2016
L E G I S L AT I V E S T R AT E G Y
AND OUTREACH
PRESENTED BY:
ANGELA TYNER – GEORGIA CASA
D I R E C TO R O F A DVO C AC Y & P R O G R A M D E V E L O P M E N T
OVERVIEW
• Legislative Process
–2016 Session
• Budget Cycle
• Advocacy Strategy
• Pre-session groundwork
• Messaging & Communications Tips
LEGISL ATIVE
PROCESS
G E O R G I A G E N E R A L A S S E M B LY
GEORGIA GENERAL ASSEMBLY
• Bicameral
– 56 Senators and 180 Representatives
– Lt. Gov. presides over Senate
– Speaker presides over House
• Citizen Legislators
• Biennial Session
• Meets for 40 Days, beginning 2nd Monday
in January
– Day 30 is Crossover Day
• Only legislation required to pass each year
is the state budget
– Governor-strong state
2016
•
•
•
•
Today is Day 6. Feb 1st will be Day 13. Sine Die projected around March 17-22nd.
Second year of session
More budget advocacy than substantive legislation
Substantive Legislation
– HB 725, referred to as the "Child Abuse Records Protection Act," proposes to amend
statutes relating to confidentiality of child abuse records, to extend the presumption of
confidentiality of child abuse records to records in the custody of child advocacy
centers. To do so, the bill adds definitions of "child advocacy center," "record," and
provides that a court may authorize access or disclosure of child abuse records under
limited circumstances subject to a protective order. The bill also sets forth procedural
requirements related to subpoena or other processes seeking access to such records or
individuals who were involved in the creation of the records, and it protects child
advocacy centers and their employees from civil or criminal liability for providing access to
records as permitted by law.
– HB 722,Medical cannabis
– Administrative legitimation
– Child Abuse Registry
HOW A BILL BECOMES A LAW
BUDGET CYCLE
https://opb.georgia.gov/sites/opb.georgia.gov/files/imported/vgn/
images/portal/cit_1210/44/31/162982494ga_budget_cycle.pdf
STEPS IN
GEORGIA’S
BUDGET
PROCESS
Source: Georgia Budget and Policy Institute 2016 Budget Primer
Pgs. 4-5
http://gbpi.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Georgia-Budget-Primer-2016.pdf
BUDGET
• FY 16 Amended Budget/Supplemental Budget/Little Budget
– An increase in state funding to the Department of Human Services Division of Family and Children
Services (DFCS) in the amount of $51,482,167 to account for increased utilization of foster care
– An increase of $34,483,285 in DFCS' out-of-home-care budget to replace Temporary Assistance for
Needy Families (TANF) funds with state funds
• Fy 17 Budget/Big Budget
– $75,000 in the Judicial Council's budget to support the Cold Case Project in its efforts to identify and find
permanency for children who are at greatest risk of aging-out of the foster care system without families
– $7,367,120 in additional state funds to support hiring 175 additional child protective caseworkers for
DFCS;
– $584,049 in funding to DFCS to support 10 kinship navigator positions;
– $49,339,792 in state funding to replace TANF funding in the DFCS' out-of-home care budget;
– $51,482,167 in funding to support growth in foster care;
– An in crease of $2,766,124 to the Council of Juvenile Court Judges to support a judicial salary increase;
2016
GEORGIA CASA
L E G I S L AT I V E
S T R AT E G Y &
OUTREACH
GA CASA
3-YEAR
GROWTH
PLAN
2016
BUDGET
INCREASE
REQUEST
EFFECTIVE ADVOCACY STRATEGIES
• Plan ahead
• Honest and direct, concise
• Passionate, persistent, polite, positive
• Personalize issues
• Show appreciation
• Seize opportunity
• Work both sides of the aisle
OFF/EARLY SESSION OUTREACH BY GA CASA
• In-district meetings with Human Resources Subcommittee of Appropriations
Chair and House Appropriations Committee Chair
• Meetings with other Human Resources Subcommittee Appropriations members
• Meeting with Senate Appropriations Chair
• Meeting with DFCS Director
• Meeting with Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget
• Meetings with Fulton and DeKalb legislators
• Spoke to Senate Democrat Caucus and requested letters sent to Senate
Appropriations Chair
MESSAGING
• CASA advocacy is essential to abused and neglected children in Georgia.
– Every abused and neglected child needs the individualized attention and sense of urgency that a
CASA volunteer brings in promoting a child’s safety, permanency, and well-being
– Studies have consistently shown that a child with a CASA is more likely to find a safe, permanent
home; half as likely to re-enter foster care; and less likely to languish in long-term foster care
– CASA volunteers provide consistency and continuity for a child involved in the child welfare system
and help to connect information among DFCS staff, foster placements, providers, schools and many
other stakeholders
– CASA program helps to maximize community resources and support by involving community
volunteers in supporting juvenile courts and children/families in foster care, resulting in additional
resources, expertise and connections for children, families and services
• CASAs advocate for approximately 50% of children in foster care
• GA CASA has a statewide 3 year growth plan to dramatically increase the number of
foster children with a CASA to 75%.
• State funding supports the recruitment, screening and training of CASA by providing
1staff to supervise 30 volunteers
MESSAGING
• CASA network’s current operating budget is approximately $10 million, including
state appropriations of $2.12 million
• CASA is an exemplary public-private partnership that demonstrates a 75 to 1 return
on investment
– State funding represents approximately 20-25% of the program’s annual budget in GA
• Increase request of $2 million will provide significant investment in network
expansion
– Increased funding enables CASA programs to recruit, screen, and train additional
community volunteers, provide volunteers with access to experienced and
knowledgeable staff, and provide volunteer advocacy for additional children in the state’s
custody
– $1.5 million is targeted to Fulton and DeKalb Counties
• 14% of children in foster care are from Fulton and DeKalb, and less than 30% of children currently
have a CASA
– $500,000 is targeted at capacity building within existing affiliates to serve the increasing
numbers of children entering foster care and support CASA expansion efforts
MESSAGING OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES
• Email message about CASA’s budget request and significance of CASA involvement in child
welfare system
• Targeted outreach to House Human Services Subcommittee of Appropriations members
• Outreach to full House Appropriations committee members
• Outreach to Senate Appropriations Committee members
• Conference Committee member outreach, as needed
• Testifying before committees
• CASA Day at the Capitol face-to-face networking, developing relationships
TIPS FOR COMMUNICATIONS WITH LEGISLATORS
• Phone Calls
– Likely will speak with an assistant, intern, or staffer who will relay your message
– Identify yourself, organizational affiliation, and mention if you live in the legislator’s home district
– Explain why you’re calling and make your ask, have 1-2 concise points to support your position
– Provide any local or personal examples of why it matters
– Thank the person for their time
• Email
– Convenient, but may be less effective because less personal, may be preferred method for some
– Put your position in the subject line (Please support GA CASA Budget Request)
– Form letters won’t have same weight as personalized
– One issue per letter
– State purpose in first paragraph
– Include personal stories, highlight specific examples that support your position, including local impact
– May request a response asking whether legislator will support your position
CASA DAY AT THE CAPITOL
For more details and to register, visit:
http://www.gacasa.org/capitolday2016.php
Webinars on CASA Day at the Capitol Logistics
and 2016 Legislative Session:
Monday, February 1st at 11:00
&
Tuesday, February 2nd at 3 pm
THANK YOU
QUESTIONS??
AT Y N E R @ G A C A S A . O R G
404-874-2888