Ready 4 K @ The Capitol - April 30, 2010

This week at the Capitol was marked by a flurry of activity, as committees reviewed and moved several of the omnibus bills we are watching. Having faced two shortened weeks sandwiched between the DFL and GOP endorsing conventions, and with a little more than two weeks remaining in the 2010 Session, Legislators and those following their work certainly feel the crunch of time.

The plan for early childhood is to move an Omnibus Early Childhood Policy bill in the House, as well as to place all of the provisions in each corresponding omnibus budget and policy bill. Please note the links may not include the most up-to-date version of the bill.

• The House Omnibus Early Childhood Policy bill passed out of House Finance with little fanfare this week and will be heard again in Ways and Means on Monday.
• The House Health and Human Services Omnibus bill, which includes the Basic Sliding Fee child care under spending cut, the realignment of quality improvement dollars with QRIS and the CCAP teen parent provision, passed Finance and will also be in Ways and Means on Monday.
• The House K-12 bill will likely be amended in Finance this week to include the provisions which expand the duties of the Governor’s Early Childhood Advisory Council and the Dept. of Education-recommended changes to the School Readiness and early screening statutes.
• Over in the Senate, the Education Budget Committee released their Omnibus Budget bill, which includes no cuts to early childhood. The policy bill will be out on Tuesday.
• This cannot be said for the Senate HHS Budget bill however, as it includes not only the use if the BSF under spending, but also a 5% cut to the base of BSF, or about $5 million. The policy portions will be released on Monday.

The House and Senate omnibus budget bills should be up for a vote by both bodies next week, with conference committees getting underway shortly after, setting the stage for a busy final week of the session. It’s a lot to follow, so track the bills on our Omnibus Bill Tracker, and follow the action by following Ready 4 K on Twitter.