HHS has released a new study through the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) on opioids with this one focusing on the economic and geographic impact of the drug. The Opioid Crisis and Economic Opportunity: Geographic and Economic Trends Noting the background that is now regularly repeated that opioid use has
Last week the Senate Appropriations Committee acted on their Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations and sent it on to the Senate floor for future consideration. On the other side of the Capitol Building, the House Appropriations Committee once again delayed action on the Labor-HHS-Education bill reported out by the Subcommittee. Their bill for FY 2019 has been delayed
In the Senate Appropriations Report to the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations, the Committee directs HHS to provide monthly data and weekly updates on the status of children in HHS custody. The directive is attached to the $1.3 billion appropriated to the Unaccompanied Alien children line item. In the Committee comments they note the trauma and hardship being
On Wednesday, June 27, the House of Representatives put a final nail in the coffin of immigration reform compromise when the Goodlatte-Ryan bill went down to a big defeat by a vote of 121 to 301. There are suggestions that when the House returns from the July 4th break they will take up a narrower
A joint briefing by the YWCA and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation: A Report Back from the Border on Friday, June 29, provided a platform for advocates to call for congressional action. The panel discussion and remarks included Abel Nunez, CARECEN—Latino Resource and Justice Center, Maria Cardona, Latinovations, Maria Teresa Kumar, Vota Latino, Ranit Mishori, Global
On Friday, June 22 the House of Representatives passed HR 6, the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act of 2018. That legislation will become a vehicle for a much larger package of legislation that addresses opioids and will eventually be sent to the Senate for action. For child welfare advocates, the bill includes legislation drafted
Shaquita Ogletree On June 20th, MENTOR and FosterClub convened a panel of experts to discuss the impact mentoring relationships and mentorship programs can have in supporting young people in foster care. Speakers included Brittney Barros, National Foster Care Youth & Alumni Policy Council, Whitney Baker, MENTOR Nebraska, Kaysie Getty, FosterClub, Christen Glickman, Youth Villages, Krislyn
On Wednesday, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) denounced the Administration’s “zero tolerance” policy in immigration enforcement as child abuse. DeLauro stood alongside nearly a dozen members of Congress on the front lawn of the Capitol for a press conference. The zero tolerance policy is an interpretation of an existing court agreement and settlement from 1997 (Flores
Republican members of the House of Representatives agreed to drop their drive for a discharge petition to force a vote on four separate immigration bills and instead agreed to a vote on two bills. The moderate Republican members needed just two more votes to reach the 218 signatures. All Democrats had signed onto the petition
While the House of Representatives spent time on more than two dozen opioids-related measures this week, the Senate Finance Committee approved their bills that will eventually be combined with other Senate bills that in turn will be a response to a House package. The Senate Finance bill, the Helping to End Addiction and Lessen (HEAL)