| |
LEGISLATIVE ALERT5/26/2006House and Senate on Memorial Day Break-House Appropriations Subcommittee Poised to Slash SSBGDespite failing to reach a budget deal, the House of Representatives is now proceeding with all eleven appropriations bills. The Subcommittee that allocates funds for the U. S. Dept. of Health and Human Services will meet the week of June 5, and we expect a proposal to make a 30% cut to the Social Services Block Grant.
Members of Congress are likely to hold town meetings or participate in other public events between now and the end of the break, June 4. We hope that you make your concerns known about the importance of SSBG in your community. You can call your member of the U.S. House of Representatives or attend one of their public events and tell them to oppose the cut of $500 million to SSBG being considered by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor-HHS-Education.
ACTION REQUIRED*Call or meet your U.S. Representative within the next week. You can call the Capitol Hill switchboard at 202-225-3121 or call your local congressional office phone number. Better yet, if they are holding a public forum, make a personal visit.
*Once you make your contact, please send this Legislative Alert to others you know who care about children and families, and urge them to take similar action.
MESSAGE* Tell House Appropriations Committee members to oppose ANY cut to the Social Services Block Grant. It will force cuts across the fifty states for many children’s programs, services to the aging and services for individuals with disabilities.
Thank you for your continued advocacy. *For a more detailed description of the House and White House proposed cuts to SSBG visit CWLA's Legislative Agenda or contact Tim Briceland-Betts, CWLA Co-Director of Government Affairs, at 202-942-0256.
BACKGROUNDSSBG represents 12% of all federal funding states receive from the federal government to provide child abuse prevention, adoption, foster care, child protection, independent and transitional living, and residential services for children and youth. SSBG is a major federal source of funding used to prevent child abuse and to support children who have been abused and neglected. It is the single largest source of funds for Child Protective Services.
States allocate over $700 million annually in SSBG funds for children and youth involved in child welfare. Nationwide, more than 2.6 million children received a range of child welfare services funded in part or in total by SSBG.
The President’s budget request for FY 2007 slashes funding for SSBG from $1.7 billion to $1.2 billion and the Subcommittee will be under pressure to approve his request.
For many years up to 1996 SSBG was funded at $2.8 billion. It was reduced temporarily to $2.3 billion by the TANF law. Although it was to be restored, Congress further reduced it to $1.7 in the 1998 transportation bill.
If your member of Congress serves on the Appropriations Committee they hold special influence as they determine the fate of SSBG. The full committee member list is available Online
For More specifics on how your state uses SSBG funds for child welfare and to determine how large the cut will be in your state visit: CWLA's Hot Topics
© Child Welfare League of America. The content of these publications may not be reproduced in any way, including posting on the Internet, without the permission of CWLA. For permission to use material from CWLA's website or publications, contact us using our website assistance form.
 Back to Top  Printer-friendly Page  Contact Us
|
|
