Last week the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services (Approps Labor H) held hearings to discuss family separation policy and the conditions of children placed in the Office of Refugee and Resettlement (ORR) facilities based on the Office of Inspector General (OIG) report, “Care Provider
The Senate unveiled their Labor-HHS-Education appropriations legislation last Wednesday, September 18, 2019 and it shorts human services severely. Gone are the increases for child care, Head Start, CAPTA state grants, CB-CAP child abuse prevention funds and many other vital human services. While there was always an understanding that many of the House increases could not
CWLA continues to engage with committee staff and member offices on a pathway forward to address the proposed legislation. At this time, it is critical that we unite in our message – the Family First Transition and Support Act must pass as a comprehensive package, including the “de-link” from the 1996 AFDC eligibility requirements for
On Tuesday, September 10, First Focus on Children released the 13th annual Children’s Budget 2019 publication, a comprehensive analysis of how kids and families have been faring in the federal budget over the past five years. As child poverty remains high, the children’s share of total federal spending declined between fiscal year 2015 and fiscal
On August 21, 2019 the Administration announces a final new rule that would, in effect, overturn the 1997 Flores settlement. The Flores settlement is just that, a legal agreement settled in 1997 that outlines certain protection for immigrant children while in U.S. custody. Its most well-known provision, recently, prohibits the detention of children for more
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) facilities are responsible for the custody and care of unaccompanied alien children (UAC). The Office of Inspector General (OIG) report, Care Provider Facilities Described Challenges Addressing Mental Health Needs of Children in HHS Custody, on the facilities that care for children
Congress left with a two-year budget deal for fiscal years 2020 and 2021 and now they will need to finish the FY 2020 appropriations. The House of Representatives has passed almost all of their 12 appropriations bills while the Senate has not acted on any. Everyone is expecting a continuing resolution (CR) that will fund
On August 7, 2019 the Administration, through Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), conducted a raid that resulted in the arrest of 680 people targeted through various plants in Mississippi. The raid is considered the largest in US history. The ICE raid included more than 600 agents and targeted chicken processing plants which have high immigrant
On August 21, 2019 the Administration announces a final new rule that would overturn the 1997 Flores settlement. Last October 2018, CWLA submitted comments on the Administration’s proposed regulation that, in part, restricts child detentions to no more than 20 days. The new regulation is an attempt to change the federal government responsibilities under the
The Child Welfare Information Gateway released a notice to the public detailing the federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act that requires states to have provisions or procedures in place regarding mandatory reporters. To find out more about your state laws and who is considered a mandatory reporter, click here.
