HELP Committee Takes Up CARA Again, Plans of Safe Care
On Wednesday, the Senate HELP Committee will hold a hearing on additional legislation to deal with opioids. The legislation, The Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018, has been called by some a second version of
Opioids Funding Increases from March Budget
Part of what the Senate (and future House) action is about is the funding that was included in the FY 2018 appropriations. The Congressional response includes several increases and provisions that add some actual dollars
Health Care Numbers
Last week HHS released final numbers for health care enrollment through the ACA. Overall enrollment this year was 11.8 million, a 3.3 percent year-over-year decrease. A decrease that many see as undercutting claims that the
New Head of ACF/Family Support Pending Confirmation
With Brittney Gerteisen
One item the Senate may get to in the next month is the nomination of Lynn A. Johnson to be Assistant Secretary for Family Support, Department of Health and Human Service (formerly Administration
The Big Event of The Week Comes After Congress Exits: March for Our Lives
The biggest event last week was not the drama around a final FY 2018 budget bill but came on Saturday when several hundred thousand came to Washington to listen to a series of young
Final FY 2018 Appropriations Significant Increases for Children
A combination of higher budget caps tied to the defense budget and the increasing spread of opioid addiction combined into a final appropriation deal that resulted in some truly historic increases in children’s spending.
Leading the
Child Welfare and Other Items
The just-signed appropriations had a number of improvements for a child welfare advocacy community that does not normally experience. Congress was not “budget neutral”, e.g. we will increase child welfare funding if we cut child
The Child Care Deal
The $2.3 billion in new child care funding represents an historic increase not experienced since its inception in 1990 under the George H.W. Bush Administration. Other increases included the 1996 TANF law that included an
Juvenile Justice Funding Gets Bump
Shaquita Ogletree
The final federal budget for FY 2018 resulted in an overall Juvenile Justice funding level that is slightly above 2017. There is a notable $22 million increase for youth impacted by the opioid crisis
Opioids Funding Increases
The week started with the President in New Hampshire announcing his opioid abuse reduction plan and ended with Congress acting in a much bolder funding proposal. The President’s plan was thin on specifics but
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Deferred Again
In the end a fix for DACA was never really considered. Despite the President’s comments on Friday it appears that a DACA fix was never a serious point of negotiation. As one of the three
Other Items in The Budget
There were several other funding increases and efforts included in the final bill. They did agree to strip out a Congressman Jay Dickey (R-AR) from 1996 which had a chilling effect on CDC research on
Foster Youth and Identity Theft in America
Shaquita Ogletree
On Monday, March 20, the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth and Cybersecurity Caucus co-hosted a briefing to discuss youth in foster care as victims of identity theft and what some companies are proposing to
Down to the Wire on Appropriations, Again
There are five legislative days left before a government shutdown. Congress headed into the weekend with a lack of clarity on where Congress is going on the final appropriation for FY 2018. It is looking
Senate Hearing on Assistant Secretary, Administration Nominates ACYF Head
The Senate Finance Committee is holding a confirmation hearing on Tuesday on the nomination of Lynn A. Johnson to be the next Assistant Secretary for Family Support (formerly Administration on Children and Families). As the
AFCARS Rule Delayed and New Comments Solicited
On March 15, HHS published in the Federal Register two notices in regard to a delay in the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting Systems (AFCARS).
In the first notice, the Children’s Bureau is proposing
Opioid Briefing on the Hill, President to Unveil Opioid Plan
Macey Shambery
On March 14, the Children’s Home Society of America hosted a briefing on Capitol Hill. Panelists included Nancy Young, Executive Director of Children and Family Futures; James Madison, President and CEO of Beech Acres
Congress Facing Down Another Shutdown
Federal funding for FY 2018 runs out on March 23 when the current CR expires. This current CR was designed only to provide Congress enough time to write and pass an omnibus appropriations bill wrapping
HHS Study Documents Link Between Substance Abuse & Foster Care Increases
he Office of Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) has released research on the relationship between increased substance abuse (especially opioids) and the increasing foster care numbers. The ASPE study, Substance Use, the
CDC Finds Drug Overdoses Increasing By 30 Percent 2016 to 2017
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new data last week showing that opioid overdoses went up by 30% from July 2016 through September 2017 in 52 areas in 45 states. That overall
ASPE Study Documents Substance Use and Child Welfare Caseloads
At the same time that ASPE released the earlier referenced study they also took a closer look at the child welfare caseload and the impact of substance use in a second report, The Relationship
HELP Committee on Opioid Crisis: Leadership and Innovation in States
Shaquita Ogletree & Macey Shambery
The Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) committee held the sixth hearing on the opioid crisis with testimony from Governor Larry Hogan (R-MD) and Governor Kate Brown (D-OR) to look
Get It Back Campaign Starts to Promote the EITC
Working with the Center on Budget Policy and Priorities, CWLA is joining with other organizations to promote the Get It Back Campaign. The Center regularly works on encouraging families and now some individuals to be
Gun Debate Occupies Washington Discussion For Now
The talk in Washington last week was dominated by the latest school shootings in Parkland, Florida. At the start of the week it seemed clear that the Congress would do little if anything, but those
Appropriations Discussion Continues But Progress Unclear
The appropriations discussions continued behind closed door last week with progress reportly limited. Although the February 9, budget agreement raised the caps on “non-defense” spending by approximately $60 billion (or more like $50 billion when