Families have started to receive their monthly payments of the expanded Child Tax Credit!! Thanks to the American Rescue Plan, families can receive up to $300 per month for children under the age of 6, and $250 per month for children ages 6-17. As state and local community-based organizations, you know how important these resources are
Last week, Senate leaders and the Administration laid down a marker for a budget resolution that, if adopted by both houses, would open up a reconciliation bill for this fall. If passed by both houses, the budget resolution sets spending levels for the 12 appropriations bills, but in this case, it also includes a reconciliation
Last week the House Appropriations Committee passed through the subcommittee (Monday, July 12, 2021) and then through the full committee on Wednesday (July 14, 2021) the appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (Labor-HHS). The $253 billion appropriations for the three departments passed out of full committee by a vote
As is custom, the House Appropriations Committee included important guidance and directives for some of the new and existing HHS funding. Some of these include: CWA data elements into AFCARS. Mental Health Screenings for Foster Youth. The Committee recognizes that States are required to develop a plan for the ongoing oversight and coordination of health
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (CAA) passed at the end of 2020 provided increased support for older foster youth in all 50 states, and each state has utilized the funding in varying ways. Over the past months, Foster Club has hosted conversations with advocates in various states to share about the older youth pandemic relief efforts in
The Child Tax Credit, part of the American Rescue Plan, is here to help families raising children make ends meet. Experts estimate the new Child Tax Credit has the potential to cut child poverty in half. We need your help to spread the word and raise awareness of this major tax relief for working families.
Last week resulted in an initial agreement between the White House and a bipartisan group of senators on an infrastructure bill while Congressional Democrats focused on what should be included in a fall reconciliation bill. On Thursday, June 24, 2021, a group of Democratic and Republican senators gathered at the White House along with the President to
On Wednesday, June 23, 2021, the Department of Interior, through the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), published a notice soliciting grants from Indian Organizations to establish and operate off-reservation Indian child and family service programs. Indian child and family service programs are to provide services for stabilizing Indian families and Tribes, preventing the breakup of Indian
The Administration announced the release of $20 million in COVID-19 relief funds for states to make improvements to their ACA marketplace systems. State-based Marketplaces (SBMs) allow potential health insurance customers to buy or make adjustments to their current health insurance. The March COVID-19 relief package expanded tax credits that have the effect of drastically reducing
Last week, the Annie E. Casey Foundation released the 2021 Kids Count Data Book. This annual report with state rankings presents a comprehensive picture of child well-being before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. It identifies multi-year trends — comparing statistics from 2010 to 2019. In addition, the report shares data on how families endured throughout the