State Special Alerts-2010

 TANF Emergency Fund Extension:

SALT supports the American Jobs, Closing Tax Loopholes, and Preventing Outsourcing Act. (H.R. 4213) especially concerned about the following provisions: - extension of unemployment benefits and COBRA assistance - TANF emergency funding for jobs and job training - funding for the National Houseing Trust Fund - expaned Federal Medical Assistance Percentages (FMAP)for states - summer jobs for youth. People in our community are still suffering from the effects of the bad economy. We need you to help them out. Now.

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Virginia General Assembly Session:

It took an extra day, but the General Assembly settled on the budgets for Virginia this year. The smaller Caboose bill, HB 29, that covers the remaining portion of the current fiscal year which ends June 30; and the biennium budget bill HB 30 for the two upcoming fiscal years, July1 2010 through June 30 2012 both passed on Sunday March 14.

A compromise was reached late on Saturday the 13th of March and the conference committee report of the budget bills were approved when the sessions convened on Sunday afternoon. The Caboose bill HB29 was approved in the Senate (28-12) and in the House (96-0) The biennium budget, HB30, which will be in force July1 passed the Senate (34-6) and the House (73-23). This was a very difficult budget bill to accept, because the revenue level is about the same as seen in 2006, and significant cuts in spending that had been approved in prior budgets had to be made.

 The Governor then had an opportunity to look at the bill in detail and to suggest changes for the Veto session. In Virginia, the Governor has line item veto power. He may make suggestions to change parts or veto parts of the bill. The members of the GA will have the opportunity to review his proposals and either accept or reject them at the one day veto session on April 21.

Your recent advocacy for SALT Priorities is appreciated. See Update below. Also, see the SALT TANF Emergency Contingency Fund (ECF)/Stimulus success below and thank named legislators for their persistent leadership for making this enormous success possible.

SALT ISSUES

Safety-Net Services:

• Opposing budget reductions to programs that provide shelter, health care, and other basic necessities to low-income Virginia residents. Advocate to restore the Homeless Intervention Program (HIP) and Homeless Shelter funding cuts. Results: Supplants TANF Funding cuts for HIP with General Funds (SALT's Top Priority). HIP funds were restored from General Fund for FY 2011 in the amount of $3,191, 583 and for FY- 2012 in the amountr of $4.419,115. Thank your legislators, especially Delegate Charniele Herring.
• Providing state-subsidized "rental assistance" to working families whose wages do not enable them to afford adequate housing. Senator Mamie Locke, patron; (SB 616) to General Laws, Chair Sen. Locke; Budget Amendment Item 99 #1s. Results: Passed Senate General Laws & Senate Finance Committees and passed the Senate. Crossed over to House. Sent to and defeated by House General Laws. Rental Assistance Delegate Charniel Herring, patron, (HB 451) to General Laws--#1 Housing, Chair, Del. Albo. Results: Carried over in House General Laws.
• Implementing a cost-of-living adjustment (Indexing) for payments to low-income families under the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program. Senator Janet Howell, patron, Budget Amendment Item 327 #1s. Delegate James Scott, patron, Budget Amendment Item # not yet available. Results: Not considered/called up in House or Senate.
• Opposing the diversion of TANF funding toward non-TANF purposes--TANF Community Funding Pool bill. Delegate David Englin, patron, HB 80, Results: Passed HWI (22-0). Next, sent to Appropriations Committee to be carried over. No Senate Bill.
• TANF Welfare Ban Opt Out/Transitional Support Services for former Drug offenders. Senator Patricia Ticer, Patron, SB 576. Results: Passed Senate Rehabilitation and Social Services Committee (11-4) Next, Carried Over in Senate Finance -- Delegate Vivian Watts, Patron, HB 226. Results: HWI Carried over to next year

TANF Contingency Fund (Stimulus). The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) provisions in section 2101 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) created a new fund, the TANF Emergency Contingency Fund (ECF), under which Virginia can receive federal reimbursement for up to $79 million of increased TANF-related expenditures. Virginia can access stimulus funds in each of three categories:

• · non-recurrent short-term payments;
• · subsidized employment; or ·
• basic assistance.

Results: We thank Senator Janet Howell, Delegates Jim Scott and Ken Plum for their leadership and for passionately presenting the case for obtaining TANF Emergency Stimulus funding by insisting that the State of Virginia include qualified local initiatives with new or increased expenditures to be considered in the next Virginia request for TANF federal Stimulus funds. Allowing the successful pass-through of TANF Stimulus funds to the localities and the non-profits is making difference in the lives of those in the greatest need.

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