Aysha Schomburg, Associate Commissioner for the Children’s Bureau, helped to open CWLA’s successful 2021 virtual conference on Tuesday, May 4, 2021. In her opening remarks to CWLA attendees, she discussed her experiences over the past year during the pandemic and some of the lessons learned. At the time, Commissioner Schomburg was working at New York
To help families cover their children’s basic needs, Congress expanded the Child Tax Credit for 2021. The IRS will be sending out monthly checks to families with children, starting in July. Families can receive up to $300 a month for every child ages 0-5 and $250 a month for every child ages 6-17 living in
Last month the Centers on Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released data that indicates that drug overdoses in this country reached an all-time high of 90,000 in the 12 month period that ended on September 30, 2020. The numbers represent a stark increase after the already high numbers seemed to stabilize between 2017 through 2019 at between
Following CWLA’s 2021 Virtual Conference this week, will be our Virtual Hill Day on Wednesday, May 12th, in which we are asking CWLA members and Conference registrants to go to Capitol Hill to virtually meet their members of Congress to educate them on key child welfare legislation. The 2021 CWLA Legislative Agenda, which lays out
On Wednesday, April 28, 2021, President Joe Biden used his first speech to a joint session of Congress to outline his “American Family Plan.” The plan is designed to complement or combine with his infrastructure plan to redesign the U.S. economy over the coming years. The key provisions as outlined by the White House include a
To help families cover their children’s basic needs, Congress expanded the Child Tax Credit for 2021. The IRS will be sending out monthly checks to families with children, starting in July. Families can receive up to $300 a month for every child ages 0-5 and $250 a month for every child ages 6-17 living in
A day before President Biden’s speech to a joint session of Congressman Richard Neal (D-MA), Chair of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee announced the release of the Building an Economy for Families Act (and here). The legislation would provide paid family and medical leave, expanded child care, and improvements in tax credits, including the Child
On Thursday, April 22, 2021, a bipartisan cross-section of the Senate and House members announced legislation to address immigration, specifically unaccompanied minors crossing the US-Mexico border. The key sponsors (S 1358-Border Solutions Act) include Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), and House members Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-TX) and Congressman Tony Gonzales (R-TX). Senator
On Tuesday, April 27, 2021, the Senate HELP Committee conducted a hearing, Supporting Children, Workers, and Families by Strengthening America’s Child Care. Witnesses included Dr. Myra Jones-Taylor, Chief Policy Officer, ZERO TO THREE; Ms. Susan Gale Perry Chief Deputy Secretary, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services; Ms. Dasja Reed, Parent, New Orleans, Louisiana; and Ms. Khadija Lewis
On Wednesday, April 28, 2021, John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY)presented their report, Holding on by a Thread: The Cumulative Impact of the Pandemic on Youth Who Have Been in Foster Care or Homeless. JBAY conducted an online survey of 598 youth who have been in foster care or experienced homelessness from the State of California