On April 18, 2023, the Committee on Oversight and Accountability held a hearing concerning the Office of Refugee Resettlement’s (ORR) unaccompanied children program. The witness, director of the ORR, Ms. Robin Dunn-Marcos defended the current system used to care for unaccompanied migrant children. However, congressmen from both sides of the aisle raised concerns and were
On April 12, 2023, Representatives Stephanie Bice (R-OK) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) wrote a letter to Speaker Kevin McCarthy and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries informing them of their creation of the Bipartisan Paid Family Leave Working Group. This letter indicated that ensuring paid family leave must be a bipartisan effort, as the future of
On April 19th, 2023, Congressman Dave Joyce (R-OH) and Congresswoman Ann Kuster (D-NH) introduced a resolution to recognize April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month. “The Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) thanks Representatives Joyce and Kuster for this resolution in support of National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Child abuse and neglect are serious problems,
CWLA submitted a public comment in the Federal Register in support of the proposed rule that would allow Title IV-E agencies to adopt separate licensing requirements for kinship family caregivers. "The proposed changes will remove barriers for children to be cared for by their relatives and kin and will decrease burdens on the child welfare
On Thursday April 6th, 2023, Secretary Miguel Cardona of the Department of Education announced a proposed rule that would update Title IX to clarify guidelines for participation in school athletics. Title IX aims to protect students in schools that receive federal funding from sex-based discrimination and ensure fairness, and this rule aims to expand upon
The Institute for Research on Policy hosted a webinar on April 5, 2023 titled “Expanded SNAP Benefits During The COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons Learned.” Speakers for the event included Dr. Cindy Leung, Professor of Public Health at Harvard University; Chloe Green, Senior Policy Associate with the American Public Health Services Association (APHSA); and Dr. Marianne Bitler,
On April 10, 2023, A Better Balance hosted a webinar about the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) and PUMP Act. This webinar helped break down the benefits, regulations and standards of each of these pieces of legislation. Additionally, speakers discussed possible areas of benefits beyond these two acts, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act
Gun violence claimed more children's lives last week with the shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee. As we noted in our statement after the tragic shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York, last year, “firearm violence is now the leading cause of deaths among children and adolescents. This matters, and unless every
On March 28th, 2023, the Work and Welfare Subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee held a hearing about the reauthorization of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, titled “Welfare is Broken: Restoring Work Requirements to Lift Americans Out of Poverty.” The approach of the two parties was starkly different. Subcommittee Chairman
On March 29, 2023 the Congressional Dad’s Caucus had its kickoff meeting with a panel of lived experience. Representative Jimmy Gomez (D-CA), the Chair and Founder of the Dad’s Caucus, opened the discussion by highlighting the importance of “family friendly” policy. Several other congressmen offered their support, including Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), founder of the
