Family & Community Support

Tax Package Still Stalled in Senate

The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act, the tax bill that includes a small but significant expansion to the child tax credit, continues to be stalled in the Senate after passing the House in a 357-72 vote, a major win in a Congress that has not been marked by bipartisan agreement and has

New Final Rule on Child Care

On February 28, 2024, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Child Care (OCC) announced the final rule that will lower costs for families that receive child care subsidies, improve payment practices to child care providers, and increase families’ child care options. The new rule makes updates to the Child Care and Development

Funding Deadlines Loom While Tax Bill Stalls

The House and Senate will return from their Presidents’ Day recess this week without an agreement on the four funding bills that expire on March 1st, 2024, the end of this week. As previously reported, the House and Senate leadership were able to agree on topline numbers for the total FY 2024 budget that closely

House Field Hearing on Housing Policy

The Housing and Insurance Subcommittee of the House Financial Services Committee held a field hearing on Thursday, February 22, 2024, “Restoring Prosperity in American Communities: Examining the Failures of Status Quo Housing Policy.” Chairman Davidson (OH-R) stated that the American people have been adversely impacted by bad government decisions and failed federal housing policies. Further,

Protecting Missing and Exploited Children Hearing

The hearing entitled, Protecting Missing and Exploited Children, was convened by the House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education and led by Chairman Bean (R-FL) advocated for the bipartisan Missing Children’s Reauthorization Act of 2023. The hearing addressed the significant increase in child exploitation and the critical role of

CWLA Endorses: Alternative Pathways for Child Abuse Prevention Act

Introduced by Senator Lujan (D-NM) on February 7, 2024, the Alternative Pathways to Child Abuse Prevention Act would require states to submit an alternative response plan to receive federal grant funding under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA). This bill would authorize $500 million for CAPTA Title I state formula grants and $1

Child Tax Credit Moves Forward

On January 31, 2024, the House of Representatives passed the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act, the bipartisan tax package that includes an expansion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC), in an overwhelmingly bipartisan 357-70 vote. The bill, which would help about 16 million children in families with low incomes in the first

Senate Judiciary Hearing about Online Safety

On Wednesday, January 31, 2024, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing where five CEOs of major social media platforms were subpoenaed. Mark Zuckerberg was in attendance representing Meta, Linda Yaccarino for X Corp. (formerly known as Twitter), Evan Spiegel for Snap Inc., Jason Citron for Discord Inc., and Shou Chew for TikTok Inc. Throughout

Expanding Housing Affordability: Senate Hearing

On January 31, 2024, the Senate Budget Committee held a hearing entitled, “A Blueprint for Prosperity: Expanding Housing Affordability.” It was generally agreed that to address the current housing crisis, the root causes must be identified. Some of the primary factors posited were market failure as evidenced by high demand and low supply of housing,

CWLA Comments: Hearing on Services for Older Youth

On January 17, 2024, the House Ways and Means Subcommittee hosted a hearing, “Pathways to Independence: Supporting Youth Aging Out of Foster Care.” CWLA submitted comments for the record. “Nearly 20,000 young people transition from foster care to independence without the benefit of formal reunification or an alternative permanency outcome each year. We share the

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