Last week the Child Welfare League of America endorsed and signed onto a national letter of support for two bills by Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) that would extend protections and rights to children and families that have been separated by U.S. immigration policies. The two bills are the Humane Enforcement and Legal Protections (HELP) for
On Tuesday, June 25, the Education and Labor Committee held a hearing titled “Do No Harm: Examining the Misapplication of the ‘Religious Freedom Restoration Act.’” The hearing was a review of recent cases involving the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) and how new proposed legislation, the Do No Harm Act is intending to narrow the
On Tuesday, June 18, Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WS) and Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) reintroduced the Treatment Family Care Services Act. Under Therapeutic Foster Care, foster parents –and increasing other care givers including relative care givers and parents—are given special training to address the needs of youths with major mental health challenges and children receive intensive
After a joint meeting on Wednesday, June 19 congressional leaders and the White House were no closer to an overall budget deal than they have been over the last several months. Unlike previous meetings this White House meeting included the Democrats. After the meeting was adjourned there was no deal and no consensus by participants
On Thursday, the House Ways and Means Committee passed a series of tax bills designed to expand current tax benefits for a number of low and middle income families and individuals. The Economic Mobility Act of 2019, among several provisions, expands the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for childless workers; expands refundability of the child
On June 5, Representatives John Lewis (D-GA) and Jenniffer González-Colón (R-PR) introduced HR 3114 – Every Child Deserves A Family Act and on June 13, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced S 1791, the Senate version. This legislation prohibits organizations receiving federal funding from discriminating against children and families and promotes safety, well-being, and permanency
Members of Congress in both the Senate and the House are interested in providing states with additional resources and support to implement the Family First Prevention Services Act (Family First). The Family First Transition and Support Act, S 1376, was introduced on May 8, 2019 in the Senate by Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Debbie
On June 11, the Worker and Family Support Subcommittee of the Ways and Means Committee held a Congressional Hearing Celebrating Fathers and Families: Federal Support for Responsible Fatherhood to discuss increased federal support for fatherhood programs. The focus of the hearing was to hear from individuals who work in or benefited from fatherhood programs to
The House began their debate on a package of four of the twelve appropriations bills on Wednesday. At the same time the Senate was signaling difficulty in starting their process as negotiations between Republican leaders and the White House seemed to slow down. The House bundled four bills together after taking the Legislative Branch bill
Thursday, June 13, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) – along with fifteen other original cosponsors – introduced the Senate Every Child Deserves a Family Act (S 1791/HR3114). It is identical to the bill introduced by Representatives John Lewis (D-GA) and Jenniffer GonzálezColón (R-PR) last week. This legislation prohibits organizations receiving federal funding from discriminating against children