For the past few weeks, advocates for home visiting programs have been working with the House Ways and Means Committee staff to make progress on reauthorizing the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program, which expires on September 30th, 2022. On Wednesday, September 14th, the Ways and Means Committee indicated that they had
The Biden-Harris Administration will host the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health on September 28, 2022. The conference can be viewed online, and the conference agenda is available here. The White House has identified five pillars that will serve as the focus for the upcoming conference, which is the first White House conference
With the end of the fiscal year quickly approaching, Congress will need to take action to keep the government from shutting down on October 1st. At this time, the Four Corners (the four top Appropriators in the House and Senate) have not come to an agreement on the top-line numbers necessary to start budget proceedings,
In a blog post published on August 31, 2022, the American Federation for State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME) noted that the White House's announcement "that it will hold the first conference on hunger, nutrition and health in more than half a century on Sept. 28 shines a light on another glaring issue – Congress
On Tuesday, September 13th, the U.S. Census Bureau released new poverty data. Child poverty, calculated by the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM), fell to its lowest recorded level in 2021, declining 46% from 9.7% in 2020 to 5.2% in 2021. The Census Bureau noted that this sharp decline was, in part, "due to the impact of
On Sunday, September 11th, the New York Times, in conjunction with Child Trends, published a new analysis which reports that childhood poverty has fallen 59% since 1993. "With little public notice and accelerating speed, America’s children have become much less poor" over the last 25 years, the article states. The analysis includes data through 2019,
With less than a month to go until the start of the new fiscal year on October 1st, Congress has not agreed on any of the 12 appropriations bill necessary to fund the government. Both the House and Senate Democrats have posted Labor-HHS appropriations bills that include much-needed funding increases for child welfare and child
Major child welfare legislation that is up for reauthorization this year is still pending, with negotiations continuing among the committee staff and leadership. The House has passed the Stronger Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), but the Senate HELP committee continues to negotiate its version of the CAPTA Reauthorization bill. Both the House and
Kinship care is an important component in meeting the needs of families involved in the child welfare system, helping to maintain familial and cultural connections and promote stability, permanency, and the well-being of children in need of out-of-home placement. On Wednesday, September 7, 2022 the Capacity Building Center for States hosted a webinar spotlighting kinship
On Tuesday, August 16, 2022, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law, marking a significant win for his administration that meets several of his campaign promises. As previously reported, this spending bill was negotiated primarily between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) and focuses on climate change, healthcare,