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
On Tuesday, July 13, 2021, President Biden announced the nomination of Rahul Gupta as the head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, a position many have referred to as the “drug czar.” A day later, the CDC released preliminary data that showed a record 93,000 people died of a drug overdose last year in the
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
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
The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) hosted a conversation this week entitled How to Keep Young People of Color Safe Through Mobile Response. Experts from Connecticut and Oklahoma discussed the success of mobile response services in their state. The panelists underscored that mobile response services are an investment in de-criminalizing mental health, and a powerful
On Thursday, June 17, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a challenge in California v. Texas, led by the state of Texas, to the constitutionality of the ACA. The strong 7 to 2 vote rejected the standing of the states to bring the case but also rejected several arguments made to strike down the entire ACA
Last week the House Budget Committee moved on a budget or “deeming” resolution that will allow the House to proceed on their twelve appropriations bills. It is not a joint budget resolution that would require adoption by the Senate and would establish a reconciliation procedure. That action will likely wait for later this summer.
Last week, Chapin Hall and Howard University released a new study, Untold Stories: Young adult & racial dimensions of COVID-19. The report examines previously untold stories of the pandemic among young people, focusing particularly on food and housing insecurity, mental health, and the racial dimensions of those adversities. The researchers analyzed a large, nationally representative
The Ways and Means Subcommittee on Worker and Family Support held a hearing on "Making a Difference for Families and Foster Youth." The hearing was intended as a review of potential updates and changes to the two Title IV-B programs for reauthorization later this year. The witnesses included William Bell, President and CEO, Casey