On Thursday, April 22, 2021, a bipartisan cross-section of the Senate and House members announced legislation to address immigration, specifically unaccompanied minors crossing the US-Mexico border. The key sponsors (S 1358-Border Solutions Act) include Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), and House members Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-TX) and Congressman Tony Gonzales (R-TX). Senator
On Tuesday, April 27, 2021, the Senate HELP Committee conducted a hearing, Supporting Children, Workers, and Families by Strengthening America’s Child Care. Witnesses included Dr. Myra Jones-Taylor, Chief Policy Officer, ZERO TO THREE; Ms. Susan Gale Perry Chief Deputy Secretary, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services; Ms. Dasja Reed, Parent, New Orleans, Louisiana; and Ms. Khadija Lewis
On Wednesday, April 28, 2021, John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY)presented their report, Holding on by a Thread: The Cumulative Impact of the Pandemic on Youth Who Have Been in Foster Care or Homeless. JBAY conducted an online survey of 598 youth who have been in foster care or experienced homelessness from the State of California
On Monday, April 26, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to consider Texas’ effort to reinstate a Trump-written rule on immigration and the definitions of public charge. Under longstanding immigration law, a public charge is any noncitizen who will likely become “primarily” reliant on certain government assistance programs, meaning that they provide more than half
On Thursday, April 29, 2021, the National Foster Care Youth & Alumni Policy Council held a webinar to discuss opportunities and priorities available under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. A partnership between Foster Care Alumni of America, FosterClub, and Casey Family Programs, the council's mission is to strategically gather the voices and experiences
On Wednesday, April 28, 2021, President Biden will address a joint session of Congress. He is expected to tie much of that address not only to his recent proposal on infrastructure but also on a second-piece family plan. While not a state of the union address, the opening speech by a new President has become
Following CWLA’s 2021 Virtual Conference will be Virtual Hill Day on Wednesday, May 12th, in which we are asking CWLA members and Conference registrants to go to Capitol Hill to virtual meet their members of Congress to educate them on key child welfare legislation. The 2021 CWLA Legislative Agenda, which lays out key priorities for
Pandemic-related expansions of some nutrition programs were extended through an announcement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Tuesday, April 20, 2021. The announcement extended some child nutrition nationwide waivers and flexibilities for schools and child care through the next school year of 2021–2022. The continuation of the nutrition program waivers means that schools will be
On Thursday, April 22, 2021, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee and Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03), Chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, re-introduced the Child Care for Working Families Act. The legislation, which CWLA has endorsed, would create a comprehensive child care
On Wednesday, April 21, 2021, the House Ways and Means Committee held a hearing entitled ‘In Their Own Words: Paid Leave, Child Care, And An Economy That Failed Women.’ The hearing showcased stories of struggles experienced by working moms before and during the pandemic. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-MA) began