After the House of Representatives narrowly passed HR 83 by a vote of 219 to 206 late on Thursday night December 11, the Senate acted late Saturday to approve the legislation (HR 83). The package represents one of the last acts by a Congress that has been rated by some critics as one of the
Last month the Senate held a hearing on a new Department of Justice report, Ending Violence So Children Can Thrive that addressed exposure to violence by children within the American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities. An issue that surfaced in the testimony and in the report recommendations was addressed was addressed by Congress last
On Wednesday, December 10, the President focused attention on early childhood education and child care with the White House Early Learning Summit. The goal of the event was to build on recent work by the Administration over the last several years and to hopefully build momentum around early learning and get the word out about
On Monday, December 8 the White House held a special event to highlight some of the recent Administration efforts in regard to youth in foster care. CWLA attended the event that was wrapped around a premier viewing of the movie Annie. The event included remarks by Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack
Over 750 national, tribal, state and local organizations and elected officials groups have signed onto a letter advocating for an extension of Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (MIECHV). The letter says in part, “ As diverse national, state, tribal and local organizations committed to accountable policies that both improve outcomes for vulnerable
With the clock ticking toward the expiration of FY 2015 funding (December 11), Congress ended the week with an uncertain strategy toward an extension in funding. There seemed to be agreement on not shutting the government down but how that would be avoided is still not clear or final. House Republicans, largely leading the strategy,
On Tuesday, December 2, the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and the Brookings Institution sponsored a briefing, Helping youth with disabilities flourish: Improving outcomes for children in the Supplemental Security Income program.” The briefing focused on the issue of disabled children and youth on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and their transition to adulthood with the discussion
The House of Representatives adopted a package of approximately 50 “tax extenders” that will allow a range of tax credits and breaks to continue for this year. This year, 2014. The package costs approximately $42 billion for this one year extension and it would have to be renewed again by late next year. The cut
On Monday, November 17 the Child Welfare League of America worked with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to sponsor a session in Virginia to discuss issues of financial challenges for youth in foster care. The event was held in Fairfax Virginia at the ICF offices and included CWLA members from Virginia and Maryland. The
On Wednesday, November 19, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs held a hearing on “Protecting Our Children’s Mental Health: Preventing and Addressing Childhood Trauma in Indian Country.” The hearing took place one day after the Department of Justice’s Task Force on American Indian and Alaska Native Exposed to Violence released a scheduled report. The 258
