Family & Community Support

President Biden Signs Gun Violence Bill

On Saturday, June 25th, 2022, President Biden signed the bipartisan gun safety package into law, the first major gun violence legislation passed in decades. The bill, titled the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, was released by Republican Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Democratic Sens. Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ). Fifteen

Voters Believe Federal Government Spending Too Little on Children: Report

In a new report released by First Focus on Children, the results of a nationwide poll conducted in May by Lake Research Partners showed that American voters believe, by roughly a 6-to-1 margin, that the federal government is spending too little on the health, safety, and well-being of children in this country. Additionally, by a

CWLA Supports Child Care Reconciliation Proposal

By Christine James-Brown, CWLA President and CEO The Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) is pleased to support the recently released Murray-Kaine Revised Child Care and Preschool Reconciliation Proposal and strongly advocates for its inclusion in the forthcoming reconciliation package. Child care and early childhood education are critical to the future well-being of all children

Movement on Mental Health Packages

On Wednesday, June 15th, Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-ID), Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) and Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) released a discussion draft for youth mental health care policies. This discussion draft follows a Request for Information (RFI) in the fall of 2021 and four subsequent committee hearings. The

Hearing on Burnout and Economic Stress for Women

By Isabella Diez, Policy Intern On Wednesday, June 15, 2022, the Ways and Means Committee held the hearing “The Burnout Epidemic and What Working Women Need for a Stronger Economy.” In this hearing, five witnesses were discussing what women need to boost a stronger economy and the burnout epidemic. There are one million women who

Republican Senators Release Updated Child Tax Credit Proposal

On Wednesday, June 15th, 2022, Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT), along with Senators Richard Burr (R-NC) and Steve Daines (R-MT) released the Family Security Act 2.0, an update to Senator Romney’s original Family Security Act in 2021, which would reinstate the monthly child tax credit payments for many families. While there are some significant improvements over

Treasury Secretary Refutes Criticism of Child Tax Credit Expansion

During a Senate Finance hearing on Wednesday, June 8th, 2022, regarding the President’s FY23 budget request, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) used some of his time to applaud Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig, and Senate Finance Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) on their work involving the implementation of the advanced Child Tax

Child Care Press Conference Draws Support and Attention

On Thursday, June 9th, 2022, Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) held a press conference with other Members of Congress, families, providers and advocates to discuss the urgent need and widespread support for investing in childcare and early childhood education, and their proposal to invest significant resources in early care and education within

House Kicks Off Appropriations Process

The House has started the Appropriations season by adopting an FY2023 deeming resolution, setting a $1.6 trillion discretionary ceiling to match President Biden's budget request. Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) announced a schedule for Subcommittee and Full Committee markups beginning Wednesday, June 15th. Although a top-line agreement has not yet been reached, the four top Appropriators

Reconciliation Negotiations Continue

Congress returned from the Memorial Day Recess last week, and discussions about a possible reconciliation package continued. Conversations are underway between Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to negotiate a budget reconciliation bill, which would require only a simple majority for passage, that would meet Manchin’s demands without losing support

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