Congress made quick action of a two-week continuing resolution (CR) on Thursday, December 7, extending FY 2018 funding to December 22, 2017. Kicking the proverbial can down the road, congressional leaders now have two more weeks to negotiate a laundry list of items that were supposed to be completed last September 30. The House approved
Building on earlier comments by the President, on Wednesday, December 6, Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WS) said, “We’re going to have to get back next year at entitlement reform, which is how you tackle the debt and the deficit.” The irony of the remarks appears to be missed by many congressional leaders who are drafting a
The House and Senate set up a Conference Committee to resolve differences formally, but the actual meeting of this Committee is unlikely to be where real decisions are made. A Conference Committee includes membership from both houses and both parties but when they do meet it will be likely to be to approve what has
On Monday, December 4, the Every Child Deserves a Family Campaign was launched to promote best interests of all children in foster and adoption systems. The campaign is headed up by the Family Equality Council and includes a coalition of nearly two dozen founding organizations including the Child Welfare League of America. The goal of
As leaders met at the White House it became no clearer whether young people effected by the President’s repeal of DACA will get relief by the end of 2017. On Tuesday, December 5 a letter was sent to the Speaker by 34 House Republicans calling for action on DACA by the end of this year.
With negotiations on the CR extended reauthorizations like CHIP and the Maternal Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program could be either thrown into a larger separate package or part of the end of year deal on the budget—whatever that may be. Still in play from MIECHV is the length of the extension, whether
The Senate and House have now approved similar tax bills. There are several provisions within this legislation that could have a major impact on children and families. CWLA is most concerned about the following: The Senate version of this legislation would undercut health insurance coverage. According to the Congressional Budget Office, 4 million people next
On Saturday, December 3, the Senate gave final approval to their tax package by a vote of 51 to 49. It now will be negotiated with the House. The tax legislation being considered by Congress would not only have major implications for a range of issues and families reliant on the current tax structure but
Congressional Republicans are hoping to adopt a two-week CR that would extend funding for two weeks to December 22, 2017 so they could then extend funding for two to four more weeks to January 2018. Last week ended without a meeting between the Congressional Leaders and the President after Mr. Trump tweeted at the Congressional
Last week’s Congressman Kevin Brady (R-TX) and Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) released similar bills to extend the Court Improvement Program (CIP). The CIP is part of the Promoting Safe and Stable Families program. It provides approximately $30 million a year to all fifty states through their state court systems to better link and educate judges