Senator Kane to Join Speaker's Task Force on Children in the Recession

I was asked this week to participate in discussions on how the recession is affecting children in Connecticut and how future legislation should be crafted to address the needs of the state’s children.

The Speaker’s Task Force on Children in the Recession will be made up of legislators, congressional staff, experts on the economy, business, non-profits, child policy, family support, food security, housing, human services, and public health, as well as parent advocates. The focus of this newly formed group will be to review budget implications related to children and the recession; identify trends and research resulting from the recession related to housing, employment, homelessness, child care, and unemployment; make recommendations to the Speaker on appropriate budget and policy action; and recommend efficiencies and offer ways to streamline services and access points for families for the 2010 and 2011 sessions.

Connecticut is the first state in the nation to form a legislative task force to plan for children in the recession and during the recovery. More information can be found at http://www.cga.ct.gov/coc/taskforce.htm I invite anyone with feedback on this issue to contact me at rob.kane@cga.ct.gov.