MIRA's Analysis of FY10 Final House Budget

The House Committee on Ways & Means released the House Ways & Means version of the budget on April 15, 2009. Over the next two weeks, Representatives filed and debated amendments to the budget, before passing the final version of the House budget on Friday, May 1st.

Considering the current fiscal realities in Massachusetts and across the U.S., it is difficult to determine and define success this year. Furthermore, with revenue projections decreasing by the day and an estimated $456 million shortfall in April revenue, there will be more cuts ahead in the not too distant future, and the Senate will likely have fewer funds to work with than their counterparts in the House.

Nearly all programs and line items across the final House budget received cuts, including many of MIRA’s budget priorities. Some of MIRA’s priorities received minor cuts, others received larger cuts, and one program was completely eliminated from the final House budget. Of the five amendments filed on behalf of MIRA’s priorities, only two were added to the budget, and one of those was at half the desired level. Still, in this economic climate, every victory is important.

One important victory took place when an anti-immigrant amendment (Amendment #287 filed by Rep. Perry of Sandwich) that would have increased citizenship and immigration status verification requirements was voted down and replaced by a cost-benefit study that keeps the amendment out of the budget. The anti-immigrant amendment was defeated by a margin of 116-40. Numerous Representatives spoke up against the amendment on the floor and leadership assured its defeat. Please thank those who both supported our budget priorities and voted down the anti-immigrant amendment. We must be ready for similar anti-immigrant amendments in the Senate, where they have been successful in the past.

The following is an analysis of how MIRA’s budgetary priorities fared in the final House budget:

The Citizenship for New Americans Program (CNAP) (Line item 4003-0122) was funded at $500,000 in the final House budget, which represents a $80,000 cut from the Governor’s House 1 budget recommendation of $580,000 and a decrease of $110,000 from post-9C levels in FY09. MIRA thanks the House Ways & Means Committee for providing funding at levels equal to FY08, particularly considering the budget climate. Please thank Rep. Tony Cabral of New Bedford at 617-722-2017 for filing an amendment that would have increase citizenship funding.

The final House budget includes $28,085,646 for Adult Basic Education and English for Speakers of Other Languages (Line item 7035-0002), which represents a reduction of more than $3 million from FY09 levels of $31.1 million, a reduction of $1.9 million after this year’s 9-C cuts brought the value down to $29.9 million, and a cut of more than $1.1 million from the Governor’s recommendation of $29,223,195. MIRA and its allies are asking for funding at FY08 levels of $30.1 million. During times of economic crisis, MIRA and its allies feel that investing in the education and English language skills of the Commonwealth’s workforce and residents is a sound investment. The ABE/ESOL line item has been hit by a number of cuts in the last year, which total $3 million. Because everyone in the Commonwealth benefits from investments in our workforce, particularly in difficult economic times, we hope that the Senate budget recognizes this by funding ABE and ESOL at $30.1 million. Please thank Representative Frank Smizik of Brookline at 617-722-2676 and Representative Linda Dean Campbell of Methuen at 617-722-2877 for filing amendments that would have increased funding for ABE/ESOL.

The Workforce Training Fund (WTF) was funded at $21 million (line item 7003-0701) in the final House budget, after Representatives Coakley-Rivera and Rodrigues had their amendments added to the budget to increase the line item by $6 million. The Governor also proposed $21 million in the House 1 budget and MIRA was asking for full funding at $21 million to help facilitate the implementation of a Dedicated Fund for Workplace ABE/ESOL that combines funding from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s workplace education grants with funds from the WTF to create a single, streamlined fund that expands resources for workplace ABE/ESOL. The WTF is funded 100% through a tax on employers and, thus, does not impact funding of the General Fund. Please thank Representatives Coakley-Rivera of Springfield at 617-722-2014 and Representative Rodrigues of Westport at 617-722-2230 for filing amendments to fully fund the Workforce Training Fund at $21 million.

