Public Policy Newsletter: February 7th, 2018

Family League’s Policy Team is working hard to support the passage of legislation that meets our priorities of ensuring that in Baltimore, babies are born healthy, students succeed in schools, and families are safe and stable.

Distribution of Legislative Priorities to Baltimore City Delegation
We shared our legislative priorities, and racial and economic policy analysis tool this week as part of our visit to the offices of our Baltimore City Delegates and Senators. You can find these documents here, as a part of Family League’s Session 2018 State Policy Priorities document.

Baltimore City Council
This past week, the Judiciary and Legislative Investigations Committee of the Baltimore City Council met to discuss efforts to decrease infant mortality, including sleep related deaths, in Baltimore. As a key implementation partner of the B’More for Healthy Babies coalition, Family League works alongside the Baltimore City Health Department and Healthcare Access Maryland to address this issue. Since 2009, we have seen a 38% reduction in infant mortality rates, and a 50% decrease in the racial disparity between Black babies and White babies. You can read more about our work with BHB here.

Budget Briefings
On January 25th and 29th, the Department of Human Services briefed members of the House and Senate on their budget for the year. As partners with DHS, we attended these budget hearings and monitored the status of funding for their initiatives in the coming year.On February 1st, the Interagency Committee on School Construction presented to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education and Economic Development. This has implications for Baltimore City Schools’ ability to fund capital projects, including but not limited to the maintenance of HVAC systems, which enable students to learn in comfortable, temperate environments.

Hearings and Testimony
On January 17th, Family League submitted written testimony in support of two bills:

• SB 205 – High School Credit Clarification Act of 2018
  Requires county boards of education to award high school credit to a middle school student upon successful completion of a high school-level course within the Maryland Virtual Learning Opportunities Program. Click here to read our testimony.
• HB 86 – Health Insurance – Coverage for Elevated or Impaired Blood Glucose Levels and Prediabetes Treatment
  Authorizing certain insurers, nonprofit health service plans, and health maintenance organizations to provide reimbursement for treatment, equipment, training, and services for the treatment of elevated or impaired blood glucose levels induced by pregnancy or prediabetes. Click here to read our testimony.

Baltimore City Delegation Meetings
Every Friday morning, the Baltimore City House Delegation convenes to discuss policy matters specific to the city. Family League’s Policy Team attends these meetings to monitor what will impact youth and families in our communities.

As a part of our internal commitment to civic engagement, we welcome Family League staff and our partners to join us on Friday mornings. Joining us on January 26th were Serefina Mesa (right), Executive Assistant to the CEO, and Alex Bunty (left), Communications Assistant.