CWLA Sends Child Welfare Requests to Congress

While CWLA applauds Congress for the efforts made to contain the spread and impact of the pandemic, more aid is needed to protect children and families most at risk during this time and address the emerging needs of states and localities. Over the last month, CWLA has emphasized the real experiences that child welfare agencies

Center on Budget Analysis Shows Stark State Budget Shortfalls

On Tuesday, April 14, 2020, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities released a devastating analysis, States Need Significantly More Fiscal Relief to Slow the Emerging Deep Recession, that indicates that state and local governments are going to require a massive amount of federal funding as those budgets absorb the impact of the COVID-19 virus.

Governors, State Groups and Advocates Issue Letters

In the last week to ten days, a number of groups and leaders have submitted public letters outlining their greatest concerns. One of the most prominent was a letter by the National Governors Association (NGA), which is currently co-chaired by Governor Larry Hogan (R-MD) and Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) calling on Congress to provide an

Virtual Town Hall for Older Foster Youth

Sixto Cancel, Founder and CEO of Think of Us, hosted a webinar with the Associate Commissioner of the Children's Bureau, Dr. Jerry Milner, Chris Patterson from the Department of Housing and Development, and Ruth White from the National Center for Housing and Child Welfare (NCHCW). Sixto and Patterson both were former foster youth who aged

Mayors Survey Face Own Set of Budget Problems

The National League of Cities and the United States Conference of Mayors released a joint survey on Tuesday, April 14, 2020, that indicated that 100 percent of all cities with a population of more than 500,000 people would feel the direct impact of the pandemic and a crumbling economy. Whereas 98 percent of cities with

Talk of Raising Small Business/Charitable Loans

On Tuesday, April 7, the Administration requested another $250 billion for the Small Business Loans that just opened a little more than a week ago. The forgiveness loans are open to small businesses of less than 500 employees. SBA loans are available to nonprofit organizations. There has been significant confusion and even frustration as loan

Bipartisan Governors’ Message: Far More Needed, No Time to Waste

Governor Larry Hogan (R-MD) and Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) joined together in a bipartisan plea through the Washington Post: What governors need from Washington during this health emergency. In their comments posted on Tuesday, March 30, 2020, the two governors, who have both been bold and aggressive in their actions to contain COVID-19, called on

CRS Information on Title IV-E FMAP (Matching Funding) Increase

Last week the Congressional Research Services released Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) Increase Available for Title IV-E Foster Care and Permanency Payments, a brief description of how the Coronavirus relief package #2 will impact on foster care and adoption assistance funding. The Medicaid matching rate was raised for all state Medicaid programs by 6.2 percent.

Small Business Loans Should Assist Many Nonprofits

According to the Treasury Department, small businesses can apply for emergency loans on Friday, April 3, 2020. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, a $2 trillion stimulus bill included $349 billion to the Paycheck Protection Program, providing small businesses with the capital they need for overhead and payroll. Starting Friday, April 3,

As Package #4 Talks Circulate

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said on a press call Monday, March 30, 2020, that there would be a fourth relief package. The Speaker indicated that she has directed committee chairs to start work on another large bill to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. She didn’t think anything would be ready before the Easter and Passover

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