Today’s entry: Gov. DeSantis, of whom I am a BIG fan, is giving $450 per child to foster parents etc. Exactly who is getting this money and what is the Gov's reasoning? It looks like pandering for votes and not like a Republican move. I must say I'm confused. Thank you for all that you do!
Bottom Line: Thank you for being there so I can do what I do. So, about Florida’s $450 child tax credit. What exactly is going on here? I briefly hit on this last week, but to your point it probably is worthy of drilling down a bit deeper regarding what’s happening here. Especially since there are people who’ve received letters that they’re receiving these tax credits and aren’t sure if it’s a scam or not. Here’s the high-level overview of what happened here... As part of what Governor DeSantis coined Florida’s “Freedom First Budget”, one-time assistance payments to certain families totaling $450 per child were authorized. The state confirmed that approximately 59,000 eligible families have begun receiving letters in the mail indicating they’ll be receiving the payments. Eligible families include:
- Foster parents
- Caregivers
- Those receiving TANF (temporary assistance for needy families)
- Those eligible for guardianship assistance
The program itself is being administered through Florida’s Department of Children and Families, or DCF and doesn’t require registration. DCF identified families that were eligible for the assistance under what the state legislature approved, and Governor DeSantis signed into law for this budget year which began July 1st. The money being used to fund these tax credits, which totals $35.5 million, is money remaining in the state coffers from the federal government’s American Rescue Act passed in March of last year. Because American Rescue Act money was allocated by the feds, there are/were strings attached regarding how the money may be dispersed. Different states have done different things with the money but without getting into the weeds of federal legalese, funds must be used to offset the negative economic effects of the pandemic. Regarding this particular program, a DeSantis was the driving force behind it, but it wasn’t Ron. This was First Lady Casey DeSantis’ brainchild.
One of the many areas of state government Governor DeSantis has sought to reform is Florida’s DCF. It’s not as sexy of a topic as say education, so it's largely flown under the news radar. And speaking of flying under the radar, that’s what the recent overhaul in DCF has been about. In recent years horrible stories of an underfunded DCF led to accounts of vulnerable children in the system falling into the hands of abusive people with little oversight. As a result, the state has significantly increased funding to DCF, turned over leadership and has sought guidance from the department regarding ongoing needs. This culminated in eight specific reforms having been implemented earlier this year along with the creation of an online Family Navigator resource aimed at improving transparency between families participating in DCF programs, healthcare providers and DCF officials. All of this came about through Casey DeSantis’ Hope Florida – a Pathway to Prosperity Initiative.
As Casey took an active role in oversight into Florida’s DCF programs, she’s taken guidance from those in the field about what and where program needs are which led to these reforms but also to the creation of these one-time child tax credits from the state’s stimulus funds. The principle behind these payments is pretty simple. Our 41-year high inflation rate has hit just about everyone hard. During normal economic times it’s hard to identify enough caring families to take on the number of children in need of homes and care. You might imagine the current inflation and economic situation adds significantly to those challenges. So, the $450 per child tax credits are aimed at mitigating the inflation impact to families in good standing with one of Florida’s DCF administered programs. With those facts in hand and regarding the politics of this...
Your perception as to whether this is an appropriate use of resources is one that you’re entitled to whatever that might be. My perspective, especially from a prolife standpoint, is this. It’s one thing to advocate for allowing the unborn to be born, it’s another to turn our backs on the most vulnerable once they are. I know people who’ve been both foster parents and those raised by foster parents. And what I know is that I can’t relate to either side of that coin. I don’t imagine those who haven’t participated really can. But I admire those selfless enough to step up to fill the need. And to that end, if DCF and Casey DeSantis say this is a good use of the funds that had to be deployed for economic hardships, that’s good enough for me.
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