Maine Chiefs meet with Sens. Snowe, Collins

May 19th 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Houlton Chief of Police Butch Asselin and Winthrop Chief Joe Young met with U.S. Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins today to ask for help to shape early education and health policy. During the meeting with Collins, Bangor Police Chief Ron Gastia joined the conversation via telephone.

The discussion with Sen. Collins centered on her role on the important Senate Appropriations Committee, and her ability to help shape early education policy through the implementation of President Obama's proposed early childhood initiatives through the Education Department, including the Early Learning Challenge Fund, Title I Early Childhood Grants, and Early Reading First.

For 2010, President Obama has requested nearly $1 billion in new funding for three early childhood initiatives through the Education Department. The chiefs supported these investments, along with a $1 billion increase in Head Start and a $1 billion dollar increase in childcare.

"Calling for increased public investments in a difficult economic time is not an easy thing to pursue, but we know that early education programs pay off in the long run. Statistics show that kids who receive high-quality early education and care are significantly less likely to commit crimes later in life," said Gastia.

While meeting with Sen. Snowe, the main focus was the need to enact reforms to the healthcare system. The law enforcement leaders were advocating for the reform package to include mandatory funding for home visiting programs, to cover all children and expectant mothers and do no harm to current Medicaid coverage. It also should take significant steps forward in the screening for and treatment of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders among children from birth through adolescence.

"We are lucky to have in Senator Snowe a leader who understands the need for health reform legislation that ensures every child has access to evidence-based screening, follow-up assessment, and treatment for mental, emotional or behavioral health problems," said Asselin. "We'll cut crime later on, if we ensure these early investments."

Evidence-based home visiting programs for at-risk new moms have been shown to cut abuse and neglect in half, cut arrests by 60%, and to save more than $18,000 for every high-risk family they serve.

"The cost-benefit analysis of home-visiting programs is easy. We pay now or we pay much more later," said Young.

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