Shaquita Ogletree Council for Strong America provided a Capitol Hill briefing on “Caring for the Youngest Victims of Our Nation’s Opioid Crisis.” Congressman Bruce Poliquin (R-ME) discussed the fifty-eight bills that were passed by the House of Representatives in recent days along with an additional $4 billion for states and said the action was in
On Friday, June 22, HHS issued their first request for comments on how to approach the issue of defining and listing services and practices that will qualify under the Family First Prevention Services Act. There is a very quick turn-around time with comments due by July 22. Under the Family First Act, HHS is to
HHS has announced that they are soliciting applications for Regional Partnership Grants (RPGs), which fund collaborations among child welfare agencies, substance abuse agencies, courts, and other community partners to improve the well-being of children affected by family substance use. This solicitation covers new funds that were included under the 2018 appropriations bill. These RPGs have
Speaker Paul Ryan’s (R-WS) immigration compromise may come up for a vote this week. Originally the House was to vote on two bills on Thursday June 21, the Congressman Robert Goodlatte (R-VA) bill that was seen as a conservative vehicle and the Ryan bill that was labeled a compromise between moderate and conservative Republicans. The
On Friday, June 22 the House of Representatives passed HR 6, the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act of 2018. That legislation will become a vehicle for a much larger package of legislation that addresses opioids and will eventually be sent to the Senate for action. For child welfare advocates, the bill includes legislation drafted
Shaquita Ogletree On June 20th, MENTOR and FosterClub convened a panel of experts to discuss the impact mentoring relationships and mentorship programs can have in supporting young people in foster care. Speakers included Brittney Barros, National Foster Care Youth & Alumni Policy Council, Whitney Baker, MENTOR Nebraska, Kaysie Getty, FosterClub, Christen Glickman, Youth Villages, Krislyn
On Wednesday, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) denounced the Administration’s “zero tolerance” policy in immigration enforcement as child abuse. DeLauro stood alongside nearly a dozen members of Congress on the front lawn of the Capitol for a press conference. The zero tolerance policy is an interpretation of an existing court agreement and settlement from 1997 (Flores
Shaquita Ogleetree On Wednesday, June 6th, the Senate Caucus on Foster Youth in coordination with Florida’s Camelot Community Care held a youth-lead briefing titled: What’s next for me? Facing my future as I age out of care. A dynamic panel of eight young people between the ages of 18 through 22 and in foster care
The Senate Finance Committee will consider a package of opioids legislation this Tuesday, June 12. Before the Memorial Day break, Senate Finance members announced a package of 22 bills. The bill mainly addresses the Committee’s jurisdiction over the Medicare and Medicaid programs but the three bills that deal with child welfare address funding under the
Shaquita Ogletree The Congressional Baby Caucus (co-chaired by Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Congressman Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN)) sponsored a briefing to focus on the drug impact of opioids on that population. Highlighting a recent report in the New York Times, Congresswoman DeLauro said that the solution could not be to tear families apart and punish