May is National Foster Care Month and Sesame Street released “You Belong” featuring Karli, a Muppet living with her foster parents or “for-now” parents Dalia and Clem. With over 600,000 children who will enter the foster care system in a given year they only want to belong, the child welfare system provides a temporary safe
As a partnering member of the U.S. Child Poverty Action Group, CWLA joins child advocates dedicated to ending child poverty, stands opposed to a recent proposal being explored by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget to enact a new poverty calculation that would underestimate the number of children living in poverty and result in
While there is much debate in the child welfare world regarding the fate of expiring waivers for approximately half the states, a more significant source of state flexibility continues to be under assault in the Administrations’ budget: the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG). While representatives of the administration tout their current budget proposal that would
The Family First Transition and Support Act (HR 2702/S 1376) bipartisan cosponsored by Congressman Don Bacon (R-NE), Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence (D-MI), Jim Langevin (D-RI), and Congresswoman Deb Haaland (D-NM) in the House and sponsored by Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) in the Senate.
On Wednesday, May 22, the House Judiciary “marked-up” or debated HR 6 an immigration reform bill. The legislation was split into three bills for Committee action purposes: H.R. 2820, the “Dream Act of 2019”; H.R. 2821, the “American Promise Act of 2019”; and H.R. 549, the “Venezuela TPS Act of 2019”. In March the DREAM
The Housing and Urban Development (HUD) proposed regulation would prohibit “mixed status families” from living in public and other subsidized housing. Mixed status families are households that include members who are eligible and others who are ineligible for housing assistance based on their immigrant status. Currently, HUD allows families to live together in subsidized
On Thursday, May 23, AEI hosted, “After the fanfare: Family First one year later,” to discuss the challenges and opportunities of implementing the historic legislation – the Family First Prevention Services Act by October 1, 2019. Panel of experts included Naomi Schaefer Riley from AEI, Sean Hughes from Social Change Partners, Mark Mecum from Ohio
Last week the Committee on Education & Labor members introduced the bipartisan legislation to strengthen prevention and treatment of child abuse. The Stronger Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (Stronger CAPTA). Co-sponsors include leads Representatives Kim Schrier (D-WA) and James Comer (R-KY), Lori Trahan (D-MA), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA), Dusty Johnson (R-SD),
On Monday, April 28, the Center on Budget and CLASP released a joint report detailing the importance and impact of child care and housing assistance. The report, Child Care and Housing: Big Expenses With Too Little Help Available, urges Congress to make sizable new investments in child care and housing assistance so more children can
On May 1, 2019, Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) introduced legislation that addresses many of the issues that we have heard about from states as they work towards implementing Family First. While this bill might not address all of the concerns being raised, it is a critical and important step to address