| From the HSLDA E-lert Service: |
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| Date: From: Subject: | 2/11/2002 6:19:59 PM Christopher J. Klicka, Esq., Senior Counsel of HSLDA Florida--URGENT: Calls Needed Immediately to Stop Government Nanny Program |
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---------------------------------------------------------------------- From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- February 11, 2002 Dear Florida Members and Friends, Last year, we fought and defeated House Bill 1435, the "Government Nanny" bill. Thousands of calls and e-mails from concerned home schoolers and other parents persuaded Governor Jeb Bush to veto the bill. Unfortunately, the Government Nanny bill is back. H.B. 1435 is scheduled for vote this Thursday, February 14. This is our opportunity to make a difference! Last time, the bill flew through the Florida House and Senate, just briefly pausing at Governor Bush's desk for his final signature, meaning that only Governor Bush heard from the people. The House and the Senate were not aware of the grassroots opposition. This year, we have the chance to stop this measure in the House, before it even reaches the governor's desk. If H.B. 1435 becomes law, it will lay the foundation for transforming Florida into a "government nanny state" by greatly increasing the power of the state over children and reducing parents' rights. REQUESTED ACTION: Please call your state representative IMMEDIATELY and deliver this message: "Please vote against H.B. 1435. This bill creates a big government program that will invade family privacy, usurp the role of parents, and waste taxpayer money. This bill is not needed at this time of budget shortfalls." You do not need to identify yourself as a home schooler. Calls need to be made from today, February 11, through the day of the scheduled vote, February 14. You can call your state representative directly. If you do not know who your state representative is, call your county clerk's office or use HSLDA's Legislative Toolbox at: http://www.hslda.org/toolbox. BACKGROUND: H.B. 1435 creates a new big government program called "Learning Gateway" and will involve "developing strategies for offering hospital visits or home visits by trained staff to new mothers." The purpose of H.B. 1435 is to "screen" children from birth to age 9 for "biological, environmental, and behavioral risks," and "learning problems." Further, Learning Gateway providers will conduct "intake with families," conduct "needs/strength-based assessments of families," and "make referrals for needed services" nd "developmental monitoring." This will all be done in "collaboration" with the Florida Department of Children and Family Services and numerous other big government agencies and programs. Some additional reasons Home School Legal Defense Association opposes the bill are the following: 1) H.B. 1435 mandates automatic referrals of high-risk newborns to the local Learning Gateway through the Office of Vital Statistics. Who determines what is considered "high risk"? There is no parental consent required for this referral. What happens if the parent chooses not to follow up on this referral? 2) H.B. 1435 directs that screening processes be developed and tested to address social/emotional/behavioral indicators which could be a sign of future problems. Will the Department of Children and Families take the child/children if the parent chooses to follow his own doctor's advice instead of the government's? 3) H.B. 1435 requires that an electronic data system be developed to track children who are screened, assessed, and referred for services. Will parents be able to remove the child from the government programs once the initial screening is done without their consent? 4) H.B. 1435 creates a huge, expensive bureaucracy, with the intent of expanding the program statewide. The pilot project is $6 million the first year for only three counties---what will it cost taxpayers to fund this program for the whole state? Please urge your state representative to vote against this bill. Thank you for standing with us for liberty. Sincerely, Christopher Klicka Senior Counsel {{JoinAd}} ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The HSLDA E-lert Service is a service of: Home School Legal Defense Association P.O. 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Thank you for your cooperation. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | |
