The week started with a bipartisan meeting at the White House on DACA and immigration issues in what can only be described as a meeting of mixed messages as the President bounced between various congressional members and their very different positions on the two issues. Ultimately the one thing that was taken away from the
As reported during the December holidays, there is concern that the Administration is seeking to split up families at the boarder using child separation as a deterrent. CWLA has joined onto a joint letter by concerned groups in calling on Homeland Security to reject such policies. The new administration policy would allow for a policy
The CHIP reauthorization is still waiting for a final resolution. Due to the most recent CBO analysis (score) a CHIP reauthorization would be significantly less and could pay for itself and perhaps some additional programs. Because of what Congress has done to the ACA, cutting families off from CHIP would not be as cheap. That
The CR includes a temporary patch for the CHIP program. The $2.8 billion is intended as an extension that would shore up states through March 2018. Critics question whether funding will last that long. It is expected that 2 million kids will continue coverage because of the small patch. Several states have been sending out
DOL Regulations on Health Plans The Trump Administration continued its assault on the Affordable Care Act. On Friday, January 5, the Department of Labor published a proposed regulation to broaden the definition of group health plans for small businesses. The regulation is seen by ACA advocates as an attempt to circumvent some of the provisions
On Monday, December 4, the Every Child Deserves a Family Campaign was launched to promote best interests of all children in foster and adoption systems. The campaign is headed up by the Family Equality Council and includes a coalition of nearly two dozen founding organizations including the Child Welfare League of America. The goal of
As leaders met at the White House it became no clearer whether young people effected by the President’s repeal of DACA will get relief by the end of 2017. On Tuesday, December 5 a letter was sent to the Speaker by 34 House Republicans calling for action on DACA by the end of this year.
Last week a coalition of groups released, Addressing the Intersection of Juvenile Justice Involvement and Youth Homelessness: Principles for Change. The report notes that a young person’s involvement with the justice system can increase their likelihood of later experiencing homelessness. Pointing out that youth experiencing homelessness may be swept into the juvenile justice system
On Thursday, November 2 Capitol Hill was the scene for a panel presentation on how to prevent human trafficking. The forum sponsored by the National Prevention Science Coalition to Improve Lives, entitled Strategies on Preventing Human Trafficking: Research on How to Stop Trafficking Before It Starts, focused attention on the need for primary prevention. Approximately
CWLA has endorsed H.R. 2681, Foster EITC Act, sponsored by Congressman Danny Davis (D-IL). The Davis proposal would add an important expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for youth who were in foster care on or after their 14th birthday. Currently, the EITC disadvantages former foster youth who enter the work force
