The Ohio Senate Finance Committee has given the green light to long-awaited reforms to the state’s child welfare system. However, the bill, now passed out of committee, no longer includes the crucial funding needed to implement its provisions.
House Bill 7, which aims to improve child welfare processes from pregnancy through early childhood education, could see a full Senate vote on Wednesday. If the bill is not passed in time, it will need to be reintroduced in the new year and undergo a fresh round of approval, including revisiting funding issues.
Child Welfare Bill Lacks Immediate Funding
H.B. 7, a bipartisan bill, addresses a range of child welfare concerns, from improving access to the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nutrition program to supporting comprehensive child care initiatives. It also proposes home visit programs designed to improve infant outcomes and tackle Ohio’s troubling maternal and infant mortality rates. However, the bill’s journey through the Ohio Senate Finance Committee has seen some changes, most notably the removal of a $34 million funding request.
Despite the bill’s many proposed initiatives, the committee chose to exclude any appropriation of funds for these efforts. Instead, Committee Chair Sen. Matt Dolan, R-Chagrin Falls, suggested that funding decisions would be better handled during next year’s approval of the state’s biennial operating budget. “There’s no mandate that we are going to be responsible for paying in this bill,” Dolan stated, adding that agencies would need to present their own cost proposals for new child care and health strategies.
Missing Provisions and Adjustments
As the bill moves through the legislative process, some key provisions have been removed or altered. One of the most significant changes was the removal of a program designed to offer doula services to inmates in a prison nursery program. This proposal had been championed by Sen. Paula Hicks-Hudson, D-Toledo, who expressed disappointment at the committee’s decision, calling it a missed opportunity to improve maternal and infant health outcomes in Ohio’s correctional facilities.
Another adjustment saw the elimination of the option for telehealth home visits for those participating in Ohio’s Help Me Grow program. This program, which helps children with developmental screenings and connects families to necessary resources, had originally included the possibility of remote visits, especially important in rural and underserved areas.
Despite the setbacks, many advocates and lawmakers are holding out hope that funding for these provisions may appear in the upcoming state operating budget. According to Danielle Firsich, director of public policy for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio, the state’s maternal health care challenges are dire. “Thirteen Ohio counties are classified as ‘maternal health care deserts,’ and the maternal and infant mortality rates are entirely preventable with affordable, widespread, and comprehensive public health services,” Firsich stated in her testimony to the committee.
Bipartisan Support for Child Welfare Reform
While the lack of funding remains a key issue, the bill itself enjoys widespread bipartisan support. Many of the provisions seek to modernize the state’s approach to child welfare, aligning with national efforts to address maternal and infant health disparities.
The proposed changes to the WIC program, a crucial nutrition assistance initiative, are expected to modernize the way the program operates and increase access for eligible families. Additionally, the pilot grant program intended to support comprehensive child care initiatives, such as Early Head Start, is seen as a significant step toward improving child care availability and quality across Ohio.
However, as the bill moves forward, the absence of funding in the current version raises questions about how effectively these measures can be implemented. Advocates for child welfare are calling for more concrete financial commitments to ensure that these vital programs can be carried out effectively.
Comments