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
On Friday, January 29, 2021, Dr. Mark Courtney, the University of Chicago professor and the Principal Investigator of the California Youth Transitions to Adulthood Study (CalYOUTH), reported an update of California’s Extended Foster Care research. To preface, the goal of Extended Foster Care (EFC) is to “promote human capital acquisition, positive social connections, and general
Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) of the Finance Committee sent a letter to the Acting HHS Secretary W. Cochran urging the Biden Administration to halt the implementation of a Trump-era HHS final rule that would allow taxpayer-funded discrimination. If this final rule goes into effect on February 11, 2021, Senator Wyden inserted that “it has the potential
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
The Children’s Bureau released the fifth Information Memorandum, ACYF-CB-IM-21-05, outlining the child welfare provisions included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. No program instructions or further guidance have been released yet, and unlikely that ACF will release anything before key positions or appointments are made. CWLA will continue to monitor and work with other partners to
On Wednesday, January 20, 2021, President Biden’s first day was a launch of a sweeping immigration overhaul that included directing the Homeland Security and Justice departments to preserve and fortify the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. His actions would shield undocumented immigrants brought to the country when they were children. DACA grants protection from