The line item containing the Refugee and Immigrant Safety and Empowerment (RISE) Program (4513-1130) was funded at $5,108,264 in the final House budget, down from nearly $6.4 million in FY09. The impact of the 20% cut on the RISE program will not be known until after the budget process, since the funds in the line item are disbursed through the Department of Public Health. As a result, it is currently unknown how the reduced funding will impact immigrants and refugees’ access to culturally and linguistically-appropriate domestic violence and sexual assault services, although language ensures the program will continue. The $300,000 set-aside for services for immigrants and refugees was eliminated, with the only positive coming in the language of the line item, which remains broad and inclusive of all immigrants. MIRA and its allies had been asking for level-funding of the line item at $6.4 million with $1,319,854 going to RISE. Please thank Representative Liz Malia of Boston at 617-722-2060 and Representative Driscoll of Braintree at 617-722-2396 for filing amendments to either increase funding for RISE and/or the line item.

The MassHealth Outreach and Enrollment Grants line item (4000-0352) was eliminated from the final House budget. The elimination of the line item reflects the Governor’s House 1 budget. MIRA and its allies are asking for level-funding at $3.5 million. Federal matching funds cover 60.2% (or $2.1 million) of the total in the line item, with the Commonwealth only responsible for $1.4 million. Unfortunately, the Governor and the House have failed to understand the importance of the grants to helping hard-to-reach populations, including immigrant communities and limited English proficient residents, retain coverage throughout the confusing enrollment reverification process. MIRA feels that the elimination of the line item will do nothing to reduce costs in the budget, as costly turnover in the system will increase, valuable time and energy will be lost navigating an incredibly complex system in which outreach and enrollment grantees have valuable expertise, and emergency room usage will increase. Please thank Representative Jim O’Day of Worcester at 617-722-2220 and Representative John Scibak of South Hadley at 617-722-2370 for filing amendments that would have reinstated the line item at $3.5 million.

Anti-immigrant Amendment #287, filed by Rep. Perry of Sandwich, that would have unnecessarily changed citizenship documentation and immigration status verification procedures at benefit-granting agencies for all federal and state benefits was defeated. Representative Alice Wolf of Cambridge offered a further amendment that called for a cost-benefit analysis of immigrants in the Commonwealth, a legislative maneuver that keeps the anti-immigrant amendment out of the budget. Aside from opposing the fundamental premise upon which Amendment #287 was filed—the assumption that benefit fraud from undocumented immigrants is widespread—MIRA and its allies fought anti-immigrant Amendment #287 because research has shown that increased citizenship documentation requirement disproportionately impact low-income U.S. citizens; require additional funding for outreach and education on new procedures and, as a result, represented an unfunded mandate; and our belief that current documentation and immigration status verification procedures already disenfranchise enough immigrant families who are eligible for federal and state benefits, among other reasons. Please review how your Representative voted and make sure they supported Rep. Wolf’s amendment by voting “Yea;” if they voted “Nay” please contact them to express your concerns and ask for their reasoning. Please also thank Representatives Wolf, Cabral, Swan, Bosley, Toomey, Sanchez, St. Fleur, and O’Flaherty who spoke on the floor against Amendment #287 and in favor of Rep. Wolf’s study.

Now, the budget process moves on to the Senate. The following is the projected timeline of the Senate budget:

May 13^th or 14^th: Senate Ways & Means releases its budget

May 15^th at 5pm: Deadline for filing amendments

May 19^th or 20^th: Begin budget debate

May 21^st: Finish budget debate

Please contact your Senator to urge them to support immigrant communities throughout the Commonwealth by co-sponsoring and supporting the line items and amendments for MIRA’s budgetary priorities. Below is the contact information for Senators as well as Senate leadership:

General Number: 617-722-2000

Senate Chairman of Ways & Means Panagiotakos: 617-722-1630

Senate President Murray: (617) 722-1500

If you do not know who your State Representative and/or Senator are, please visit: http://www.wheredoivotema.com.

For questions or more information, please contact Toby Guevin, MIRA’s State Policy Director, at tguevin@miracoalition.org or 617-350-5480 x216.

