Special Meeting of the Early Childhood Council August 10, 2020 Early Childhood Council to be held August 10, 2020, with Social Distancing Modifications Public comment will be allowed via telephone; no in-person input will be allowed. All speakers must register in advance (by Sunday, August 9, 2020 at 12:00 noon). All public comment will occur at the beginning of the meeting. To speak remotely at the Early Childhood Council Meeting, residents must: •Email the board liaison at Rachel.Farley@austintexas.gov or text or call her at 512-663-2792 no later than noon on Sunday, August 9 (the day before the meeting). The information required is the speaker name, item number(s) they wish to speak on, whether they are for/against/neutral, and a telephone number or email address. •Once a request to speak has been called in or emailed to the board liaison, residents will receive either an email or phone call providing the telephone number to call on the day of the scheduled meeting. •Speakers must call in at least 15 minutes prior to meeting start in order to speak, late callers will not be accepted and will not be able to speak. •Speakers will be placed in a queue until their time to speak. •Handouts or other information may be emailed to Rachel.Farley@austintexas.gov by Noon the day before the scheduled meeting. This information will be provided to Board and Commission members in advance of the meeting. •This meeting is not broadcast live. EARLY CHILDHOOD COUNCIL SPECIAL CALLED MEETING MONDAY, AUGUST 10, 2020, 1:00 P.M. VIA VIDEOCONFERENCING AGENDA CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES from 6/10/2020 meeting 2. Moment of silence and words of remembrance for Jacquie Porter 3. PRESENTATION: Looking Ahead to the 87th Texas Legislature, City of Austin Intergovernmental Relations Officer, Brie L. Franco 4. NEW BUSINESS AND POSSIBLE ACTIONS a. Chair updates, Raul Alvarez i. Discussion and possible action on nominations committee and officer ii. Representation on the Joint Inclusion Committee iii. Discussion and possible action on ECC Annual Internal Review election b. Policy Work Group Updates- Anna Lisa Conlin and Cathy McHorse i. Discussion and possible action on recommendation to Council about 5 key messages for families from the Success By 6 coalition ii. City of Austin investments in child care supports during coronavirus iii. Discussion and possible action on recommendation to Council regarding forthcoming staff response to Council resolution 20200729-089 c. Updates on Dove Springs Health …
87TH STATE LEGISLATIVE AGENDA Intergovernmental Relations Office – Brie L. Franco, Officer TEXAS LEGISLATURE INCREASINGLY FOCUSED ON CITIES Total Bills Introduced Total Bills Passed City-Related bills introduced City-Related bills passed Year 76th-1999 77th-2001 78th-2003 79th-2005 80th-2007 81st-2009 82nd-2011 83rd-2013 84th-2015 85th – 2017 5,813 5,612 5,633 5,512 6,241 7,464 5,938 5,950 6,476 6,800 1,622 1,601 1,384 1,389 1,481 1,459 1,379 1,437 1,329 1,208 1,230+ 1,200+ 1,200+ 1,200+ 1,200+ 1,500+ 1,500+ 1,900+ 1,900+ 2,500+ 86th – 2019 7,324 1,429 2,300+ 130+ 150+ 110+ 105+ 120+ 120+ 160+ 220+ 220+ 294 338 • 54 % more City- related bills were passed between 2015 and 2019 • 182 % more City – related bills were passed between 2009 and 2019 8/6/2020 87th Legislative Agenda 2 LEGISLATIVE SESSION: IGRO ROLE In the 86th session • 3,970 Bills/JR’s were filed in last 10 business days before filing deadline, March 8th. (54%). • 7,324 bills read and analyzed by IGRO. • Over 2,500 bills were determined by IGRO to affect cities. • 1,296 Bills/JR’s required analysis/action by departments and IGRO. 8/6/2020 87th Legislative Agenda 3 TREND: ANTI-CITY TONE: GOVERNOR ABBOTT "As opposed to the state having to take multiple rifle-shot approaches at overriding local regulations, I think a broad-based law by the state of Texas that says across the board, the state is going to pre-empt local regulations, is a superior approach“ * – Governor Greg Abbott, March 21, 2017 *Source: “Abbott wants "broad-based law" that pre-empts local regulations” Texas Tribune, March 21, 2017 Governor Greg Abbott in 2017 8/6/2020 87th Legislative Agenda 4 TREND: ANTI-CITY LEGISLATION: POST 85TH SPECIAL SESSION "Our cities are still controlled by Democrats…And where do we have all our problems in America? Not at the state level run by Republicans, but in our cities that are mostly controlled by Democrat mayors and Democrat city council men and women. That's where you see liberal policies. That's where you see high taxes. That's where you see street crime." * -Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, 2017 Lt Governor Dan Patrick in 2016. Photo by Gage Skidmore. *Source: “Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick blames city governments for "all our problems in America" Texas Tribune, AUG. 4, 2017 8/6/2020 87th Legislative Agenda 5 TREND: ANTI-CITY TONE: POST 86TH SESSION “Any mayor, county judge that was dumb ass enough to come meet with me, I told them with great clarity, my goal is for this to be the worst …
