On November 17, 2021, CLASP released a new national CTC survey findings. According to the research parents reported reduced financial stress, help in affording necessities and, for about one-quarter of respondents receiving monthly payments, working more hours outside of the home. The survey included 1,012 eligible families with children ages 0-17 living at home. It
Congress returns this week with a long list of issues that need some form of resolution before the end of the year—or maybe not. The House will take up the reconciliation bill now that the infrastructure bill has been sent to the President. There was a commitment in some form on the part of more
When Congress completed work on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act they passed a major highway and road construction bill but there are important ‘human service” components that go beyond just the potential jobs created. The most significant human service need are the new provisions on drinking water, particularly with the removal of lead but
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will provide some relief for an important human service need, reducing children’s exposure to dangerous lead in our drinking water. In the middle of the last decade, the country saw close-up the havoc lead contamination can mean to a city and more importantly the families that live there.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will provide a great deal of help to address a need that was exposed during this pandemic, access to the internet for remote and poor areas. The pandemic has highlighted the need for Broadband technology for work, school, and health resources. Broadband technology is defined as a “high-capacity transmission
On November 3, 2021, First Focus on Children hosted the Children’s Budget Summit to highlight the release of their 15th annual Children’s Budget Analysis. Over the last 10 years, the Children’s Budget analysis has documented federal spending for children. Typically, this means watching federal spending for children be cut at a high rate. However, as the COVID-19 pandemic caused devastation across the world, Congress was compelled to make investments in early childhood, child care, education, family
On Tuesday, November 2, 2021, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra announced an HHS Overdose Prevention Strategy. That strategy includes a four-pronged effort around primary prevention, evidence-based treatment, harm reduction and recovery support. Each category of the strategy outlines what HHS is doing in the respective areas. Under prevention one of the efforts focus on reducing the
Early on Thursday, October 28, 2021, the White House released a new final framework for the reconciliation bill, the President’s Build Back Better agenda. The rest of the day was spent working out details and strategies with the end game still not finalized. The good news for the President was that the House Progressive Caucus
November is National Adoption Month and this year’s theme is Every Conversation Matters. Every Conversation Matters is about engaging youth in permanency plans through open conversations about adoption, asking youth their perspectives, and understanding their journey. Honoring of adoption began in 1976 when Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis declared an Adoption Week to spread awareness about
Negotiations continued into the weekend as the White House and Democratic leaders from the Senate and House continued to work on what gets in the final reconciliation legislation. Most if not all proposed programs will be at least reduced in size or length of time while other issues could be left out altogether. One of