ACTION ALERT! MIRA's Budget Amendments

MIRA FY10 House Amendments

The following is a list of amendments that are being filed on MIRA’s budgetary priorities. Please contact your Representatives TODAY and ask them to co-sponsor the following amendments:

Citizenship for New Americans Program (CNAP) (Line item 4003-0122) was funded at $500,000 in the House Ways & Means budget, which represents a $80,000 cut from the Governor’s House 1 budget recommendation of $580,000 and a decrease of $150,000 from FY09. This represents a decrease of more than 25% from FY09

• Please contact Representative Cabral’s Office at 617-722-2017 to co-sponsor an amendment increasing the funding for citizenship to $580,000, equal to the Governor’s budget recommendation.

Adult Basic Education and English for Speakers of Other Languages (Line item 7035-0002) The House Ways & Means budget included $28,085,646 for, which represents a reduction of more than $3 million from FY09 levels of $31.1 million and $2 million from FY08.

• Please contact Representative Smizik at 617-722-2676 and Representative Campbell at 617-722-2877 to co-sponsor their amendments to fund the ABE/ESOL line item at FY08 levels of $30.1 million.

The line item (4513-1130) that includes the Refugee and Immigrant Safety and Empowerment (RISE) Program took a severe cut of over 40% down to $4,058,264 from nearly $6.4 million.

• Please contact the office of Representative Driscoll at 617-722-2396 to support an amendment increasing the 4513-1130 line item to the Governor’s recommended level of $6.4 million.
• Please contact the office of Representative Malia at 617-722-2060 to co-sponsor an amendment increasing RISE and line item 4513-1130 funding by $300,000.

The MassHealth Outreach and Enrollment Grants line item (4000-0352) was eliminated from the House Ways & Means budget.

• Please contact the office of Representatives O’Day at 617-722-2220 and Representative Scibak at 617-722-2370 to co-sponsor amendments to reinstate the line item at $3.5 million.

If you do not know who your State Representative and/or Senator are, please visit: http://www.wheredoivotema.com.

For questions, contact Toby Guevin, State Policy Director, at 617-350-5480 x216 or tguevin@miracoalition.org

ACTION ALERT: Advocacy Needed on CNAP Amendment Friday Morning!

As mentioned below, the Citizenship for New Americans Program (CNAP) received $500,000 in the House Ways & Means budget. We feel very fortunate to have received the funding, considering the elimination or severe cuts taken by other programs and services.

Still, the cut is $150,000 from FY09 and $110,000 after 9-C cuts and will impact programs and immigrants trying to naturalize, not to mention we do not know what the Senate will do yet with their budget. As a result, Representative Cabral of New Bedford will be filing an amendment to increase CNAP funding to the Governor's recommendation of $580,000. Amendments and co-sponsors are due by 5pm tomorrow! We need to call Reps Friday morning!

Here is what we need to do:

• Contact your Representatives and ask them to contact Rep. Cabral's office to co-sponsor the amendment to raise citizenship funding to the Governor's budget level of $580,000
  
• Follow-up to make sure they have signed on early in the day
• I will be at the State House for much of the day; e-mail to let me know who you have contacted so that we can make sure to follow up in person
  

What to say:

• We recognize the difficult nature of the budget, but the current level of funding represents a cut of nearly 25%, which will impact programs and their ability to serve clients
• Give examples of services that could be cut
  
• Our program relies on this funding to serve the needs of our district
• There are already people waiting for services, this will only increase the waitlist dramatically
  
• We don't know how much funding the Senate will include in their budget, so we need to be aggressive in the House
  

FYI...Budget Timeline

• Wednesday, April 15th: House releases FY10 budget proposal
• Friday, April 17th: Budget amendments that include co-sponsors due at 5pm
• Monday, April 20th-Friday April 24th: House Ways & Means staff consolidate amendments by topic
• Monday, April 27th: House budget debates begin
• Late April-early May:Contact your Senators!
• Mid-May: Senate releases FY10 budget proposal

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Thank you so much for all your work!

State Budget Update

The FY10 House Ways & Means Budget dropped yesterday with drastic cuts to most programs and services, including the elimination of many line items. To view MIRA's analysis of the HW&M budget on its budgetary priorities, click here. For a more comprehensive analysis of other important benefits, programs, and services, view the Mass Law Reform Budget analysis here or the MA Budget and Policy Center analysis here.

