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Public
Policy Forum
At the
UCS Public Policy Forum on January 7, Representative Jill
Quigley, Senator Tim Owens and Senator John Vratil discussed
the issues that they expect to receive attention during the
Kansas Legislative Session. Representative Quigley, who serves
on the House Health and Human Service Committee, identified
the Clean Indoor Air Act, childhood obesity, day care inspections,
and licensure for addiction counselors among the issues that
may be considered. Senator Owens, who chairs the Judiciary
Committee, plans to hear bills focused on state’s rights and
the death penalty. He is championing Kate’s Law which concerns
autism. Senator Owens chairs the DUI commission and expects
to bring forth a plan prior to next year’s session.
Senator
Vratil, Ways and Means Vice-Chair, focused on the state budget.
He made it clear that without a tax increase, the budget will
have to be cut and that a budget cut will harm state programs.
He emphasized that grass-roots support is essential for revenue
enhancements and/or increases to be passed. It is not enough
for community organizations to advocate for maintaining services,
they must also advocate for revenue to support those services.
The speakers encouraged advocates to be in regular
contact with legislators. Email is an effective way to communicate.
Be sure to explain why you support or oppose a measure, and
how the measure might be funded. To reach your legislator you
can call Johnson County Government Switchboard (913-715-5000).
For email addresses go to: www.kslegislature.org.
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Poverty
in Johnson County and Kansas
The
number of people in Johnson County living below the federal
poverty level increased 55% between 2000 and 2008. That compares
to a statewide increase of 22%. Only Lyon County had an increase
greater than Johnson County . For more comparisons to Kansas
data see UCS’ latest
Fact Sheet.
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School-Age
Children and Youth Trends Report
Nearly
140,000 Johnson County residents are under age 18; approximately
90,000 attend one of the county’s public schools. UCS’
School-Age Children and Youth Trends Report
provides information on indicators that reflect conditions
for children and youth, and presents data for a variety of
factors that affect the ability to learn, such as language
and poverty. Among the data:
Enrollment in English as a Second Language tripled over the
past ten years.
64 languages were spoken by students in the Shawnee Mission
District during the 2008-09 school year.
The number of children at the poverty level increased 61%
between 2000 and 2008. During the same period, the child population
increased 14%.
5.1% of Johnson County children live below the poverty level.
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UCS
Human Service Awards
Congratulations
to the UCS 2009 Human Service Award recipients. Honorees were
selected by the UCS board of directors and recognized at the
UCS annual meeting.
Kansas State Senator John Vratil, UCS Distinguished
Public Service Award;
Sue
Bond, UCS Citizen of the Year; and
Evergreen Living Innovations, Inc. (formerly
Johnson County Nursing Center), UCS Excellence
in Community Service Award.
“It’s
important that we recognize the dramatic impact each of the
winners has made in improving the quality of life in our community,”
said Brad Stratton, UCS board president. “Each has worked
diligently for causes that make Johnson County a great place
to live and work.”
Click
here for
information on the honorees, plus a list
of past recipients.
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2008 American Community
Survey Presentation on poverty in
the
Six-county region is now
available. |
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The H
& R Block Foundation has awarded United Community Services
(UCS) of Johnson County a $10,000 grant. The grant
is for a planning project that will establish strategies to
improve support for homeless children and youth in Johnson County.
Read the
release. |
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© 2007 United Community Services. All rights reserved. 12351 W. 96th Terrace, Suite 200 • Lenexa, KS 66215 • ph. 913.438.4764 |
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