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| From: Lori Ann Harris [mailto:Lah@Lahassoc.com] Budget Alert – June 23, 2006 Budget deliberations continued on Thursday as HHS Conferees began discussing special provisions in the budget. Child Care Funds Matching Requirement Conferees tentatively agreed to accept the House recommendation that deals with Child Care Funds Matching Requirement. Call HHS Conferees and Big Chairs today! ASK LEGISLATORS TO REMOVE THIS PROVISION! Child Care Funds Matching Requirement SECTION 10.36. Section 10.60 of S.L. 2005-276 reads as rewritten: " SECTION 10.60. No local matching funds may be required by the Department of Health and Human Services as a condition of any locality's receiving any State its initial allocation of child care funds appropriated by this act unless federal law requires a match. This shall not prohibit any locality from spending local funds for child care services. If the Department reallocates additional funds above twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) to local purchasing agencies beyond their initial allocation, local purchasing agencies must provide a twenty-five percent (25%) local match to receive the reallocated funds. Matching requirements shall not apply when funds are allocated because of a disaster as defined in G.S. 166A-4(1). " TANF BLOCK GRANT The HHS Conferees are expected to review the TANF Block Grant on Friday. The House version of the budget included a provision that requires counties to use couty funding to replace any lost TANF and Maintenance of Effort funds resulting from North Carolina being penalized for not meeting work participation rates. Call HHS Conferees and Big Chairs today! ASK LEGISLATORS TO REMOVE THIS PROVISION! SECTION 5.1.(s) It is the intent of the General Assembly that effective beginning with the 2007-2008 fiscal year, North Carolina counties will use county funding to replace any lost TANF and Maintenance of Effort (MOE) funds resulting from North Carolina being penalized for not meeting work participation rates in the 2006-2007 fiscal year and thereafter. The Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Social Services, shall develop a plan for implementation of county penalty payments. The Department shall report on its development and implementation of the plan to the House of Representatives Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services, the Senate Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services, and the Fiscal Research Division no later than April 1, 2007. Per Sherry Bradsher, the penalty referenced in the House budget language would be on the NC base grant of $292,387,883. The penalty to be transferred to the counties ranges from 1% to 5% per the Deficit Reduction Act. Potential County liability is as follows: 5% = $14,619,394 4% = $11,695,515 3% = $8,771,636 2% = $5,847,757 1% = $2,923,878 Quality Improvement Ask legislators to continue to support $145,000 for the Quality Improvement contract as specified in the funding line for the LTC Ombudsman Program. Call Rep. Earle and thank her for supporting QI. We really need a call in to Rep. Nye to ask him to support QI. He questioned this item in deliberations on Thursday morning. Legislators need to hear from you today! Let's take action on these items now! PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS NOW! Representatives Insko - Orange Farmer-Butterfield - Wilson B. Allen - Wake England – Cleveland Barnhart – Cabarrus Bordsen – Alamance Weiss - Wake House Big Chairs
Vice Chair Rep. Michaux Senators Purcell - Scotland Malone – Wake Nesbitt - Buncombe D. Berger – Franklin Senate Big Chairs
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