Health
Task Force on Children in Recession announces recommendations and legislation
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Mar 4, 2010 - 6:28 PM

Declaring that the children of Connecticut desperately need help, the Speaker’s Task Force on Children in the Recession announced its recommendations and legislative proposals Thursday at a press conference in the Legislative Office Building. House Speaker Christopher G. Donovan (D-Meriden) noted that the nation’s greatest recession is expected to drive 35,000 children in Connecticut into poverty at an annual cost of $800 million in lost earnings and developmental and health problems.

“We can’t afford to wait any longer. We need to take action,” Speaker Donovan said. “The recommendations of this task force, along with its proposed legislation, will answer our children’s clarion call for help.”

Led by Speaker Donovan and the task force co-chairs, Reps. Karen Jarmoc (D-Enfield) and Diana Urban (D-North Stonington), the group gave its policy recommendations and proposed legislation that it says will greatly improve upon the state’s response to children affected by the recession.

Urban and Jarmoc both emphasized that the work of the task force has been comprehensive. Hearings have been held around the state to obtain input from people affected by the recession.

“The cost of doing nothing to address the recession’s impact on children is $800 million annually,” Jarmoc said. “These measures address important issues to get our economy moving in a positive direction for children and families.”

Urban said she was particularly happy that the task force used “results-based accountability” to ensure that its recommendations would work to improve the life of families.

“This data-driven analysis will give us excellent feedback as we try to mitigate the impact of the recession on children and Connecticut’s economy,” Urban said.

Connecticut would be the first state in the nation to enact legislation that addresses the impact of the recession on children. The proposed Act Concerning Children in the Recession (RB 5360) would establish a recession leadership team of state officials who would implement and coordinate the state’s response when Connecticut’s unemployment rate reaches 8 percent.

The policy recommendations for recession relief call for strategies that reduce the number of children who fall into poverty and mediate the traumatic effects of sudden poverty on the family. The recommendations include:

· Maximizing federal funding to assist families facing unemployment, a housing crisis, increasing debt, homelessness and other hardships as well as promoting job training and summer youth employment.

· Improving services delivery and processes so that people needing assistance can quickly obtain the benefits and state services they are entitled to receive.

· Maximizing partnerships with the private sector to develop a fund that helps families having issues such as foreclosure, rental assistance, utilities and transportation.

In addition to the legislators, Elaine Zimmerman, executive director of the Commission on Children, gave remarks and individuals from the community spoke about the toll the recession has had on them and their families.

The task force is charged with making recommendations for what steps the legislature can take to ensure the well-being of children in terms of health, safety, nutrition, housing, employment, child care and meeting their basic needs during the economic recession and recovery. Connecticut is the only state in the country to form this type of a group to examine the impact of the recession on children.

The group consists of legislators, congressional staff, economic experts, and advocates representing businesses, non-profits, family support, child policy, food security, housing, human services and public health organizations.

Following the press conference, the Select Committee on Children held a public hearing on the proposed legislation.

More information about the task force may be obtained at: http://housedems.ct.gov/children/

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