The drastic cuts highlight need for increased revenue. As part of the Stop the Cuts Coalition, MIRA will be pushing for new revenue from the state to reduce the cuts that imperil numerous essential services.

Please stay tuned to the blog for frequent updates and action alerts on amendments that are being filed. Below is the analysis in text format:

MIRA FY10 House Ways & Means Budget Analysis

On April 15, 2009, the House Committee on Ways & Means released the House Ways & Means version of the budget. Considering the current fiscal realities in Massachusetts and across the U.S., returns were mixed with all program receiving cuts of different degrees and one being completely eliminated. Many of the immigrant community’s friends and allies have been hit hard by the House Ways & Means budget. Local aid has been cut significantly and other essential programs and services have been slashed or eliminated. As a member of the Stop the Cuts Coalition, MIRA will work actively to reduce the cuts and support new revenues. The following is an analysis of how the House Ways & Means budget impacted each of MIRA’s budgetary priorities:

The Citizenship for New Americans Program (CNAP) (Line item 4003-0122) was funded at $500,000 in the House Ways & Means budget, which represents a $80,000 cut from the Governor’s House 1 budget recommendation of $580,000 and a decrease of $150,000 from FY09. CNAP was also impacted by this year’s 9C cuts, losing over $40,000. MIRA thanks the House Ways & Means Committee for providing funding at levels equal to FY08, particularly considering the budget climate, but we hope to increase funding through the amendment process and Senate budget. Next Steps: MIRA is working with leaders in the House on strategy around an amendment and will send out an alert as soon as possible.

The House Ways & Means budget included $28,085,646 for Adult Basic Education and English for Speakers of Other Languages (Line item 7035-0002), which represents a reduction of more than $3 million from FY09 levels of $31.1 million, a reduction of $1.9 million after this year’s 9-C cuts brought the value down to $29.9 million, and a cut of more than $1.1 million from the Governor’s recommendation of $29,223,195. MIRA and its allies are asking for funding at FY08 levels of $30.1 million. During times of economic crisis, MIRA and its allies feel that investing in the education and English language skills of the Commonwealth’s workforce and residents is a sound investment. The ABE/ESOL line item has been hit by a number of cuts in the last year, which total $3 million. Because everyone in the Commonwealth benefits from investments in our workforce, particularly in difficult economic times, we hope that the Senate budget recognizes this by funding ABE and ESOL at $30.1 million. Next Steps: MIRA, with support of allies like MA Coalition for Adult Education (MCAE), are discussing strategy and potential amendments. Please be on the lookout for further information in the coming days.

The Workforce Training Fund (WTF) was funded at $15 million (line item 7003-0701), a decrease of $6 million from FY09 but an increase of $3 million after the Governor’s FY09 9-C cuts. The Governor proposed $21 million in the House 1 budget and MIRA was asking for full funding at $21 million to help facilitate the implementation of a Dedicated Fund for Workplace Education that combines funding from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s workplace education grants with funds from the WTF to create a single, streamlined fund that expands resources for workplace education.

The line item containing the Refugee and Immigrant Safety and Empowerment (RISE) Program (4513-1130) took a severe cut of over 40% down to $4,058,264 from nearly $6.4 million. MIRA is investigating the impact of this figure on the RISE program, as it is currently unknown how the reduced funding will impact immigrants and refugees’ access to culturally and linguistically-appropriate domestic violence and sexual assault services. The earmark for services for immigrants and refugees was eliminated for a cut of at least $300,000, with the only positive coming in the language of the line item, which remains strong. MIRA and its allies had been asking for level-funding of the line item at $6.4 million with $1,319,854 going to RISE. Next Steps: Representative Liz Malia of Boston will be filing an amendment for RISE.

