CWLA joined dozens of children’s groups and other advocates in filing an amicus brief in support of the City of Philadelphia in upholding their non-discrimination requirements in child placements. The case will be heard at the Supreme Court the day after the election. In 2018 a report in the Philadelphia Inquirer had determined that some
On Tuesday, September 15, the U.S. Census Bureau released new data on income and poverty in the United States for 2019. According to the data, the median household income shows the highest on record number and declines in the official poverty rate. According to the data released, the U.S. poverty rate declined to 10.5 percent in 2019
The U.S. Census Bureau released their annual data on health insurance coverage in the U.S., indicating that 26.1 million (8%) Americans did not have health insurance at any point in 2019. Although 92 percent of Americans were insured for all or part of 2019, the majority (68%) had private insurance, and 34.1 percent had public insurance. Employer-based
On Tuesday, September 15, 2020, the House “Problem Solvers Caucus,” a collection of House Democrats and Republicans, released their compromise COVID-19 relief framework. The framework proposes a bill that would total approximately $1.5 trillion with the potential to go higher (or lower) depending on where the economy goes in the next months. Perhaps most significantly, the
On Wednesday, September 16, 2020, several publications printed reports of immigrant detainee abuse at Homeland Security facilities including the possibility of unapproved hysterectomies on women being held at the facility. The reports and recent court actions highlight the difficulty many immigrant families are facing during the pandemic. Immigrants with proper documentation and status are being
A new Frontline documentary, Growing Up Poor in America, depicts three children and their families’ stories as they navigate poverty during the coronavirus pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has not been friendly to American families who have struggled in the past to make ends meet. With schools shutting down across the nation, parents had to be
On Monday, September 14, 2020, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled by a 2-1 margin in favor of the Trump Administration to strip legal immigration status from some 400,000 people, rendering them deportable if they do not voluntarily leave the country. The ruling deals specifically with Temporary Protected Status
The ABA Legal Center for Foster Care and Education, the Center, and CWLA held a special member call on Wednesday, September 9, 2020, to discuss the education needs of children and families involved with child welfare during COVID-19. In normal circumstances, foster students experience unique challenges in the education system, but now given the nature
On Thursday, September 10, 2020, the Senate voted 52 to 47 on a slimmed-down coronavirus relief package that Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) had released earlier in the week. The Senate requires at least 60 votes to clear the filibuster hurdle but the vote fell short. The legislation, formally a substitute to S.178 (a previous bill dealing
While putting a relief package aside, both sides, through the chief negotiators of Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have agreed there will not be a government shutdown when the fiscal year ends of September 30, 2020. Pelosi and Mnuchin have said they would agree to a “clean” continuing resolution (CR) that would include