JohnS

About John Sciamanna

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

CWLA Conference Set For This Week

The CWLA National Conference starts this week. The opening takes place on Thursday, April 26, but there will be a preview event for state advocates and CWLA members going to Capitol Hill on Wednesday afternoon, April 25, the National Advocacy Leaders Convening. The Wednesday session includes a discussion with Associate Commissioner of the Children’s Bureau

Los Angeles County Talks ACA, Family First and Waivers

On Tuesday, April 17 the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors sponsored a briefing on Capitol Hill. The briefing, “The Path Forward on the Affordable Care Act, Child Welfare and Title IV-E Waivers, included remarks by Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Congressman Tony Cárdenas (D-CA) and Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-CA). The event was moderated by

HELP Readies CARA Update And Vote Tuesday

Last week Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) released the Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018. In their release they indicated that they introduced bipartisan legislation to address the urgent opioid crisis and said the Committee will markup (debate and vote on) the legislation on Tuesday, April 24. The joint statement said

New Research Estimates Cost of Child Poverty at Over One Trillion Dollars

A new study released through the Journal of Social Work estimates the cost of U.S. child poverty totals more than $1 trillion a year. The research, Estimating the Economic Cost of Childhood Poverty in the United States, indicates that these costs are concentrated around loss of economic productivity, increased crime and health care costs, and

Rescission Bill Fades on Hill but White House Hopes

With members returning last week, there was a lack of congressional interest in pursuing a rescission package of cuts to the just-passed 2018 appropriations but the White House appeared to be feeling just the opposite. Reports are that Budget Director—Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Mick Mulvaney is assembling a package of $60 billion

Children’s Bureau Releases IM Describing Family First

The Children’s Bureau has released an information memorandum (IM) describing the Family First Act (PL 115-123). The IM is a basic description of the law and not a guidance or clarification of the many questions on the detailed implementation. The IM does prove that the extensive law cannot be explained in any quick fashion as

CBO Sees $1 Trillion Deficits After Recent Months of Action

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has updated its deficit projections to conclude that deficits will rise to over $800 billion for this year (ending September 30) to a trillion dollars next year increasing to $1.5 trillion by 2028. The analysis was delayed from January due to Congress’s passage of the December tax package and the

HELP Readies CARA Update After Last Week’s Hearings

Shaquita Ogletree Last Wednesday, April 11, the Senate HELP Committee held a hearing on additional legislation to deal with opioids. The legislation, The Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018, has been called by some a second version of the 2016 Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA). The Committee released a discussion draft. The focus of

Anti-Poverty Group CPAG Offers Agenda To Lift Families and Children

The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) has released a report, Our Kids, Our Future: Solutions to Child Poverty in the U.S that provides a collection of over 20 papers that provide recommendations to significantly reduce child poverty and improve child well-being. CPAG is made up of more than two dozen national organizations including the Child

President Calls For Tougher Work Requirements

The report and briefing came at the end of the week when the President issued another executive order, Reducing Poverty in America by Promoting Opportunity and Economic Mobility. This order directs various federal Departments (Treasury, Agriculture, Commerce, Labor, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, and Education) to double-down and toughen work requirements.

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