On Thursday, January 21, 2021, the President issued his National Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness. The 200-page document outlines new and future executive orders and steps the Administration intends to take regarding COVID-19. Of particular interest for the child welfare community will be actions on Goal Five: Safely reopen schools, businesses, and travel
On Sunday, January 3, 2021, the new 117th Congress began. On January 5, the fate of the Senate was decided when the two Georgia senate seats were filled by two Democrats. The run-off elections were the result of the November election, where none of the candidates won a clear majority of the total Georgia vote—a
CWLA has published its transition paper for the new Administration and new Congress. The report has been circulated with key staff over the past several weeks. It reflects a look forward to improving child welfare services and more broadly strengthening families across the country. This A Stronger Foundation for America’s Families reflects the collective wisdom, insights, and concerns
At the end of last month, President Donald J Trump signed into law a $908 billion relief package in the larger omnibus budget legislation. Still, the President-elect has indicated they would be seeking additional help for a country devastated by a pandemic that is trending toward more than 400,000 to over a half million fatalities
On Monday, December 7, 2020, President-Elect Joe Biden announced he was nominating California Attorney General Xavier Becerra as his next Secretary of Health and Human Services. While Becerra is the California Attorney General, he had served in Congress between 1993 and his elevation to Attorney General in January 2017. As Attorney General, he has led
On Friday, November 20, 2020, the Children’s Bureau issued a letter to child welfare leaders permitting Title IV-E Prevention programs and services to be adapted to a virtual environment during the current emergency (COVID-19 pandemic). In the letter, Commissioner Jerry Milner outlines that under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, adaptation
Members and staff continued to work on a final FY 2021 appropriations omnibus package that will cover all 12 appropriations bills. They continue to make progress, but it is increasingly likely that they will need another short-term continuing resolution (CR) to finalize the package. The current CR funding expires on December 11, 2020. It seems
Since the U.S. Senate's makeup is still dependent on the Georgia special election on January 5, leadership at the committee level is still shaking out. Simultaneously, with the House returning with the same leadership on both sides, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) released the House schedule for 2021. There will not be changes in the
On November 18, 2020, the Century Fund released a new report and analysis that indicates 12 Million Workers Facing Jobless Benefit Cliff on December 26. People across the country have enrolled in different programs that have expanded unemployment compensation due to the pandemic. All of these different programs will expire the day after Christmas, December 26,
CWLA would like to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden, the 46th President of the United States, along with the Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. Although, President Donald Trump has not conceded and the federal government has not begun the transition process, President-elect Biden has begun the transfer of power. Last week, November 10, 2020, President-Elect Biden’s