As the end of the week approached, Washington was still waiting for a complete initial package from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on what will be a fifth COVID-19 relief measure. Negotiations that had started within the White House on Monday between the President’s staff and Republican Congressional leaders from the House and Senate
Last week the House passed HR 7617 a “mini-bus” legislative package that included funding for four separate appropriations bills. Included in the mini-bus (as opposed to an omnibus bill) were the four appropriations for Agriculture-FDA, Interior-Environment, Military Construction-VA, and the State Department-Foreign Operations. There is a total of 12 annual appropriations bills. This week
On July 20, 2020, the Children’s Bureau released a Child Welfare Policy Manuel (CWPM) that explains some of the more technical questions and approaches to funding legal representation for parents and children by tapping into federal Title IV-E funds. The Frequently Asked Questions: Independent Legal Representation. Over the past three years, the Children’s Bureau has promoted
The Foster Care Research Group at the University of San Francisco released preliminary results of the “Perspectives of Current and Former Foster Youth During COVID-19” that was conducted in May and June 2020. Responses included 127 young adults across the country between the ages of 18-26 assessing the needs, concerns, and strengths before, during, and
On Wednesday, July 22 the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) held the modified 2020 Foster Youth Internship Program congressional briefing webinar. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the twelve current and former foster youth interns (FYI 2020 cohort) spent their summer participating in a virtual internship where they provided policy solution to address four areas
After a two-week break, the Senate returns this week with the expectation that the focus will be on the fifth COVID-19 package. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) rejected the House $3 trillion HEROES Act that passed the House of Representatives on May 15, saying he wanted to wait and see how the economy and the
On Monday, July 13, 2020, the House Appropriations Committee approved an FY 2021 appropriations bill for the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education by a party-line vote of 30-22. In total, the bill provides $196 billion in discretionary (annually appropriated) funds for the three federal departments, with HHS getting approximately $96.4 billion
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) produced a series of factsheets for young adults, ages 15-21. The factsheets cover a variety of topics, including what test results mean, how to stay safe at the pool or beach, how to wear a face covering and other preventive measures. Below are links to the resources:
New research through the University of California, Davis, and the University of California Firearm Violence Research Center indicates that gun sales increased by 64 percent during the first three months of the pandemic (March through the end of May 2020). The study, Firearm Purchasing and Firearm Violence in the First Months of the Coronavirus Pandemic in
The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights released report on family separation under the Trump Administration titled, Family Separation is Not Over. The report shared how even after the Zero Tolerance Policy ended, children have continued being separated from their parents. During the administration’s Zero Tolerance policy, the government separated nearly 4,500 children from their