"Even if we were not legally bound, we would be morally bound to serve the children of our state and the families who have placed their confidence in us."

- Matt Blunt in a letter to the General Assembly and the People of Missouri as published in the front of his 2006 Budget and Legislative Agenda.

By Maria Chappelle-Nadal, State Representative, District 72

As I'm sure many of you know, especially those of you I've heard from, the First Steps Program has come under the attack of Gov. Blunt. Personally, I am deeply offended by this attack, not only for what it will mean for the state and my constituents, but what it will mean for my friends.

For those of you who don't know, Missouri's First Steps program provides early childhood development and therapy to children between birth and age three who are born with disabilities. Children who benefit from the program are born with conditions that range from delayed development to Down Syndrome.

Initially, I was concerned because the only way I could vote on the funding for First Steps would be when the general budget for Health, Mental Health and Social Services comes before the assembly. I have already started making contact and informing the committee members that this bill will come before them and I am expressing how important the First Steps Program is to the state.

Only yesterday, I was comforted to see a public statement from the Budget chairman, Rep Brad Lager, R-Maryville, announcing his support for the First Steps Program, saying that it is worth saving because it helps children with disabilities get ready for school. "Early education in preschools and those early years provide great benefits that you can't substitute at any other point," Lager said in an AP article that appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on February 2nd.

Gov. Blunt said that children in low-income families could qualify through Medicaid for many of the same services they receive through First Steps, while others could get the services through private health insurance. This, coming on the heels of his above quote and his proposed Medicaid cut, will force a single mother of two who makes more than $4,700 to be ineligible for Medicaid.

My office will be tracking this issue in the coming future. Please feel free to contact me for any further concerns via email or by phone at (573) 751-4265.