The MassHealth Outreach and Enrollment Grants line item (4000-0352) was eliminated from the House Ways & Means budget. The elimination of the line item reflects the Governor’s House 1 budget. MIRA and its allies are asking for level-funding of $3.5 million. Unfortunately, the Governor and now House Ways & Means have failed to understand the importance of the grants to helping hard-to-reach populations, including immigrant communities and limited English proficient residents, retain coverage throughout the confusing enrollment reverification process. MIRA feels that the elimination of the line item will do nothing to reduce costs in the budget, as costly turnover in the system will increase and valuable time and energy will be lost navigating an incredibly complex system in which outreach and enrollment grantees have valuable expertise. The grants are also matched at 50% by the federal government, so the cost to the Commonwealth would only be $1.75 million. Next Steps: Representative O’Day will be filing an amendment in the House to reinstate the line item at $3.5 million.

Please contact your Representative or Senator to urge them to support immigrant communities throughout the Commonwealth by co-sponsoring the amendments for MIRA’s budgetary priorities. Below is the contact information for Representatives and Senators as well as House and Senate leadership:

General Number: 617-722-2000

Speaker DeLeo: 617-722-2500

Senate Chairman of Ways & Means Panagiotakos: 617-722-1630

Senate President Murray: (617) 722-1500

If you do not know who your State Representative and/or Senator are, please visit: http://www.wheredoivotema.com. For more information or questions, please contact Toby Guevin at tguevin@miracoalition.org or 617-350-5480 x216.

Amnesty International Releases "Jailed Without Justice" Report Documenting Conditions of U.S. Immigration Detention

Amnesty International U.S.A. released a chilling report on conditions of immigrant detention in the U.S. today. Read the full report here.

Remember when reading the report and taking a look at key findings that the Massachusetts prison system relies on this injustice to support its budget.

You can also visit this page to view a slideshow of photos and captions that chronicle detention.

The report included the following information (blockquote from here):

• In the last decade the number of immigrants in detention has tripled from 10,000 in 1996 to over 30,000 in 2008, and this number is likely to increase even further in 2009.
• The US detains asylum seekers, survivors of torture and human trafficking, lawful permanent residents and the parents of U.S. citizen children.
• While the average cost of detaining an immigrant is $95 per person/per day, alternatives to detention are significantly cheaper, with some programs costing as little as $12 per day. Despite the proven effectiveness of these less expensive and less restrictive alternatives, the government is choosing to detain instead.
• Immigrants can be detained for months or years without any form of meaningful individualized review of whether their detention is necessary.
• The vast majority of people in immigration detention - 84 percent - are unable to obtain the legal assistance necessary to present viable claims in an adversarial and complex court process.
• The US contracts with approximately 350 state and county criminal jails to house approximately 67% of all immigrants in detention.
• Detention facilities are required to comply with ICE detention standards, however, these standards are not legally binding, and oversight and accountability for abuse or neglect in detention is almost nonexistent, leading to practices in violation of international standards. Immigrants are often put in excessive restraints, including handcuffs, belly chains and leg restraints, and are detained alongside individuals incarcerated for criminal offenses.
• Individuals in detention find it very difficult to get timely - and at times any - treatment for their medical needs. 74 people have died while in immigration detention over the past five years.

The report also includes the following recommendations:

1. The US Congress should pass legislation creating a presumption against the detention of immigrants and asylum seekers and ensuring that it be used as a measure of last resort;
   
2. The US government should ensure that alternative non-custodial measures, such as reporting requirements or an affordable bond, are always explicitly considered before resorting to detention. Reporting requirements should not be unduly onerous, invasive or difficult to comply with, especially for families with children and those of limited financial means. Conditions of release should be subject to judicial review.
   
3. The US Congress should pass legislation to ensure that all immigrants and asylum seekers have access to individualized hearings on the lawfulness, necessity, and appropriateness of detention.
   
4. The US government should ensure the adoption of enforceable human rights detention standards in all detention facilities that house immigration detainees, either through legislation or through the adoption of enforceable policies and procedures by the Department of Homeland Security. There should be effective independent oversight to ensure compliance with detention standards and accountability for any violations.

Kudos to our friends at AI for continuing the expose the national embarrassment that is immigrant detention.

Click on links for media coverage in The Boston Globe and a more detailed account in the San Francisco Chronicle.

In other news, AI is holding its annual general meeting this weekend in Boston (March 27-29). Check out the details here.