On Tuesday, November 14, the Senate passed S 534, the Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017. The legislation, which has had the active support of CWLA, was originally introduced by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) to address reports of sexual abuse of Olympic athletes. After passage Senator Feinstein said,
On Wednesday, November 15, CWLA partner organization Voice for Adoption, hosted their 13th annual Adoptive Family Portrait Project. November is national adoption month and the project is a way to highlight adoptions from foster care. Members of Congress are recruited to display and feature families from their state or district. An adoptive family’s photo is
Last week a new report, Missed Opportunities: Youth Homelessness in America, the study covers youth homelessness in a range of settings. Young people may survive by sleeping on the streets, in shelters, running away, being kicked out, and couch surfing. The report was conducted by Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago and is the
Last week a coalition of groups released, Addressing the Intersection of Juvenile Justice Involvement and Youth Homelessness: Principles for Change. The report notes that a young person’s involvement with the justice system can increase their likelihood of later experiencing homelessness. Pointing out that youth experiencing homelessness may be swept into the juvenile justice system
No breakthroughs on a DACA compromise this past week and as a result other outside action is proceeding. A group of advocates will sponsor a briefing on Wednesday, November 29 to highlight the benefits of the DACA provisions. The briefing (see below) will feature business leaders; educators on these young people can assist the economy
There has been no progress on moving a CHIP reauthorization and movement in the Senate was almost impossible this week as the Senate Finance Committee was tied up with the tax package this week. CMS has reallocated a total $600 million to patch up current state shortfalls but that doesn’t relieve state policymakers’ uncertainty without
On Thursday, the House Ways and Means Committee approved their tax bill (HR 1) by a vote of 24-16 while the Senate unveiled the outline of their version of tax reform. After various changes the House bill preserved the Adoption Tax Credit while the Senate bill also retains the credit in their version. Aside from
Congress is getting closer to enacting S 534, the Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017. The legislation, which has had the active support of CWLA, was originally introduced by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) to address reports of sexual abuse of Olympic athletes. The legislation has been the subject
On Wednesday, the former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, authored an Op-ed Opinion in the New York Times that ending DACA will undermine national security efforts. Gates pointed out that more than 800 Dreamers are currently serving in the armed forces. He highlighted that between 2006 through 2011 more than 45,000 immigrants served in the
There has been no progress on moving a CHIP reauthorization and movement in the Senate seems almost impossible this week as the Senate Finance Committee gets tied up with the tax package this week. That would appear to kick this can down the road beyond Thanksgiving. The House of Representatives passed their version of a