Congress returned last week mainly to start orientation for new members. Beyond that the Senate remained largely the same with Senator McConnell (R-KY) and Schumer (D-NY) staying in place. Senator Grassley, at the end of the week said he will give up the Judiciary chairmanship in exchange for the Senate Finance Committee chairmanship. The House
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
On Monday, October 29, CWLA submitted comments on the Administration’s proposed regulation that would overturn or supersede the 1997 Flores settlement. On Friday, September 7, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a federal register notice that proposes, through the regulation process, to amend a court
Regardless of tomorrow’s election outcome there will be some significant changes in two of the key congressional committees that oversee child welfare: the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee. The Senate Finance Committee will have a new Chair regardless of the election. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) is retiring and if Republicans
On October 4, a ruling by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Brackeen V Zinke, Judge Reed O’Connor ruled that the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) is unconstitutional in its entirety based on the Equal Protection Clause and the 14th Amendment. The judge wrote that ICWA’s racial classification of children has
In between the fight over the Supreme Court, the Senate passed a few bills that the House had sent over before they exited Washington the week before. The House has adjourned until November 13, 2018. The Senate may remain around as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) calculates both the political advantage of keeping senators