It looks as if the third year of the Trump Presidency will start out for the third time with a delayed budget and appropriations process. The government shutdown means that the budget will not be released in the first week of February as required. When it does come out it will likely include a hodgepodge
The President has signed an extension of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant. The action was on track before the temporary reprieve from the government shutdown was agreed to last Friday. On Tuesday, January 22, the Senate passed the short term extension, HR 430. The bill extends the block grant through June
The House Democrats and Republicans announced appointments to various subcommittees last week. Friend and advocate for children’s issues, Congressman Danny Davis (D-IL)—past recipient of a CWLA Congressional Advocate of the Year—has been named the chair of the re-named Worker and Family Support Subcommittee of the Ways and Means Committee. The Subcommittee (formerly the Human Resources
Last week the House of Representatives passed a short term extension of the Temporary assistance for Needy Families (TANF), HR 430. The bill would extend the block grant through June 30, 2019. It is unclear if Senate Majority Leader McConnell (R-KY) will let it pass. TANF block grant has run out despite the full funding
On Thursday, January 17, 2019, the chairs of Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth held a welcome back event with the staff on Capitol Hill and advocates to discuss issues affecting youth in the child welfare system. The National Foster Youth Institute (NFYI) shared the success of 2018 work and efforts planned for 2019 with the
The ongoing government shutdown is a mixed bag in terms of human services funding and which programs, and, by extension, people are most vulnerable. As part of the five appropriations bills that were signed on time last fall, the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Education and Department of Labor are all funded.
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) have introduced the State Flexibility for Family First Transitions Act. It would allow current Title IV-E waiver states to extend their child welfare waivers for two years although there is no provision that would stop another extension after the next two-year extension. As part of an
On Tuesday, January 8 at the Association of State and Tribal Home Visiting Initiatives (ASTHI) held one of the first briefings on Capitol Hill for the new Congress. The focus of the briefing was to explain to members of Congress—including many of the new members—what research demonstrates when it comes to home visiting program. The
According to research by the newspaper USA Today, despite the fact that you can get loan forgiveness for public service—including social workers in a child welfare agency, after working for ten years, the vast majority of applicants have not had success in getting their loans forgiven. More than 41,000 public servants have applied for loan
The 116th Congress officially began their first session on Thursday, January 3, 2019. As expected, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) returned as Speaker of the House for the new Democratic Majority and Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) returned as the Senate Majority Leader. For Speaker Pelosi, she now becomes the first woman and only the second person