In a blog post published on August 31, 2022, the American Federation for State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME) noted that the White House's announcement "that it will hold the first conference on hunger, nutrition and health in more than half a century on Sept. 28 shines a light on another glaring issue – Congress
On Tuesday, September 13th, the U.S. Census Bureau released new poverty data. Child poverty, calculated by the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM), fell to its lowest recorded level in 2021, declining 46% from 9.7% in 2020 to 5.2% in 2021. The Census Bureau noted that this sharp decline was, in part, "due to the impact of
On Sunday, September 11th, the New York Times, in conjunction with Child Trends, published a new analysis which reports that childhood poverty has fallen 59% since 1993. "With little public notice and accelerating speed, America’s children have become much less poor" over the last 25 years, the article states. The analysis includes data through 2019,
Major child welfare legislation that is up for reauthorization this year is still pending, with negotiations continuing among the committee staff and leadership. The House has passed the Stronger Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), but the Senate HELP committee continues to negotiate its version of the CAPTA Reauthorization bill. Both the House and
On July 14, 2022, the Congressional Caucus for Foster Youth (CCFY) held a dinner event at the Capitol to highlight the recently-introduced Foster Youth and Driving Act, which would provide older youth in care with supports to obtain drivers licenses. Lead sponsor Representative Danny Davis (D-IL) and cosponsor Representative Don Bacon (R-NE) both spoke about
On Wednesday, July 27th, 2022, Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) announced that they had reached a deal on a budget reconciliation package, two weeks after negotiations on climate change fell apart. The news came as a surprise to many colleagues, as the two Senators met in secret to discuss the details and
First Focus on Children and The Education Trust cohosted a background briefing on child nutrition policy on July 26, 2022, titled, “A 101 Briefing on Child Nutrition Policy.” Commonly children of color and from low-income backgrounds suffer from high rates of food and nutrition insecurity. Furthermore, dietary diseases continue to rise among children. We heard
On Wednesday, July 26, 2022, the House Committee on Education and Labor held a markup on H.R. 8450, Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act. The Committee advanced the bill by a vote of 27 to 20, with no Republicans in favor. This act would update and reauthorize child nutrition programs which include the school and summer
On Thursday, July 21, 2022, the Child Welfare League of America, alongside Youth Villages, hosted an open mic to discuss the Access to Foster Care to 21 Act, sponsored by Representative Judy Chu (D-CA). Kristen Torres, from Representative Chu’s Office, joined the call to provide a basic overview. This bill, which was introduced last month,
On Wednesday, July 20, 2022, the House Budget Committee held the hearing “Examining the Powerful Impact of Investments in Early Childhood for Children, Families, and Our Nation’s Economy.” The conversation was centered on whether making federal investments in children is beneficial or not. With the documents and testimonies provided it is very clear that investing