Children, Families, Health & Human Services Interim Committee Meeting

On Monday, May 9, I attended a meeting of the Children, Families, Health & Human Services Interim Committee. This House/Senate interim committee is charged with preparing legislation for the 2017 Montana Legislative Session. The committee is taking on few primary initiatives of particular interest to the MAC 2017 legislative focus, including:  

1. Updating the Department of Public Health Services data gathering and processing system required for case workers, legal services and administrators. This is a critical need for helping children and their agency support personnel in navigating the complex systems of intervention and care. The goal of the data systems revision is to more effectively keep track of children in need of services and to provide them with the best care available.
2. Addressing need for additional funding for Child and Family Services, particularly in the area of case workers and support.
3. Considering the need for increased funding for mental health services. Courts also need additional staff to provide adequate oversight to children and adolescents moving through the judicial system.

I am always impressed with the level of commitment, the amount of hard work and time that our “citizen” legislators give to their tasks. Many of the legislators and staff are young (Millennials) and they give me considerable hope for the future of our state and nation. MAC is right, I believe, to focus our attention on Children & Families in the next legislative session. There are always those voices that think first of cost and last about the long term consequences of neglect. MAC may well be a decisive voice in encouraging legislative support to repair inadequate systems of intervention, crisis care and understaffed agencies. 

Additionally, while this item is not on our MAC agenda for 2017, I also attended the session on Alzheimer’s support, guardianship regulations and long-term care. Memory care is a growing crisis in Montana and the nation, and our legislators are preparing to address the issue. This may be a valuable issue for MAC to continue to observe and tackle in the future.

Please feel free contact me if you have additional questions.   We will continue to monitor the legislative impact on Children & Families as it is presented.   

MAC President Elect for 2017
David Andersen, Pastor, Butte Aldersgate United Methodist Church
406-461-8321