Last week, the following Senators re-introduced the bipartisan Emergency Family Stabilization Act (EFSA) S.220: Senators Murkowski (R-AK), Manchin (D-WV), Collins (R-ME), Sinema (D-AZ), Shaheen (D-NH), Schatz (D-HI), Hassan (D-NH), Casey (D-PA), Hirono (D-HI), Kelly (D-AZ), and Sullivan (R-AK). The Emergency Family Stabilization Act was created by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and
Young people with experience in foster care have suffered significantly as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Supporting Foster Youth and Families Through the Pandemic Act was passed on December 27, 2020 as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 following months of advocacy by young people. This law promises to provide relief
Generations United conducted a webinar on February 9, 2021, in collaboration with the Children’s Defense Fund and the American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law. This webinar discussed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 and its implications for "grandfamilies." Divisions of the Appropriations Act outline provisions to help relative caregivers and allow the
This past week the Senate and House began to lay the groundwork for a budget reconciliation that could lead to the enactment of a Biden-COVID-19 relief package. The House began the process when it passed a budget resolution that provides the legislative authority to use reconciliation on Wednesday, and the Senate took up that resolution
President Biden’s American Rescue Plan includes expanding of the Child Tax Credit (CTC) with recommendations that the credit be made fully refundable and that the maximum benefit be increased from the current level of $2,000 per child for children zero to 16 years old to $3,600 per child under six years old and $3,000 per child ages
On February 4, 2021, CLASP launched #WhyWeCantWait: A New Deal for Youth (ND4Y) calling leaders in the public and private sectors to support youth-led policy solutions that address the glaring economic and social injustices facing young people today. A New Deal for Youth will propose policy recommendations and community solutions developed by and centering the
On Thursday, February 4, 2021, Senator Ron Wyden re-introduced the Invest in Child Safety Act. The legislation, which CWLA has endorsed, was first introduced last year. It attempts to deal with the child sexual abuse problem that has exploded over the past few years as the use of the internet and related social media have expanded over
Last week, several groups presented on the provisions of the Consolidated Appropriations Act that passed in December containing the bipartisan Supporting Foster Youth and Families Through the Pandemic Act (H.R. 7947). On Wednesday, February 3, the Juvenile Law Center and FosterClub hosted a webinar centered around distributing the COVID relief funds to youth across America.
On Thursday, February 4, SchoolHouse Connection, Juvenile Law Center, and John Burton Advocates for Youth hosted a webinar centered around new FAFSA policies that affect youth in the foster care system. Why does FAFSA matter for homeless and foster youth? We know that FAFSA matters because some form of postsecondary education is necessary for
As early as this week, congressional leaders may decide whether they can move President Biden’s COVID-19 relief package through a bipartisan process or whether they go the way of reconciliation. A budget reconciliation would mean no Senate filibuster. The House Budget Committee is likely to move on a resolution this week as part of a