Tuesday, April 5th, 2022 the Health Subcommittee of the Committee on Energy and Commerce held a hearing on several important bills, including H.R. 7236, the Strengthening Kids' Mental Health Now Act. If enacted, H.R. 7236 would expand the availability of mental, emotional, and behavioral health services under the Medicaid program. This bipartisan legislation would bolster the infrastructure for
The Supporting Family Economic Well-Being Through Home Visiting (HomeEc) project is identifying promising practices supporting family economic well-being that hold potential for inclusion in home visiting programs; the project is soliciting nominations of practices – that is, services, strategies, or activities – to support family economic well-being. Practices should be stand-alone or may be a
Last week a series of hearings were held about the President’s Fiscal Year 2023 Budget. The House Budget Committee, The Senate Budget Committee, and House Appropriation Committee members expressed multiple concerns about COVID spending, the impact of Defense cuts, a need for increased Infrastructure, issues with the current economic crisis, and the Ukrainian and Russian conflict.
On Tuesday, March 22nd, 2022 the Senate HELP Committee held a hearing entitled ‘Child Care and Preschool: Cutting Costs for Working Families.’ The hearing centered around how to provide affordable childcare to families. Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-WA) and Democrats advocated for the proposal included in President Biden’s Build Back Better package, which would expand the
On Wednesday March 23rd, 2022, Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-WA) led the Senate HELP Committee’s hearing: “Strengthening Federal Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Programs: Opportunities, Challenges, and Emerging Issues.” The Committee members and witnesses discussed issues necessitating bipartisan legislation addressing the increasing severity of the mental health and substance use disorders prevailing across the country.
The Center on Poverty and Social Policy at Columbia University has released its newest monthly report on child poverty, finding that 3.4 million more children were in poverty in February 2022 than in December 2021, when families were still receiving the monthly Child Tax Credit payments. Monthly poverty remained elevated in February. Child poverty rates
On Wednesday, March 16, 2022, the Worker and Family Support Subcommittee of the Ways and Means Committee held a hearing on “Improving Family Outcomes Through Home Visiting.” Several panelists focused their testimony on the personal stories of families served by programs funded by the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program, a federal
On Tuesday March 2nd, Georgetown University held a Lunch and Learn surrounding COVID-19 Public Health Emergency: Implication for Medicaid Coverage for MCH Populations. Panelists: Joan Alker, Executive Director and Co-Founder of University of Georgetown, University Center for Children and Families and Research Professor Tricia Brooks, Research Professor for the Georgetown University Center for Children and
The final appropriations for FY 2022 sharply reduced the significant increases in children’s and child welfare programs compared to what the House had adopted last July. Many of the House increases had adopted the Biden Administration request in their first budget request. Within CAPTA, state grants receive $95 million which represents an increase of $5
On Monday, March 8, 2022, U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), along with U.S. Representative Brenda L. Lawrence (D-MI) led a bipartisan, bicameral letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) asking for information to determine what additional resources states and territories need to ensure children in foster care
