Legislation

Finance Committee Still Collecting Rec’s on Mental Health/Substance Use

If you missed access to a copy of the September 21,2021 the Senate Finance Committee asking for public comments on ways to address substance use and mental health services due to last week’s faulty link in the Children’s Monitor you can link to the full letter: here.  Committee is asking members of the behavior health

Webinar On the Child Tax Credit and Child Welfare

On Monday, September 27th, CWLA hosted a Child Tax Credit (CTC) webinar that was sponsored by the Coalition on Human Needs (CHN). In the webinar Debbie Weinstein, the executive director of the Coalition of Human Needs, explored the benefits, logistics, challenges, and eligibility for the Child Tax Credit.   In March 2021, The American Rescue

Senate Committee Looking for Recommendations on Mental Health Substance Use Issues

On September 21,2021 the Senate Finance Committee asked the public for their comments on ways to address substance use and mental health services.  In the letter Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-ID) asked members of the behavior health community and other interested parties about how the committee can best address

Strategies to Improve Access to Mental Health and Substance Use Care

In drafting comments on how we can improve behavior health services for children, youth, and their families (especially child welfare) there are some important sources of recommendations Earlier this year, Child Trends issued:  A National Agenda for Children’s Mental Health.   The paper says that “Efforts to promote children’s mental health are often spread across

Bipartisan House Group Unveils Agenda: Substance Use and Mental Health

On Wednesday, September 29, 2021, the House of Representative Bipartisan Addiction and Mental Health Task Force Announced a 2021 Legislative Agenda. According to the group led by Congresswoman Annie Kuster (D-NH), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), David Trone (D-MD), and Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA).  Congresswoman Kuster announced the agenda that includes more than 60 separate bills, outlines

Davis-Walorsky Commit to Helping Foster Youth

When the CR was passed last Thursday, it did not extend pandemic relief funding for youth exiting foster care including additional $400 million in Chafee-pandemic relief funding (annual mandatory Chaffee funds are set at $143 million).  The addition $400 million expired at the end of fiscal year 2021. It is not clear how much of

IMD-Fix for QRTP Bill Introduced in House

A House companion bill to address the IMD/QRTP issue was introduced in the House on Wednesday, September 29, 2021.  The bill H.R. 5414, is the same as the Senate version (S. 2689) with Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R-FL-12) and Congresswoman Kathy Castor (D-FL-14), as primary sponsors.   Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) and Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)

Economists, Business Leaders, House Members Call For Child Care Reconciliation

As the reconciliation bill is fought over, several prominent groups are weighing in support of a major expansion of child care as part of the final reconciliation. In the past two weeks, more than 120 economists, forty-five business leaders, and 100 House members have called on Congress to include the robust child care expansion that

Ways and Means Committee Carries Biggest Parts of Reconciliation

Last week the House Ways and Means Committee released and then worked on perhaps the biggest parts of reconciliation and the Biden Administration’s “Build Back Better” agenda when they published the tax provisions. The tax pieces can be divided into two broad parts, tax deductions and incentives and tax increases to pay for the tax

CTC and Child Welfare

An important provision in the House Committee version of the CTC allows some flexibility for both birth parents and foster parents. A parent can still receive the CTC for temporary absences “under the facts and circumstances, it is reasonable to assume that the individual will return to reside at the place of abode.” There is

Value prop about becoming a member