Administration

CMS Taking Application on $49 Million to Reduce Uninsured Rate Among Children

On Thursday January 27, 2022, CMS announced the availability of $49 million to fund organizations that can connect more eligible children, parents, and pregnant individuals to health care coverage through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Awardees—including state/local governments, tribal organizations, federal health safety net organizations, non-profits, schools, and others—will receive up to $1.5

Children’s Bureau: National Call to Action on Racial Equity

Save the date for February 3, 2022, 2:00 PM EST, for a live event by the Children’s Bureau when they release an information memorandum (IM) “Equity in Action.” The IM covers: The impact of racism on poverty and the well-being of children and families. The need for comprehensive action to address structural racism within policies

President Opens Door to Revamped BBB

Marking the first year of his term in office, President Biden held a nearly two-hour press conference on Wednesday, January 19, 2022, that touched on everything including the possibility of a revamped Build Back Better reconciliation bill. Since last December when Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) pulled his support for the $1.7 trillion package, talks have

Appropriation Update

Discussions continued between key appropriations leaders, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL), Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Congresswoman Kay Granger (R-TX). Not much has been revealed but Chairperson DeLauro offered some broad positive comments about progress. Like the reconciliation, Democratic leaders including the White House would like a final deal by March 1.

CTC Kept 3.7 Million Children out of Poverty in December

On January 18th, Columbia University’s Center on Poverty and Social Policy released its newest policy brief detailing the impact of the Child Tax Credit, announcing that the sixth payment kept 3.7 million children out of poverty in the final month of 2021. Researchers at Columbia University have tracked the impact of the CTC over time

Houses Focus on Voting Rights, Appropriations

The Senate continued to debate how to address voting rights including how to deal with the Senate filibuster while the House focused some attention on the appropriations for the current fiscal year, FY 2022. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) maneuvered to bring a version of voting rights to the floor for debate by using

The Final Rule: An Opportunity for Workforce Investment

The Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) program, a part of the American Rescue Plan, delivers $350 billion to state, local, and Tribal governments across the country to support their response to and recovery from the COVID-19 public health emergency. These funds are meant to be used to support families and businesses struggling

Families Need to File Tax Returns for Rest of 2021 Child Tax Credit (CTC

While Senator Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) opposition to a continuation of the expanded CTC has put at least a temporary stop on the 2021 version of that tax credit, all qualifying families still have six months of the CTC coming from 2021. The CTC has been federal law since the mid-1990s, but last year’s expansion added

Reconciliation, Voting Rights, Appropriations

Both houses of Congress return this week as the House joins the Senate in an early return. Facing members is a list of challenges some are a carryover while Covid-19 returns in another variant. On the Build Back Better Reconciliation, the House will have to wait on Senate action and that does not seem likely

Letter in Support of Build Back Better’s Childcare and Pre-K Investments

With the Build Back Better bill stalled in the Senate, many historic gains for children and families are now in jeopardy, including the proposed investments in child care and early education. The National Women’s Law Center, in partnership with the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and other national organizations, has distributed

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