On Wednesday, March 8, Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) introduced a bipartisan bill to create a National Criminal Justice Commission. The commission would make recommendations on a range of criminal justice issues. In a time of partisan rancor, the bill is cosponsored by 12 Democrats and 8 Republicans. The bill, S 573 is modeled after a
The President’s desire to provide a ten percent increase in the Defense Department budget could devastate a number of human services and domestic programs. Unless Congress agrees to fund the increase through deficits, the $54 billion will create enormous pressure on the annual appropriations (discretionary spending) which totals only $1.1 trillion out of a federal
Last week the Center on Budget Policy and Priority released an analysis of federal block grants and their negative consequences. The analysis, Block-Granting Low-Income Programs Leads to Large Funding Declines Over Time, History Shows, examined 13 different block grants including TANF, Child Care, SSBG, Housing as well as some other human service funding sources and
The Homeland Security Memorandum implementing the President’s Executive Order of January 25, has been interpreted as widening the immigrant targets for removal but, at least for now, this has not extended to DACA students and young people who were brought here at a young age by parents or guardians. DACA is short for Deferred Action
Last Thursday, February 16, Speaker Paul Ryan went before his Republican caucus to unveil the leaderships repeal and replace plan for the Affordable Care Act. That plan outlined in a white paper still left questions in the minds of some members fearing it didn't go far enough in its repeal or maybe went too far
On Thursday, February 16, Congressman Mick Mulvaney (R-SC) became the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. That likely means a stripped down first year budget for the new Administration will be released in March. That budget will give the first significant and detailed insight into what the new Administration will do on spending
On Wednesday, February 15 the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Resources held its first subcommittee hearing under their new leadership of Congressmen Adrian Smith (R-NE). The hearing titled, The Changing Geography of US Poverty focused on rural poverty. Several members are new to the subcommittee and much of their focus was on their
On Friday Congressman Tom Price (R-GA) was approved by the Senate for the Department of Health and Human Services. The vote was 52 to 47, he was quickly sworn in and his two biggest priorities are likely to be a strategy to repeal the ACA and putting together an HHS budget. Congressmen Mick Mulvaney (R-SC)
Adele Robinson has been named to head the new Pizzigati Institute on Advocacy for Children, Youth and Families, at the University of Maryland. Until recently Ms. Robinson was best known for her leadership as the Associate Executive Director Policy and Public Affairs at the National Association for Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and before that
Last week the Democrats announced their members of the key Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Resources when they announced that longtime child welfare advocate Congressman Danny Davis (D-IL) will serve as Ranking Member. He will be joined by the previous Ranking Member Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) and newcomers to the subcommittee Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (D-CA)