LSA Washington – March 2, 2009

A regular publication from the LSA Public Policy Office

Budget Outline for FY10 Released by White House

On Thursday, February 26, the White House released its budget proposal outline for fiscal year 2010. While the outline does not provide much detail about levels of funding for individual programs, it does offer information on some new programs the Obama Administration hopes to implement and on funding for newly created programs such as the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund. The budget outline can be found here; summaries by department are also available, including Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, and Corporation for National and Community Service. 

Detailed information in the FY10 budget outline related to LSA's public priority issues includes:

Health Care

• Creating a reserve fund of more than $630 billion for health care reform over the next 10 years

Housing

• Funding for the National Housing Trust Fund of $1 billion over 10 years
• Full funding of $4.5 billion for the Community Development Block Grant program, including a reformulation to focus on economically distressed areas.
• Increasing funding for Housing Choice Vouchers and Project-Based Rental Assistance
• Implementing a new Choice Neighborhoods Initiative for investments in high-poverty neighborhoods.

National and Community Service

• Expanding AmeriCorps from 75,000 members to 250,000 members
• Creating a new Social Innovation Fund "to invest in and scale up innovative non-profits and solutions to address the Nation’s most pressing social problems."
• Expanding SeniorCorps and service-learning programs.

Other

• Making permanent the expansion of the Child Tax Credit from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
• Funding for LIHEAP of $3.2 billion, with a trigger mechanism  in place which would allow for an increase in LIHEAP funding when there is a spike in energy costs.

The President's full budget is expected to be released in early April.

--Lisa Hassenstab

Call-in Day to Advocate for Long-Term Services and Supports

On Tuesday, March 3, LSA and LSA-DN are participating in a national call-in day to tell Senators why long-term services and supports must be a part of health care reform. The call-in day is in advance of a March 4 Senate Aging Committee hearing about financing for these services and supports.

Along with your clients, employees, volunteers and board members, please make a toll-free call between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET on March 3 to 800-958-5374 and explain why long-term services and supports are essential to your clients and your community.

For more information on the call-in day, please visit LSA's Take Action page or LSA-DN's e-advocacy website.

--Lisa Carr and Heather Ansley

Four Bills Increasing Volunteer Opportunities Introduced

On the heels of President Obama's endorsement of the Serve America Act (S. 277) during his joint address to Congress on February 24, Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT), Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) announced the "Service for All Ages" initiative. The initiative includes four bills to expand opportunities for volunteer service. The four bills are:

AmeriCorps: Together Improving Our Nation (ACTION) Act (S.464, H.R. 1154)

• Raises the AmeriCorps education award to $6,585
• Make the education award tax exempt
• Promote the Corporation for National and Community Service to Cabinet level status

Summer of Service Act (S. 466, H.R. 1153)

• Creates a competitive grant program for states and localities to offer volunteer opportunities for students moving from middle school into high school
• Grants educational awards for students who complete 100 hours of service or more

Semester of Service Act (S. 465, H.R. 1152)

• Creates a competitive grant program for school districts or nonprofits to offer a semester of service program for high school juniors and seniors 

Encore Service Act (S. 467, H.R. 1151) 

• Creates the Encore Service Program to engage Americans age 50 and over in volunteer programs, with a stipend and education award available 
• Creates the Encore Fellows Program for Americans 50 years of age or older in one-year management or leadership positions in public agencies or private nonprofits
• Creates the Silver Scholars Program, in which education scholarships of up to $1000 would be available to Americans age 50 or older in exchange for volunteering 250-550 hours a year

Congress is expected to pass legislation to expand volunteerism within the next few months.

--Lisa Hassenstab

HUD Appropriates $10 Billion of Funds from Recovery Package

On February 25, the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced the allocation of over $10 billion in funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Programs receiving recovery funds include the community development block grant, which was allocated $1 billion; the emergency shelter grant program, which received $1.5 billion for homelessness prevention; and project-based rental assistance, allocated $2 billion for project improvements by owners.

Details on these allocations, including a list of funds allocated by state, can be found at www.hud.gov/recovery.

--Lisa Hassenstab

$15 Billion in Increased Medicaid Funding Expedited to States

President Obama announced on February 23 that $15 billion in increased Medicaid funding would be expedited to states, territories and the District of Columbia. The funding, which was released on February 25, is part of the nearly $87 billion in increased federal Medicaid funds available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. For more information on funding amounts and the release process, please visit www.hhs.gov/recovery.

--Heather Ansley

Advocacy Resource of the Week

Looking for a great resource to learn more about social change and Web 2.0? Momentum: Igniting Social Change in the Connected Age is a compelling read, offering insights into organizational structure, new developments in communication, and how you can begin to think differently about messaging and advocacy in your organization. Author Allison Fine spoke at the LSA Executive Retreat in November; a list of  six tips she offered Lutheran SMO executives and other information on her conversation with retreat attendees can be found in the December issue of LSA Together.

LSA Annual Conference Corner

Have you registered for the 2009 LSA Annual Conference yet? If so, don't forget to call your Senators' and Representative's offices to set up your Hill visits, and e-mail Lisa Hassenstab to let us know when your visits are scheduled. Not registered for the conference? Registration is quick and easy online!

Upcoming LSA Public Policy Conference Calls

Please join the LSA public policy team and featured speakers for a series of conference calls on LSA's priority issues. To RSVP for the calls, please e-mail the LSA DC office.