Late Friday, The Administration on Children and Families released its first guidance and preliminary list of services for funding under the Family First Prevention Services Act (PL 115-123)—(FFA). The guidance at ACYF-CB-PI-18-09 gives an overview of some of the initial decisions made by HHS in the interpretation and implementation of the Family First Act. Included
With only 4 days until funding runs out on 25 percent of the federal budget, it is still unclear how the story of the FY 2019 ends. It appears likely there will be a short-term extension this week but that is because of the funeral and ceremonies in honor of former President George H.W. Bush.
Last Sunday, November 25, the CBS news program, 60 Minutes, reported on children separated at the border. What the 60 Minutes segment revealed was what some critics had suspected; they had been separating children from their families much earlier than 2018. The story also documented through interviews with officials from within the government some of
The House of Representative continued to work on their leadership selection for the new Congress. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) came a step closer to securing the speakership when the new Congress starts on January 3, 2019. She was approved by the Democratic caucus but technically the entire House selects the next Speaker. That requires
Voice for Adoption (VFA), the North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC) and the Center on American Progress have released a new study, Welcoming All Families that analyses discrimination against LGBTQ youth in foster care and discrimination against the recruitment of foster and adoptive parents. The report finds that although same-sex parents are not banned
The 115th Congress returns on Tuesday, November 13 to attempt to finish up their FY 2018 business and start to plan for a new majority in the House and a bigger one in the Senate. By December 7, funding will run out for a handful of departments including Homeland Security and the Justice Department. It
Both houses will experience significant changes in the 2019 committees with the House flipping control while the existing Republican Senate Majority will be looking to accommodate at least 5 new Senators to in 2019. The Senate: The Senate Finance Committee will have a new Chair with the retirement of Senator Orin Hatch (R-UT). Senator Mike
It is unclear how much the lame-duck Congress will accomplish in the last legislative days of the 115th Congress. Funding does run out for Homeland Security and the Justice Department and there will need to be some extension. There are hopes that funding will be completed through the end of the fiscal year on September
Election day brought about one of the biggest single day state expansions of the ACA with voters in three states approving Medicaid expansion under the ACA and some new governors could push for more after they are sworn in next year. Voters in Idaho, Nebraska and Utah all had ballot initiatives to expand Medicaid coverage
On Thursday, November 8, the Ninth Circuit Court in California left in place a nationwide injunction keeping the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program alive. The Court, responding to an action led by the California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, found that former President Barack Obama’s creation of the program was a legitimate exercise of