In response to the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, a small bipartisan group of nine Senators, led by Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) met on Thursday, May 26, to discuss reaching a deal on gun control reforms. Senator Murphy has been leading the call for gun reform for the Democratic Party. Other senators
This week, Axios reported that Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) have revived their discussions about a reconciliation package. In December of last year, these discussions about the Build Back Better package ground to a halt when Senator Manchin announced that he could not support the legislation that was proposed.
During a Senate Health, Labor, Education and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing on Thursday, May 26th, 2022, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Robert Califf told senators that the nation’s infant formula shortage likely won’t be fully resolved until late July. Commissioner Califf said that it would take time for the administration's efforts to boost
On Wednesday, May 25th, 2022, youth serving organizations, in partnership with the Senate Caucus on Foster Youth, Congressional Foster Youth Caucus, and the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Caucus, held a briefing titled, "Lifting up Lived Expertise: Fixing the System with Their Solutions - A Virtual Congressional Briefing." During this powerful livestream, several young people with
On Wednesday, May 25th, 2022, agencies across the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a joint letter to states, tribes, and jurisdictions encouraging them to prioritize and maximize their efforts to strengthen children’s mental health and well-being. The letter, signed by leaders of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the Substance
In honor of National Foster Care Month, the Capacity Building Center for States hosted “Creating Partnership in Kinship Treatment Foster Care” on Wednesday, May 25th, 2022 to take a look into a Kinship Treatment Foster Care (KTFC) pilot program in North Carolina and research from the African American Families and Kinship Care Lab at the
This week, Congress and the White House took steps to address the nationwide baby formula shortage, seeking to ease the burden especially for families with low incomes and those who need hypoallergenic formula for babies with milk allergies. On Wednesday, May 18th, the House passed the Access to Baby Formula Act, a bill led by
On Monday, May 16th, 2022, Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) officially announced their revamped child care and early learning reconciliation proposal. As we wrote last week, this proposal is roughly half the size of the original child care proposal in Build Back Better and largely focuses on expanding funding through the Child
On Thursday, May 19th, 2022, the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee held its hearing, “Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Request for the Food and Drug Administration,” with FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert M. Califf. Although the hearing was intended to focus on the budget, the biggest topic of conversation was the
On Friday, May 20th, the Government Accountability Office released its new report, “Foster Care: Further Assistance from HHS Would be Helpful in Supporting Youth's LGBTQ+ Identities and Religious Beliefs.” The report concluded that a majority of states have nondiscrimination protections for youth in foster care, but selected states and stakeholders identified challenges supporting youth with