Advocacy

Congress Passes Keep Kids Fed Act

On Friday, June 24th, 2022, Congress passed the Keep Kids Fed Act, which would extend some of the pandemic-era nutrition waivers that allowed schools and other child-serving programs to provide free meals, which were set to expire on June 30th. Although this legislation will provide needed funding and support for child nutrition, it does not

Voters Believe Federal Government Spending Too Little on Children: Report

In a new report released by First Focus on Children, the results of a nationwide poll conducted in May by Lake Research Partners showed that American voters believe, by roughly a 6-to-1 margin, that the federal government is spending too little on the health, safety, and well-being of children in this country. Additionally, by a

Adoptees Without Citizenship: Stories

On June 21, 2022, the Nonprofit Organization Adoptees for Justice held a Story Circle to bring awareness to the experiences of adoptees living without citizenship. They elevated the voices of two adoptees who live in the United States and two who were deported. Joe, Jang, Daniel, and Emily were all able to share their stories

CWLA Supports Child Care Reconciliation Proposal

By Christine James-Brown, CWLA President and CEO The Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) is pleased to support the recently released Murray-Kaine Revised Child Care and Preschool Reconciliation Proposal and strongly advocates for its inclusion in the forthcoming reconciliation package. Child care and early childhood education are critical to the future well-being of all children

Movement on Mental Health Packages

On Wednesday, June 15th, Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-ID), Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) and Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) released a discussion draft for youth mental health care policies. This discussion draft follows a Request for Information (RFI) in the fall of 2021 and four subsequent committee hearings. The

Hearing on Burnout and Economic Stress for Women

By Isabella Diez, Policy Intern On Wednesday, June 15, 2022, the Ways and Means Committee held the hearing “The Burnout Epidemic and What Working Women Need for a Stronger Economy.” In this hearing, five witnesses were discussing what women need to boost a stronger economy and the burnout epidemic. There are one million women who

Republican Senators Release Updated Child Tax Credit Proposal

On Wednesday, June 15th, 2022, Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT), along with Senators Richard Burr (R-NC) and Steve Daines (R-MT) released the Family Security Act 2.0, an update to Senator Romney’s original Family Security Act in 2021, which would reinstate the monthly child tax credit payments for many families. While there are some significant improvements over

President’s Executive Order on Advancing Equality for LGBTQIA+ Individuals

By Alex Lord-Wilkinson, Policy Intern, Pizzigati Fellow On Wednesday, June 15th, 2022 the President issued an Executive Order (EO) on “Advancing Equality for LGBTQI+ Individuals.” The Executive Order directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and other key agencies to establish initiatives to support LGBTQ children and families and address discriminatory state legislation.

The Prohibiting Detention of Youth Status Offenders Act of 2022

Every year, thousands of kids are incarcerated for “status offenses” including truancy, breaking curfew or running away from home—acts that would not be considered crimes if they were committed by an adult. The Prohibiting Detention of Youth Status Offenders Act of 2022, introduced by Senator Casey (D-PA) and Representative Cardenas (D-CA), would phase out and

Treasury Secretary Refutes Criticism of Child Tax Credit Expansion

During a Senate Finance hearing on Wednesday, June 8th, 2022, regarding the President’s FY23 budget request, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) used some of his time to applaud Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig, and Senate Finance Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) on their work involving the implementation of the advanced Child Tax

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