Last week ended with Senate Appropriations Chair Thad Cochran (R-MS) saying, "We need a new budget deal to finish our work. Congress and the administration must reach agreement on acceptable top-line funding levels. I urge all parties to those negotiations to redouble their efforts to reach agreement." That statement was issued because there is still
No breakthroughs on a DACA compromise this past week and as a result other outside action is proceeding. A group of advocates will sponsor a briefing on Wednesday, November 29 to highlight the benefits of the DACA provisions. The briefing (see below) will feature business leaders; educators on these young people can assist the economy
There has been no progress on moving a CHIP reauthorization and movement in the Senate was almost impossible this week as the Senate Finance Committee was tied up with the tax package this week. CMS has reallocated a total $600 million to patch up current state shortfalls but that doesn’t relieve state policymakers’ uncertainty without
On Thursday, the House Ways and Means Committee approved their tax bill (HR 1) by a vote of 24-16 while the Senate unveiled the outline of their version of tax reform. After various changes the House bill preserved the Adoption Tax Credit while the Senate bill also retains the credit in their version. Aside from
Tuesday’s election made Maine the 32nd state to expand Medicaid coverage under the ACA. A ballot initiative to require the expansion was approved by Maine voters with nearly 59 percent of state voters approving the expansion. Governor Paul LePage (R-ME) has blocked expansion since 2012 and he says he will continue to block expansion. He
Last week Wednesday, November 8, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce held a hearing on the impact of opioids on children, youth and families. The hearings were under the banner of two of the Committee’s subcommittees with an emphasis on children. According to the Committee information provided, 61.8 million patients received opioid prescriptions
Download CWLA Advocacy App to Your Phone and Advocate on Your Own Time! Search for "votervoice" (one word) in your App store, or use one of these links: Google Play or iTunes After you download the App, you will be prompted to enter your email. A verification code will be sent to your email. After verifying
On Wednesday, the former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, authored an Op-ed Opinion in the New York Times that ending DACA will undermine national security efforts. Gates pointed out that more than 800 Dreamers are currently serving in the armed forces. He highlighted that between 2006 through 2011 more than 45,000 immigrants served in the
There has been no progress on moving a CHIP reauthorization and movement in the Senate seems almost impossible this week as the Senate Finance Committee gets tied up with the tax package this week. That would appear to kick this can down the road beyond Thanksgiving. The House of Representatives passed their version of a
The President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioids Crisis released its final report on Wednesday, November 1. That wasn’t the only action or debate of the week on the topic, but it was the most significant. The Commission Final Recommendations: The report includes 56 recommendations but falls short on what they might cost