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Next Steps for North Carolina’s Children

Posted on April 5, 2007April 5, 2007 by Staff

By Barbara Bradley
Action for Children

The greatest long-term impact on the state can by made this year if our lawmakers work to ensure that North Carolina cares for all of its children. North Carolina policymakers have a strong tradition of enacting policies that are good for families, but growth in the number of children, the rapid pace of technology and transformation of the state’s economy present new challenges to state institutions and to our children. Action for Children North Carolina recommends legislators work on the following five priorities:

• Provide Health Coverage to All North Carolina Children
North Carolina has experienced the second largest U.S. decline in employer-provided health insurance coverage for employees and their dependents. This has resulted in more than 264,000 children who are uninsured—enough children to stretch from Greensboro to Wilmington if holding hands.

In response, Action for Children convened a task force of all significant child health-provider groups, which crafted the “Carolina Cares for Children” program.

Carolina Cares for Children would provide subsidized health insurance to children in working families earning more than 200 percent of the federal poverty line ($42,000 per year for a family of four)—that is, families with income above eligibility for currently available government-subsidized health insurance programs. Families would pay the premium on a sliding scale, with families earning over 300 percent of federal poverty level paying the full cost. Carolina Cares for Children would truly make available health insurance to all children in families who otherwise would not have access to insurance or who cannot afford what is available. Since insured children are more likely to receive preventive care, more commonly have fewer and shorter hospital stays and are less likely to miss school for illness, insuring all children is a win-win for the children, the state and the health system.

• Raise the age at which youth are automatically treated as adults in the justice system
North Carolina is one of only three states that automatically treats children ages 16 and 17 as adult criminals, regardless of the severity of the offense. When children are served in the juvenile system, they typically receive treatment such as mental-health services and education. When children are committed to the adult system, they receive probation or are sent to adult prison with limited, if any, rehabilitative services. Following the recommendation of the N.C. Sentencing and Policy Commission, Rep. Alice Bordsen has introduced legislation to phase-in treating 16 and 17 year olds with services through the juvenile justice system instead of automatically placing them in the adult system.

• Make it a felony offense to endanger a child’s life
A parent or other caretaker endangers a child’s life when he or she places the child in serious jeopardy, even if the act does not result in the death of the child. Forty-four other states have enacted child endangerment felony laws, and the N.C. Child Fatality Task Force has recommended that policymakers fill this gap in North Carolina’s law.

• Increase state appropriations for child care subsidies
Currently, more than 20,000 children of working parents are waiting for child care subsidies which they need to afford safe, reliable child care. Additionally, reimbursement rates paid to child-care providers are so low that many centers and daycare homes have to charge parents an additional fee or risk going out of business. Gov. Easley has recommended that funding be allocated to reduce the waiting list by 2,000 children.

While Easley has the right priorities, legislators must find a way to eliminate the waiting list and increase provider reimbursement rates closer to the actual cost of operation. This is essential to ensure there is an adequate supply of safe, affordable child care so our workforce can be productive and our children are adequately prepared for school.

• Help more working parents bring home a living income
More than 85 percent of children in low-income families live with a working parent, struggling to make ends meet. Since 1975, the federal government has administered the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), a refundable credit for earned income that increases tax fairness, targets low- and moderate-income families with children and rewards them for working. This has been the single most effective government program at lifting families and children out of poverty. Action for Children North Carolina recommends that North Carolina adopt a state-level EITC equal to 10 percent of the federal in order to increase fairness of the state’s tax system while supporting working families most in need.

For more information on the 2007 legislative agenda of Action for Children North Carolina, please visit www.ncchild.org.

In short, our children have many needs. We are fortunate that so many policymakers have shown such commitment to our children and families. This year should represent even greater progress toward making North Carolina the best place to be and raise a child.

Barbara Bradley is the president and CEO of Action for Children North Carolina

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