Senate bill would restore and increase Children's Cabinet fund for local management boards
Loading...
Summary
SB 668 would rename the Children's Cabinet fund and phase in multiyear increases beginning with $3 million in FY28 to restore support for local management boards; advocates described services for youth and families and cited a historic funding drop from $41 million (2011) to about $21 million today.
Sen. Kevin M. Harris presented SB 668 to rename the Children's Cabinet fund the Children's Cabinet Interagency Fund and to require the governor include increased annual funding (starting $3 million in FY28 and additional increases for FY29—FY31) to strengthen local management boards (LMBs). "Funding was slashed from $41,000,000 in 2011 and never returned to the previous levels," the sponsor told the committee.
Advocates from the Maryland Association of Local Management Boards, Howard County and Baltimore City described LMBs' work coordinating services such as violence prevention, mental and behavioral health, workforce development and early childhood supports. Kim Eisnerich, chair of the Maryland Association of Local Management Boards, said current shared funding of about $21 million is spread across 24 jurisdictions and stressed the model's evidence of generating local value; several witnesses noted every $1 of state investment leverages multiple dollars of community value.
Youth and community speakers described direct program outcomes: Ian Ray Williams, a student intern, described leadership and workforce-development benefits; other community speakers recounted delivery of trauma-informed parenting programs and volunteer-driven services. County and association representatives urged a favorable report and offered amendment support to phase funding toward a $30 million target over multiple years.
The hearing included numerous local-management-board leaders and community voices; the committee did not record final action on SB 668 in this transcript.
