Policy Agenda
The United Way of Florida works in many ways to achieve its mission: “…to enhance Florida United Ways’ efforts to increase the organized capacity of people to care for one another.” One of the primary ways in which the United Way of Florida fulfills this mission is through effective participation in public policy at the state and nation levels.
Through their funding and community building efforts, Florida’s local United Ways are an integral part of Florida’s human service system. Focusing on education, income, and health, they are engaged in myriad ways to improve the quality of life for everyone in their communities and across the Sunshine State. The United Way of Florida represents the interests of Florida’s United Ways on legislative and regulatory issues relating to education, income, and health, and also on general issues impacting the nonprofit community and those related to disaster, preparation, recovery, and response.
The United Way of Florida works in concert with United Way Worldwide on issues of importance to United Ways, the communities we serve and other nonprofits on education, income, and health issues, among others.
The United Way of Florida’s 2012 priority issues will help us benefit state employees and volunteers as they contribute to the betterment of our communities, support quality early care and education, protect our children from abuse and neglect, and ensure that low income Floridians have access to housing and health care. It is with great honor that we announce the 2012 Florida United Way Consensus Legislative Agenda and background issue papers. This is our inaugural effort to coalesce Florida’s United Way voice into a single voice for our collective priorities. This is only the first step in our 2012 advocacy efforts. Please use the attached documents to educate your legislators about our issues.
2012 FLORIDA UNITED WAY CONSENSUS LEGISLATIVE AGENDA
HOME & COMMUNITY BASED CARE ISSUE PAPER
One of the highlights of each legislative session is Children’s Week. This celebration of Florida’s children draws nearly 5,000 children, parents, advocates, teachers, and others to the Florida Capitol each year to celebrate children and highlight the critical issues they face. From prenatal care to juvenile justice, from quality early care and education to transition out of the child welfare system, and from health care to afterschool care, Children’s Week provides a forum for all Floridians to show their support for our most precious natural resource: our children.With its focus on education, income, and health, the United Way of Florida provides important public policy support for all of the issues promoted during Children’s Week. But the policy support that the United Way of Florida provides to its members and United Way community partners throughout the state extends far beyond that, and touches on issues impacting the elderly, 2-1-1, the developmentally disabled, hunger, volunteerism, and much more. Our work supports the efforts of your local United Way to help us Live United.
To access the Florida Legislature’s website, which contains information regarding all legislation filed during a particular legislative session, together with information regarding legislators, committees, calendars, staff and much more, visit Online Sunshine.
United Way Worldwide has written to President Barack Obama, key administration officials and the U.S. Congress on our top policy priorities.
- Letter in support of Charitable Deduction FY2012 (Read)
- Letter in support of the Emergency Food and Shelter Program and the Charitable Deduction(Read)
- Letter in support of Early Childhood Funding (Read)
- Letter in support of Parent Information and Resource Centers (Read)
