On June 11, the Worker and Family Support Subcommittee of the Ways and Means Committee held a Congressional Hearing Celebrating Fathers and Families: Federal Support for Responsible Fatherhood to discuss increased federal support for fatherhood programs. The focus of the hearing was to hear from individuals who work in or benefited from fatherhood programs to
On Tuesday, June 11 the Senate Caucus on Foster Care and the Camelot Community Care held a youth-led discussion on “What’s next for me? Facing my future as I age out of care.” The panel was comprised of seven young adults between 19-22 years of age, who were in the foster care system for anywhere
The House began their debate on a package of four of the twelve appropriations bills on Wednesday. At the same time the Senate was signaling difficulty in starting their process as negotiations between Republican leaders and the White House seemed to slow down. The House bundled four bills together after taking the Legislative Branch bill
On Tuesday, June 11, more than 100 children and youth organizations, including CWLA, released a letter to the Administration demanding they maintain educational and recreational programming for minors in Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) facilities. The Trump Administration announced it had decided to suspend educational and recreational services for unaccompanied migrant children and youth in
Thursday, June 13, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) – along with fifteen other original cosponsors – introduced the Senate Every Child Deserves a Family Act (S 1791/HR3114). It is identical to the bill introduced by Representatives John Lewis (D-GA) and Jenniffer GonzálezColón (R-PR) last week. This legislation prohibits organizations receiving federal funding from discriminating against children
In honor of National Children’s Week, on Tuesday, June 12, First Focus on Children, Comic Relief USA, and Child Poverty Action group hosted Spotlight on Child Poverty in America. The event featured Members of Congress, thought leaders, advocates and service providers who are all actively working to address child poverty on the national, state, and
On Monday, June 10, Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO), Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) and Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) announced they will introduce the “Adoption Tax Credit Refundability Act.” The legislation will modify the current tax credit provided to families that adopt by making it refundable. CWLA has endorsed the bill. In their joint statement Senator Blunt
On Tuesday, June 12, the American Psychological Association (APA) and Representative Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) hosted Exclusionary Discipline at the Intersections of Disability Identity, Race, and Gender. The purpose of the briefing was to review the current state of discipline disparity research, the psychological consequences of high expulsion rates among marginalized students, and federal and policy
On Thursday, June 13, the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention met to discuss prevention of and response to child abuse and trauma. The Council is responsible for coordinating federal juvenile delinquency prevention programs, federal programs and activities that detain or care for unaccompanied juveniles, and federal programs relating to missing and exploited
On Wednesday, June 5, Congressman John Lewis (D-GA) and Congresswoman Jennifer Gonzalez-Colon (R-PR) introduced the Every Child Deserves a Family Act (ECDF). The legislation prohibits discrimination against children, youth, families, and individuals on the basis of religion, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), and marital status in the administration and provision of child welfare