BY B.G. GREGG
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Ohio's Children's Defense Fund (CDF) issued a blueprint Tuesday calling for additional spending to help the state's families and children.
With sweeping changes in welfare, block grants for health and child care and an Ohio Supreme Court order to improve public education, state legislators have an unprecedented opportunity to make improvements for children, said Mark Real, director of the Ohio Children's Defense Fund.
"They can do more to improve the lives of Ohio's children and families than any previous administration and General Assembly," he said.
CDF's blueprint recommends nearly two dozen ideas, including: Spending $54 million in the year 2000 and beyond to enroll the children of working-poor families in child care, increasing the number of children who receive assistance from 60,000 to 90,000. Publishing report cards grading how each county does in collecting child support and moving people from welfare to jobs.
Expanding health insurance eligibility for working-poor families to 200 percent of the federally defined poverty level, insuring 20,000 more children at a cost of about $4.2 million.
Creating an earned income tax credit that is 20 percent of the federal earned income tax credit. This would raise the income of Ohio's working families an average of $263.
Both candidates for Ohio governor said the CDF blueprint is something they would strive for if elected.
"The CDF report raises a number of extremely important issues and offers some innovative, commonsense responses to address them," Democratic candidate Lee Fisher said.
Republican candidate Bob Taft said he agrees with spending money to help children early in life, "before they get sick, drop out of school or run afoul of the law."
