On Wednesday, July 26, 2022, the House Committee on Education and Labor held a markup on H.R. 8450, Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act. The Committee advanced the bill by a vote of 27 to 20, with no Republicans in favor. This act would update and reauthorize child nutrition programs which include the school and summer
The Senate continues to work on a slimmed-down budget reconciliation package that would extend ACA subsidies for two years and allow Medicare to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies to lower prescription drug costs on certain drugs. Senate leadership expects to vote on the package before the August recess.
On July 20, 2022, House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott (D-CA) released the Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act, his Child Nutrition Reauthorization bill. The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) and other anti-hunger advocates have hailed the legislation, calling it a "comprehensive plan that will increase access to school meals, summer meals, and
On Wednesday, July 30, 2022, the Congressional Coalition on Adoption institute (CCAI) held their annual Foster Youth Internship Program Congressional Briefing webinar. The FYI program serves as a platform to uplift the voices of current and former foster youth in federal policy to engage and educate Members of Congress on the issues of foster care
On June 22, 2022, HuffPost published an article detailing the need for attention to the child care crisis happening in our country. Detailing the history of the movement to federally fund child care as well as the opportunities and barriers that exist today, the article makes a compelling case for additional advocacy on this issue.
On Saturday, June 25th, 2022, President Biden signed the bipartisan gun safety package into law, the first major gun violence legislation passed in decades. The bill, titled the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, was released by Republican Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Democratic Sens. Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ). Fifteen
On Friday, June 24th, 2022, Congress passed the Keep Kids Fed Act, which would extend some of the pandemic-era nutrition waivers that allowed schools and other child-serving programs to provide free meals, which were set to expire on June 30th. Although this legislation will provide needed funding and support for child nutrition, it does not
By Christine James-Brown, CWLA President and CEO The Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) is pleased to support the recently released Murray-Kaine Revised Child Care and Preschool Reconciliation Proposal and strongly advocates for its inclusion in the forthcoming reconciliation package. Child care and early childhood education are critical to the future well-being of all children
On Wednesday, June 15th, Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-ID), Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) and Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) released a discussion draft for youth mental health care policies. This discussion draft follows a Request for Information (RFI) in the fall of 2021 and four subsequent committee hearings. The
On Thursday, June 9th, 2022, Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) held a press conference with other Members of Congress, families, providers and advocates to discuss the urgent need and widespread support for investing in childcare and early childhood education, and their proposal to invest significant resources in early care and education within