Lawmakers to focus on children's welfare in upcoming session

From Richard Von Glahn of CWA Local 6355: "We will be sponsoring legislation to help foster care providers get the resources they need, including making it easier for them to get respite care, raising the reimbursement rate and providing health insurance for providers. Lets see if these SW MO folks are real allies in the fight for quality children's services."

The News-Ledger:

Many southwest Missouri lawmakers do not have to go far to learn about the state's struggles to improve child welfare.

The lawmakers can look to their own personal experiences or stories told by their constituents. The tales recount child deaths due to abusive adults and difficulties navigating the bureaucracy of foster care or family services. And the lawmakers say constituents speak about their desires to keep improving the condition of children in the state.

"There's just been too many deaths to turn a blind eye to it," said House Speaker Pro Tem Shane Schoeller, R-Willard.

As the News-Leader continues to shine a light on critical children's issues in the Springfield area, lawmakers also say they will focus on those concerns during the upcoming session of the General Assembly, starting on Jan. 4. Local children's advocates believe area legislators are positioned to make an impact on the dialogue.

The issues are broad in scope and include changing public school funding, tax credits for programs for low-income families and crisis programs and new laws aimed at preventing abuse or neglect. Lawmakers also say they face another year of tight budgets, which could affect many of their goals.

"A lot of the constraints are financial," said Sen. Bob Dixon, R-Springfield.

Barbara Brown-Johnson, the executive director of the Child Advocacy Center in Springfield, believes southwest Missouri legislators can affect the discussion over child welfare through their appointments to high-profile committees, such as the budget or children and families committees.

"I'm seeing more and more credibility being given to legislators from this area," Brown-Johnson said. "... It wasn't that way even 10 years ago."