs, journalists, policy analysts and advocates.
www.allhealth.org
- The Commonwealth Fund
The Commonwealth Fund is a private foundation that aims to promote a high performing health care system that achieves better access, improved quality, and greater efficiency, particularly for society’s most vulnerable. The fund carries out this mandate by supporting independent research on health care issues and making grants to improve health care practice and policy.
www.commonwealthfund.org/Health- Reform.aspx
- Health Reform GPS
Health Reform GPS is designed to help people understand the legislation and its implementation. The website has been designed to present unbiased information about the health reform legislation while also setting forth implementation issues that may arise from a full range of stakeholder views on any particular topic. It is sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Hirsh Health Law and Policy Program of the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services.
www.healthreformgps.org/
- Kaiser Family Foundation
The Kaiser Family Foundation is a non-profit, private operating foundation focusing on the major health care issues facing the U.S. and the foundation develops and runs its own research and communications programs.http://healthreform.kff.org
- National Academy for State Health Policy
The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) is an independent academy of state health policymakers working together to identify emerging issues, develop policy solutions, and improve state health policy and practice.http://nashp.org/health-reform
- National Conference of State Legislatures
The National Conference of State Legislatures’ website contains health reform implementation information and resources.
www.ncsl.org
- National Governors Association
The National Governors Association’s website contains health reform implementation information and resources.
www.nga.org
NACo Affiliates
- National Association of County & City Health Officials (NACCHO)
www.naccho.org/advocacy/health-reform.cfm - National Association of County Human Services Administrators (NACHSA)
www.nachsa.org - National Association of County Behavioral Health & Developmental Disability Directors (NACBHDD)
www.nacbhdd.org - National Association of Local Boards of Health (NALBOH)
www.nalboh.org
Action Needed! Support the 6-month Extension of FMAP in H.R. 4213
Please see the alert below from NACo regarding the federal FMAP six month extension for Medicaid dollars. The Michigan Legislature is counting on this money, more than $500 million for Michigan, to balance the fiscal year 2011 budget. If Congress does not pass the extension, more than $500 million will need to be cut from the state budget, which will dramatically affect counties. Please contact Senators Levin and Stabenow today and ask them to make sure the FMAP extension is included in HR 4213:
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Action Needed! Support the 6-month Extension of FMAP in H.R. 4213 Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) unveiled their manager’s amendment to H.R. 4213, the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010, last Tuesday. The manager’s amendment is the starting point for the Senate’s consideration of the package of tax breaks and benefits extensions passed by the House before Memorial Day. Reid and Baucus restored the six month extension of the ARRA Medicaid federal medical assistance (FMAP) aid to states and counties which had been dropped from the House bill over concern within the Democratic Caucus over its $24 billion price tag. NACo strongly supports the provision. The ARRA FMAP aid expires December 31, 2010, in the middle of many statefiscal years, states which already face a collective budget shortfall of more than $55 billion. County budgets, as a result, stand to suffer if FMAP provision expires at the end of this year. NACo urges you to contact your senator and emphasize support for the FMAP extension, click here to take action. Contact: Paul Beddoe • 202.942.4234 |
FMAP Extension, contact Congress now!
Please contact your congressperson and Senators Levin and Stabenow ASAP:
A six month extension of ARRA’s enhanced Medicaid federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) is currently in legislative limbo and needs to be completed before the Memorial Day Recess according to NACo. The extension, which would carry the FMAP through June 2011, was included in a package of extension bills (H.R. 4213) which has passed both chambers of Congress, but in different forms. The measure now is before the House but it is not clear how House leaders intend to proceed.
Action Needed:
1) Urge Representatives to sign-on to the FMAP Dear Colleague being circulated by Representatives Pingree (D-Maine), Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Green (D-Texas)and Capps (D-Calif.).
2) Contact Senate offices to urge swift action on the extension before the Memorial Day Recess.
FMAP Extension Talking Points:
- The federal FMAP rate is the rate at which the federal government matches a state’s Medicaid expenditures, and it varies from state to state depending on a formula weighing many factors. The match rate can not go below 50% .
- The federal FMAP rate has been enhanced in Michigan for FY2009 and FY2010, at a rate of about 75% as part of the federal ARRA legislation. The natural FMAP rate for Michigan would be about 65%.
- This bill would result in an additional $514 million in federal Medicaid dollars for Michigan over the six months from January 1, 2011 to June 30, 2011, much of which will be put into Medicaid services at the county level such as county medical care facilities, local public health, and community mental health.
- County medical care facilities and other skilled nursing providers are at particular risk if the FMAP rate is not extended because if the rate drops back down, the corresponding drop in the QAAP reimbursement will place additional financial burdens on these facilities.
- Michigan’s budget hole for FY2011 is about $1.6 billion and our economy is in its 8th year of recession, and this money is necessary to continue basic services to Michigan citizens.
