On July 18, 2023, the House Appropriations Committee marked up the House Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Bill. During the markup, the Committee Republicans turned down proposed amendments by the Democrats, which sought to impose housing requirements, allocate funding to climate initiatives, prohibit regulations on commercial motor vehicle speed limiters, support
On July 20th, 2023, the Senate Appropriations Committee held a full committee markup of Fiscal Year 2023 on Energy and Water Development, State and Foreign Operations, and Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Appropriations Acts to discuss and make any amendments to the bills. The Chair and Senator Murray gave an opening statement commending bipartisan efforts
On July 19, 2023, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce held a markup of fifteen health bills for the SUPPORT Act Reauthorization. H.R. 4056, the Ensuring Medicaid Continuity for Children in Foster Care Act, was not fully included, but compromise language on this bill was added as an amendment in the nature of substitute
On Thursday, July 20, there was a House briefing titled “Healthy Futures: WIC’s Role in Growing A Stronger Next Generation” that focused on the impact of Cash Value Benefits (CVB’s) to families. Panelists included Madeline Curtis of the American Academy of Pediatrics; Sarah Manasran, a mother receiving WIC benefits from New York; Terelle Johnson of
On July 18, 2023, Congressman Dan Kildee (D-MI) and Congresswoman Hillary Scholten (D-MI) held a press conference to introduce the launch of an initiative called the Child Labor Prevention Task Force. The primary focus of this task force is to address the alarming rise in illegal child labor across the nation. During opening remarks, Congressman
In response to the growing mental health crisis in the United States, Representatives Paul Tonko (D-NY), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Don Bacon (R-NE), Mary Peltola (D-AK), and Kathy Castor (D-FL) introduced HR 3073 the Community Mental Wellness and Resilience Act of 2023 (CMWRA), on May 2, 2023. The bill aims to address the urgent need for
On July 19, 2023, the Center for American Progress hosted an event titled “Health Equity in Early Childhood Policy” that facilitated a discussion about how policymakers can address inequality in health policy to create legislation that effectively serves all children. The panelists agreed that the most urgent need is to include community members in conversations
An article published on July 18, 2023, highlighted a recent study that illustrated how restrictive eligibility for public insurance affects maternal health care in low-income people. Regardless of documentation status, the study showed that low-income immigrants in the United States had limited access to maternal and postpartum care. The already large disparity in insurance coverage
Congress returned from the July 4th recess last week and moved quickly on a number of initiatives, as there are only three weeks until the August recess begins. The Appropriations process is a top priority for both House and Senate Leadership, because the deadline for passing the spending bills to fund the government is fast
The House Committee on Ways and Means hosted a Subcommittee hearing on July 13, 2023 titled “‘Where is All the Welfare Money Going?’ Reclaiming TANF-Non-Assistance Dollars to Lift Americans Out of Poverty.” The hearing examined Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds in light of recent reports of misuse by states. Prominent speakers included Chairman