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Early Childhood Council Recommendation Number: 20200810-4bi Five Key Messages for Families during COVID-19 WHEREAS, current challenges our community faces due to the COVID-19 public health pandemic are unprecedented; and WHEREAS, often-changing in messages to the community have created confusion and fear for families with young children; and WHEREAS the first five years of life are vitally important for healthy intellectual, physical, and social emotional development; and WHEREAS, the Success By 6 Coalition recommends five simple messages for parents and caregivers that can unite us in word, spirit, and a sense of community; and WHEREAS, these five messages represent a consensus of leaders in early childhood education; and WHEREAS, repetition and consistency help combat confusion and misinformation at a time when clarity is vital; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Early Childhood Council encourages the Austin City Council to share and amplify these five Key Messages for families with young children through all available channels including social media, council office communications, and communications from city staff. 1. Wear a mask every time you leave your home. If you must enter a public building such as a grocery store, try to keep the number of people with you to a minimum. Remember, kids under the age of two should NOT wear masks because of the risk of suffocation. 2. Sign up for Bright By Text for timely resources, simple encouragements, and supports for caregivers: http://www.bit.ly/SMARTATX 3. For the well-being of young children, keep home routines going as much as you can, include daily talking, playing, reading, and singing. 4. Fill out the Census at http://www.mycensus2020.gov/to ensure our community has the resources and representation we need for the next 10 years. 5. Call 2-1-1 or visit http://www.connectatx.org/ to access information about basic needs, including food, childcare, mental health, physical safety, and more. Date of Approval: 8/10/2020 Record of the vote: 7-0-0 Attest:
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Early Childhood Council Recommendation Number: 20200810-4biii Support for action on response to Council Resolution 20200729-089 WHEREAS, on July 29, 2020, City Council adopted resolution 20200729-089 directing the City Manager to collaborate with the Austin-Travis County COVID-19 Child Care Task Force to report on the state of child care and supervision and support for children and youth in our community and include actionable recommendations by August 13, 2020 to address the current and imminent challenges; and WHEREAS, the resolution directs the City Manager to collaborate with local school districts to make City facilities such as libraries and recreation centers available to local school districts and working families for the duration of virtual instruction due to COVID-19 should that be helpful; and WHEREAS, Austin Public Health staff and members of the Task Force are finalizing that report which, as directed by Council, will include recommended measures for stabilizing the local child care system and actions that may be taken at the local, state, and federal levels, including an assessment of the viability of establishing a Child Care Stabilization Fund that may award immediate and ongoing stabilization grants and other solutions to increase equitable access to quality child care; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Early Childhood Council encourages the Austin City Council to support the recommendations in the forthcoming report to Council in response to Council Resolution 20200739-089 and act in a timely manner to fund and implement them. Date of Approval: 8/10/2020 Record of the vote: 7-0-0 Attest:
