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LEGISLATIVE ALERT
© 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.
August 10, 2004
Immediate Action Needed!
Urge Your Senators to Co-Sponsor the Kinship Caregiver Support Act!
On July, 21, 2004, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) and Senator (Olympia Snowe (R-ME) introduced bipartisan legislation in the U.S. Senate to support families in which children are being raised by grandparents or other relatives. Senator Clinton announced her intention to move forward with this legislation, The Kinship Caregiver Support Act (S 2706), at CWLA's 2004 annual conference earlier this year.
The bill provides federal assistance (through the Title IV-E foster care program) to states for subsidized kinship guardianship programs. A similar proposal was included as one of the top recommendations of the Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care. The bill also creates a kinship navigator program that would link caregivers to support groups, respite care programs, and special services for incarcerated parents and also to information about education, family support services, mental health and substance abuse treatment, child support, housing assistance, child care, and legal assistance as well as a whole range of federal benefits including health care and income supports.
ACTION REQUIRED:
Call your two U.S. Senators. You can reach all Senate offices through the Capitol switchboard at 202/224-3121.
MESSAGE:
- Ask both your U.S. Senators to become a cosponsor of the bipartisan Kinship Caregiver Support Act. They can become a cosponsor by contacting Senator Clinton's office or Senator Snowe's office. If your Senators indicate they have become a cosponsor of the legislation, thank them.
- Share your experiences about the need for new federal support for kinship caregivers.
You can access a detailed summary of the Kinship Caregiver Act (S. 2706) on CWLA's website at www.cwla.org/advocacy/summarykinshipact.htm. You can also access a sample letter to send to your Senators through our online letter writing system CWLA Kids' Advocate Online.
For more information contact John Sciamanna, CWLA Senior Government Affairs Associate, at 202/639-4919 or jsciamanna@cwla.org.
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