Congress returned from the July 4th recess last week and moved quickly on a number of initiatives, as there are only three weeks until the August recess begins. The Appropriations process is a top priority for both House and Senate Leadership, because the deadline for passing the spending bills to fund the government is fast
The House Committee on Ways and Means hosted a Subcommittee hearing on July 13, 2023 titled “‘Where is All the Welfare Money Going?’ Reclaiming TANF-Non-Assistance Dollars to Lift Americans Out of Poverty.” The hearing examined Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds in light of recent reports of misuse by states. Prominent speakers included Chairman
On July 13th, 2023, the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight held a hearing to assess the last 25 years of the Child Tax Credit and discuss future implementation of the credit. The hearing began with an opening statement from the Chairman and Senator Bennet(D-CA) that called for the expansion of the Child
On July 13th, 2023, The Child and Student Nutrition Alliance Held a webinar to discuss the Farm Bill and its impact on children's health. Claire Borzner, Senior Professional Staff, and Khadija Jahfiya, Professional Staff, from the Senate Agriculture Committee explained the current state of the Farm Bill and ways to bolster children's voices in negotiations.
On July 13, 2023, the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health held a markup of seventeen bills, including H.R. 4056, the Ensuring Medicaid Continuity for Children in Foster Care Act. This legislation would exempt Qualified Residential Treatment Programs (QRTPs) from the institutions for mental disease (IMD) exclusion in Medicaid. If this bill were
On June 28th, 2023, the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin- Madison held a webinar, "Thirty Years of the FMLA: What’s Worked, What Hasn’t, and Recommendations for More Equitable Policies," to discuss the advantages and drawbacks of the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and ways to improve equity and
On June 27, 2023, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) went into effect. This legislation has the potential to benefit nearly 2.8 million people per year, including almost 75% of pregnant Black women, almost two-thirds of pregnant Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander women, 60% of pregnant Latina women, nearly 60% of pregnant American
Both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees are moving forward in the Appropriations process, releasing text and holding mark-ups for several of the Appropriations bills over the past couple of weeks, including the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies bill, which is covered below. Leaders of both Committees have made a
Both the House and Senate have started the process of considering Appropriations Bills, including the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Bill. This bill includes nutrition programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Woman, Infants, and Children (WIC). On June 14th, the full House
On Thursday, May 25, 2023, Representative Danny K. Davis (D-IL) joined with Representative Blake Moore (R-UT) to introduce the bipartisan H.R. 3662, Adoption Tax Credit Refundability Act of 2023. The legislation would make the current Adoption Tax Credit fully refundable, removing income as a barrier to adoption. Representative Gwen Moore (D-WI), Representative Randy Feenstra (R-IA),