On July 14, 2022, the Congressional Caucus for Foster Youth (CCFY) held a dinner event at the Capitol to highlight the recently-introduced Foster Youth and Driving Act, which would provide older youth in care with supports to obtain drivers licenses. Lead sponsor Representative Danny Davis (D-IL) and cosponsor Representative Don Bacon (R-NE) both spoke about
CWLA mourns the loss of Congresswoman Jackie Walorski. A champion for children and families, Congresswoman Jackie Walorski was the recipient of CWLA's 2022 Congressional Advocate of the Year Award for her efforts to pass the Family First Prevention Services Act and the Family First Transition Support Act. Because of the efforts of Congresswoman Walorski, millions
On Sunday, August 7th, 2022, the Senate passed its historic spending bill that will address climate change, healthcare, and taxes on a strictly party-line vote, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the final vote to break the 50-50 tie. This reconciliation package was negotiated primarily between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Joe
On Wednesday, July 27th, 2022, Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) announced that they had reached a deal on a budget reconciliation package, two weeks after negotiations on climate change fell apart. The news came as a surprise to many colleagues, as the two Senators met in secret to discuss the details and
On Thursday, July 28th, 2022, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) released the twelve Senate Appropriations bills. These bills spend nearly $1.7 trillion for fiscal year 2023 and represent the priorities and stances of the Senate Democrats; appropriators still have not reached an agreement on top-line spending numbers, and Republican leaders have indicated that
On Tuesday, July 26, 2022, the Senate HELP Committee held a hearing entitled, “Fighting Fentanyl: The Federal Response to a Growing Crisis.” Committee Chairperson Patty Murray (D-WA) opened the hearing by pointing out that overdose deaths, in general, continued to rise in 2021, reaching historic highs. Furthermore, she pointed out that fentanyl deaths have increased
On Friday, July 29th, 2022, the Children's Bureau released a Dear Colleague letter highlighting a new question and answer in the Child Welfare Policy Manual that encourages child welfare agencies to implement across-the-board policies that require an assignment of the rights to child support for children who receive title IV-E FCMPs only in very rare
First Focus on Children and The Education Trust cohosted a background briefing on child nutrition policy on July 26, 2022, titled, “A 101 Briefing on Child Nutrition Policy.” Commonly children of color and from low-income backgrounds suffer from high rates of food and nutrition insecurity. Furthermore, dietary diseases continue to rise among children. We heard
On Wednesday, July 26, 2022, the House Committee on Education and Labor held a markup on H.R. 8450, Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act. The Committee advanced the bill by a vote of 27 to 20, with no Republicans in favor. This act would update and reauthorize child nutrition programs which include the school and summer
On Wednesday, July 27th, 2022, Manatt Health and the American Medical Association hosted a webinar to discuss the substance use disorder crisis among youth and adolescents with providers and advocates on the front lines. The expert panelists discussed trends in youth substance use and mental health, barriers to accessing care, and key strategies to address