On Monday and Tuesday of last week the Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities brought their hearings to Denver, Colorado. Part of the session, as was the case in previous hearing sites, was to examine their host state’s challenges and strategies. The Commission heard from the Colorado Department of Human Services, and Colorado
HHS has released a new database report on some of the basic eligibility requirements under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) cash assistance program. The report and tables are based on information from the Welfare Rules Database (WRD) which is a publicly available database. TANF, particularly in the use of “child-only” grants, plays a significant
Shortly before leaving for the elections on September 16, the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health held a hearing on the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), due for reauthorization next fiscal year. The Subcommittee Chairman, Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) a key drafter of the original legislation praised the program and the need to act on its
One of the many pieces of unfinished business Congress left behind last week was a reauthorization of the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG). The Senate had passed their version of a reauthorization on March 13, when the legislation passed by a vote of 96 to two. When a deal was announced with the
On Thursday, September 18, CWLA unveiled a new policy discussion paper on TANF and Kinship Care: “The Intersection Between Kinship Care and TANF: Policy Questions and Proposals.” The paper was published at the CWLA National Kinship Care Conference and is designed to engage a discussion of how TANF funds are used and how to better
After an amazing effort of advocacy, the Senate gave final approval to HR 4980, legislation that extends the current adoption incentives fund and expands it to kinship care. It also includes numerous additional requirements on states in regard to youth in foster care. A complete analysis of the legislation is available at PREVENT SEX TRAFFICKING
HR 4980 in its earliest version extended the Adoption Incentive program that awards funding to states that increase the number of adoptions from foster care. The bill extends the authorization by three year through 2015 (fiscal year 2013 is about to end in a few days). It also creates a new target of adolescents to
Late on Thursday night, September 18, the Senate gave final approval to HR 4980, the "Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act.’ The main piece of the legislation reauthorizes the Adoption Incentive Fund for three years and extends it to guardianship placements. The passage of the bill may not have happened had it not been
Congress Working On Funding Extension Through December 10 Congress will attempt to adopt a continuing resolution through December 10 or 11 this week but that timetable could become more complicated. The House was to act on a measure this past week but it has been delayed by the President’s request to extend authority and some
Congress Returns With Long List–Short Period of Work by JS Congress returns this week with the House scheduled to be in Washington for the next two weeks, take a week off and then return for the last few days starting on September 29 but Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) has said the House may drop the last