Advocacy

Reconciliation Negotiations Revived

This week, Axios reported that Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) have revived their discussions about a reconciliation package. In December of last year, these discussions about the Build Back Better package ground to a halt when Senator Manchin announced that he could not support the legislation that was proposed.

FDA Commissioner Says Formula Shortage Could last until July

During a Senate Health, Labor, Education and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing on Thursday, May 26th, 2022, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Robert Califf told senators that the nation’s infant formula shortage likely won’t be fully resolved until late July. Commissioner Califf said that it would take time for the administration's efforts to boost

Youth with Lived Experience Speak in Congressional Briefing

On Wednesday, May 25th, 2022, youth serving organizations, in partnership with the Senate Caucus on Foster Youth, Congressional Foster Youth Caucus, and the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Caucus, held a briefing titled, "Lifting up Lived Expertise: Fixing the System with Their Solutions - A Virtual Congressional Briefing." During this powerful livestream, several young people with

Creating Partnership in Kinship Treatment Foster Care

In honor of National Foster Care Month, the Capacity Building Center for States hosted “Creating Partnership in Kinship Treatment Foster Care” on Wednesday, May 25th, 2022 to take a look into a Kinship Treatment Foster Care (KTFC) pilot program in North Carolina and research from the African American Families and Kinship Care Lab at the

Congress and White House Address Formula Shortage

This week, Congress and the White House took steps to address the nationwide baby formula shortage, seeking to ease the burden especially for families with low incomes and those who need hypoallergenic formula for babies with milk allergies. On Wednesday, May 18th, the House passed the Access to Baby Formula Act, a bill led by

New Child Care Proposal on the Table

On Monday, May 16th, 2022, Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) officially announced their revamped child care and early learning reconciliation proposal. As we wrote last week, this proposal is roughly half the size of the original child care proposal in Build Back Better and largely focuses on expanding funding through the Child

FDA Commissioner Testifies about Budget, Formula Shortage

On Thursday, May 19th, 2022, the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee held its hearing, “Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Request for the Food and Drug Administration,” with FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert M. Califf. Although the hearing was intended to focus on the budget, the biggest topic of conversation was the

GAO Report: Supporting LGBTQ, Religious Youth in Foster Care

On Friday, May 20th, the Government Accountability Office released its new report, “Foster Care: Further Assistance from HHS Would be Helpful in Supporting Youth's LGBTQ+ Identities and Religious Beliefs.” The report concluded that a majority of states have nondiscrimination protections for youth in foster care, but selected states and stakeholders identified challenges supporting youth with

Senate Democrats Revamp Child Care Proposal

Last weekend, on Sunday, May 9th, 2022, Politico reported that Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) is in the process of pitching a new child care proposal to the rest of the Democratic party, taking a bold step to keep child care in the conversation about a potential reconciliation

Legislative Briefing on Higher Education for Youth in Foster Care Bills

On May 11th, 2022, a briefing titled “Supporting Higher Education Success for Youth With Experience in Foster Care and Homelessness: A Briefing on Four Legislative Proposals that Can Make A Difference,” was hosted by Schoolhouse Connection, John Burton Advocates for Youth and the Youth Law Center, in collaboration with the offices of Representative Danny Davis

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