Last Friday morning the Capitol Hill publication, the Hill, released an unofficial count of key members of the Republican caucus and their stance on the modified ACA-repeal bill. In that report, they had already reported 21 members opposed, which if true would be enough to sink the measure. They also indicated that 56 were undecided
The 5th National GrandRally is coming in a few days and registration is still open! The GrandRally for grandparents and other relatives raising children will be on May 10, 2017 on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. It is an opportunity to elevate for Members of Congress and the public the critical
Congress returns this week in what is likely to be a challenging next four to five weeks. Congress will have to deal with funding for the current fiscal year, deal with a new full budget which covers the 2018 appropriations, and potentially wrestle with a new push by the Trump Administration on a repeal of
A new letter, which CWLA has signed onto, is urging Congress to act on a Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) reauthorization soon. The letter, circulated by First Focus and the Children’s Defense Fund, is open to national, state and local groups can be read here and signed onto here. Funding for CHIP is set to
Last week the Senate Caucus on Foster Youth held a panel presentation and discussion on, Financial Literacy and Consumer Credit Issues facing Transition-Age Youth. Participants included: Carol Behrer, Executive Director of the Youth Policy Institute of Iowa (YPII) a state organization focused on improving youth policy and practice, particularly as it relates to system-involved and
Just before the spring recess committees in both houses took a go at moving a reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Protection Act (JJDPA). The last time the JJDPA was reauthorized was in 2002 with the current programs operating without an authorization since 2007. In July 2016, the Senate Judiciary Committee had taken the
On Wednesday, March 29, CWLA members gathered in Washington for the annual CWLA National Conference. After the morning policy seminar members were charged up by Congressman Joseph Kennedy III (D-MA). The Congressman has become an outspoken champion of protecting the ACA in particular the expanded access to mental health and substance use treatment. In his
With some Congressional Republicans suggesting that a repeal of the ACA is still front and center it will not likely happen when the Congress returns after the spring break. With the CR funding due for resolution within days of reconvening, a full FY 2018 budget release in Mid-May, and a desire to do a tax
On Friday afternoon President Donald Trump and Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WS) pulled the American Health Care Act from a floor to prevent a vote that would have ended in defeat. The loss came after a tumultuous week of changes to the bill just a few days earlier. Essentially Ryan could not come up with a
On Tuesday, March 21, the Senate Special Committee on Aging, held a re-scheduled hearing on, Grandparents to the Rescue: Raising Grandchildren in the Opioid Crisis and Beyond. Committee Chairperson Susan Collins (R-ME) opened the hearing by pointing out that in her state of Maine nearly 1,000 or eight percent of all births – were born