CHILD ABUSE BILL PASSES

CHILD ABUSE BILL PASSES - FLORIDA
Child abuse bill passes Measure creating new office awaits OK of Gov. Bush TALLAHASSEE - A new statewide office to prevent child abuse survived a Senate rife with political battles, a legislative ping-pong game between the House and Senate and the pressures of time in a 60-day legislative session that moved faster by the day. Just a few hours before lawmakers were scheduled to end the 2006 legislative session, the Senate voted 39-0 to approve state Rep. Bill Galvano's top priority this year. The bill, if signed by the governor, would create a statewide agency to coordinate child-abuse prevention efforts that are currently spread out among a number of agencies, including the Department of Health and the Department of Children and Families. After conducting several public hearings on child abuse across the state, Galvano and his House Future of Florida's Families Committee decided that creating a statewide office was the best way to change a state that spends over 90 percent of its efforts on remediation. Florida has among the most incidences of child abuse in the country. To get approval from a Republican-dominated Legislature with a distrust of big government, Galvano had to convince his colleagues that creating an agency that focuses on prevention would end up saving money in the long run. The bill also calls for the agency to disband in three years, its functions absorbed by other agencies. "This is really going to make a difference," Galvano said Friday, basking in the glow of success after a number of factors made that seem unlikely. A political battle that has been brewing all session in the Senate only grew worse on Monday when Senate President Tom Lee fired Majority Leader Alex Villalobos for not towing the party line. A contentious fight over a constitutional amendment to allow school vouchers also drastically slowed down business this week. Besides the almost $8 million in funding that came with Galvano's bill, there was also another potential obstacle to its passage. Currently, complaints about child abuse in private schools go up the ladder to DCF. In public schools, DCF is not involved. The bill passed Friday will treat public schools like private schools, involving the DCF in complaints. That provision of the bill received opposition from the Florida Education Association, the main lobby representing public school teachers. Then, late this week, the Senate stripped much of the language from Galvano's bill, including the statewide office, and sent it back to the House. The House put the language back in - what Galvano called a "risky" move - and asked the Senate to stand down. It did. Galvano said the bill has the support of Gov. Jeb Bush, who has to sign the measure for it to become law. The bill also extends Medicaid services for children emerging from the state's foster care system to 20 years of age. It calls for an advisory council to be formed to direct the outreach efforts of the agency, and requires the agency to make reports to legislative leaders and the governor about state trends in child abuse. http://www.charlotte.com/mld/bradenton/news/politics/14514366.htm?source=rss&channel=bradenton_politics

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