If Children Are Our Future What Happens When Adults Fail To Protect That Future…
These are the victims of the Florida school shooting…just like before …as we are reminded by student and classmate David Hogg.
President Unveils 2019 Budget
On Monday February 12, the President released his first full fiscal year (FY) 2019 budget. It was released just two days after the Congress had passed and the President signed a budget agreement (PL 115-123) that means many of numbers in the budget are off and well below what was agreed to on the previous
Child Welfare in Budget
The budget proposes an optional block grant of Title IV-E foster care funding that could be spent for any services now funded under foster care, adoption assistance or Child Welfare Services and Promoting Safe and Stable Families. As pointed out in earlier CWLA analysis, Child Welfare & Block Grants, the 1995 child welfare block grant
SSBG is Still the One–Targeted for Elimination
Once again SSBG is targeted for elimination and without any doubt, such an elimination would hit child welfare in ways big and small as well as many other human service programs including those that effect domestic violence and elder abuse victims. SSBG provided 11 percent of federal child welfare spending in 2014 (Child Trends Survey
DACA Debate Collapses After White House Targeting
At the start of a Wednesday forum, sponsored by The Hill newspaper dealing with opioids (see below) one of the opening speakers was Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI). Before sponsors delved into the topic at hand the reporter snuck a question, how is the Senate coming on the DACA debate? Senator Whitehouse described his feeling of
Opioids Forum on the Hill by the Hill
On Wednesday, February 14 of The Hill newspaper sponsored another forum on “Americas Opioid Epidemic.” Some of the featured speakers included Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, and Congressman David Joyce (R-OH). In addition, participants heard from Surgeon General Jerome Adams. Senator Whitehouse, who has played a prominent role in crafting some of the recent legislation around both
Now What on Immigration?
Many members of Congress (especially Democrats) voted against the CR/budget agreement because it lacked a firm commitment by congressional leadership (and the President for that matter) on action on DACA recipients. Shortly before the vote on the CR, Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WS) said, “I can’t speak to what our rule is going to look like;
CHIP Protected From Future Action in This Congress or Administration
The budget agreement includes a further extension of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for ten years. The last CR had finally extended the expired CHIP program for six years. That was done because when Congress further restricted the ACA it meant that if CHIP disappeared it would be more costly to the federal
What Else Is In the Deal?
There were a number of other important items included in the CR/budget agreement that may have been missed due to the size of the deal. $100 million is added to SSBG with a new separate section to fund social impact bonds or “pay for success” projects. The projects will provide competitive grants to states
Congress Doing Only Thing They Can: CRs
It is looking more like the only major accomplishments for the 115th Congress will be the large tax cut package of 2017 and passing numerous CRs. As Monday approaches it looks likely that the Congress will extend FY 2018 for the fifth time since the fiscal year started on October 1. That CR may extend