JohnS

About John Sciamanna

John Sciamanna is CWLA's Vice President of Public Policy.

Finance Committee Begins Series on Mental Health & Substance Use Service Reforms

On Tuesday, February 8, 2022, the Senate Finance Committee started their series of hearings on mental health with Protecting Youth Mental Health: Part I – An Advisory and Call to Action. This series of hearings will focus on five areas of behavioral health: youth mental health, mental health workforce, parity between mental and physical health,

Finance Committee Considers ACF, ACYF Leads, Emphasis on Families First

On Wednesday, February 9, 2022, the Senate Finance Committee considered the nominations to fill two critical positions at the Department of Health and Humans Services: the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the Administration on Children Youth and Families (ACYF).  Rebecca Jones-Gaston was nominated by President Biden for the ACYF position on November 18,

HELP Committee Focuses on Health Care Workforce

On Thursday February 10, 2022, the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) held a subcommittee hearing on Recruiting, Revitalizing, and Diversifying: Examining the Health Care Workforce Shortage. Witnesses were: Dr. Margaret Flinter, Senior Vice President and Clinical Director, Community Health Center, Inc., Middletown, CT who focused on the loss of primary

FY 2022 Appropriations Update: Another CR But Deal Reached

Last week the House of Representatives approved a fourth continuing resolution (CR) with the hope that it will allow a deal and eventual enactment of 12 appropriations for the fiscal year that started on October 1, 2021.  Not long after the House action, the top four appropriators announced an agreement that will allow appropriators to

Impact of the CTC On Child Development Baby’s First Year Study

On a webinar, hosted on Thursday, February 10, 2022, new research, the First Randomized Controlled Trial of Poverty Reduction in Early Childhood, focused on the impact that cash assistance to families can have on infant brain development. Presenters Sonya Troller-Renfree and Greg Duncan outlined findings that expands the understanding and the implications of poverty on

Vice President Harris Hosts Event for EITC/CTC Day of Action

On February 8th, 2022, Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, and American Rescue Plan Coordinator Gene Sperling hosted a press event for the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit Day of Action. Sperling opened the event by giving the history of the Child Tax Credit and an overview of

Congress Kicks Off Hearings on Mental Health and Substance Use Services

Last Tuesday and Wednesday two key congressional committees began a set of bipartisan discussions on the challenges of access to mental health and substance use services.  On Tuesday the Senate HELP Committee held their first hearings and on Wednesday the House Ways and Means Committee focused hearings on the behavioral health challenges.  The subject and

Senate HELP Committee Eyes a Bipartisan Mental Health Package

On Tuesday, February 1, 2022, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions held a hearing entitled “Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders: Responding to the Growing Crisis.”    Chairwoman Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) highlighted that millions of people across the country face mental health disorders, while 130 million Americans live in areas with

Ways and Means Committee Focuses on Mental Health Crisis

On Wednesday, February 2nd, the House Ways and Means Committee held a hearing on "America's Mental Health Crisis."  The full 42-member Committee heard testimony from: Dr. Wizdom Powell (Director of the Health Disparities Institute and Associate Professor of Psychiatry) focused on four main points, youth as a target population in the mental health crisis, the

Support for Pregnant and Post-Partum Women Who Use Substances

On February 3, 2022, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a series of new reports from the Office of the Assistance Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) that “highlight how pregnant and postpartum women who use substances and their children can benefit from evidence-based prevention and treatment strategies.” Based on a review

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