Senate COVID-19 Bill Leaves Majority Party Struggling
On Monday, July 27, 2020, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) released his party’s counter to the House of Representatives HEROES Act. The rest of last week left the impression that Senate Republicans are not
Senate COVID-19 Bill Includes Limited Child Welfare Funds
While the Senate COVID-19 bill provides minimal state supplements, it does provide some funding through the Senate Finance Committee bill and the Senate Appropriations bill for limited child welfare programs.
Funding includes an appropriation of $75 million through
Some of the CWLA Priority Items the Senate COVID-19 Bill Does Not Include
There are several priorities CWLA holds for the next package that reach beyond “child welfare” but are critical to families and to future trends for child welfare caseloads. These can be as broad as tax
Judge Blocks Public Charge Restrictions Due to Pandemic
On Wednesday, July 29, 2020, New York U.S. District Judge George Daniels blocked the Trump Administration’s new “public charge” immigration restriction. The Judge’s ruling was based on how the
Arizona To Require In-Person School Attendance for Children in Foster Care
Last week, Arizona provided a directive to foster parents and relative caregivers that when schools reopen, children in foster care should be attending school. The Department has said they will consider some exceptions. The Arizona
Trump Administration Rejects Requests Under DACA
On Tuesday, July 28, 2020, the Trump Administration announced a plan to limit the use of DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. Faced with a rejection by the
Reduced Suicides For Youth When Minimum Age of Gun Purchase Raised
New research from BMJ.Com (British Medical Journal) published in July provided evidence that state policies that limited the sale of handguns to people aged 18 or older (relative to 21 or older) were associated with
House Moves 11 2021 Appropriations Bills
On Friday, July 31, 2020, the House passed HR 7614 a second “mini-bus” legislative package that included six more appropriations bills.
COVID-19 #5 Bill: Majority Struggles With Consensus
As the end of the week approached, Washington was still waiting for a complete initial package from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on what will be a fifth COVID-19 relief measure. Negotiations that had
House Moves 11 2021 Appropriations Bills
Last week the House passed HR 7617 a “mini-bus” legislative package that included funding for four separate appropriations bills. Included in the mini-bus (as opposed to an omnibus bill)
Children’s Bureau Guide Provides Guidance on Use of Title IV-E for Legal Representation
On July 20, 2020, the Children’s Bureau released a Child Welfare Policy Manuel (CWPM) that explains some of the more technical questions and approaches to funding legal representation for parents and children by tapping into
Perspectives of Current and Former Foster Youth During COVID-19
The Foster Care Research Group at the University of San Francisco released preliminary results of the “Perspectives of Current and Former Foster Youth During COVID-19” that was conducted in May and June 2020. Responses included
Foster Youth Intern COVID-19 Pandemic Working Group
On Wednesday, July 22 the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) held the modified 2020 Foster Youth Internship Program congressional briefing webinar. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the twelve current and former foster youth interns
Senate Back, McConnell Likely To Reveal His COVID-19 Starting Point
After a two-week break, the Senate returns this week with the expectation that the focus will be on the fifth COVID-19 package. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) rejected
House Moving 2021 Appropriations
On Monday, July 13, 2020, the House Appropriations Committee approved an FY 2021 appropriations bill for the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education by a party-line vote of 30-22. In total, the
COVID-19 Toolkit for Young Adults
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) produced a series of factsheets for young adults, ages 15-21. The factsheets cover a variety of topics, including what test results mean, how to stay safe
Sixty-four Percent Increase in Gun Purchases: UC Davis Research
New research through the University of California, Davis, and the University of California Firearm Violence Research Center indicates that gun sales increased by 64 percent during the first three
The Young Center Releases Report on Family Separation
The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights released report on family separation under the Trump Administration titled, Family Separation is Not Over. The report shared how even after the Zero Tolerance Policy ended, children
Guidance on Higher Education Could Help Youth in Foster Care in Loan Application
The U.S. Department of Education released guidance on Thursday, July 9, 2020, reminding Colleges and Universities (Institutions of Higher Education/IHEs) of the existing flexibility for verification of non-filing from
Senator Brown, Colleagues Introduce the Child Welfare Emergency Assistance Act
On Thursday, July 2, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced the Child Welfare Emergency Assistance Act. The bill, co-sponsored by Senators Kamala Harris (D-CA), Bob Casey (D-PA), and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), will provide flexible, emergency
House Moving 2021 Appropriations
Last week the House Appropriations Committee began to move the 12 annual Fiscal Year 2021 appropriations bills through their respective subcommittees. The Labor-HHS-Education bill passed through the subcommittee on Tuesday, July 7, 2020, with funding
CWLA Joins Hundreds of Organizations In Defense of the CDC
Hundreds of organizations, including the Child Welfare League of America, sent a letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar calling on him to protect the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in its role and mission. The
House Agrees to Extend PPP Loan Program
On Wednesday, July 1, 2020, the House passed the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), extending the small business loans until August 8. The bill was passed by unanimous consent after the Senate passed it (S.4116) the
Senator Murray, Colleagues Introduces Major Child-focused COVID Bill
Senator Murray (D-WA), Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Democrats introduced the Coronavirus Child Care and Education Relief Act before the fourth of July holiday break. This bill includes $430 million for many of the