The Housing and Insurance Subcommittee of the House Financial Services Committee held a field hearing on Thursday, February 22, 2024, “Restoring Prosperity in American Communities: Examining the Failures of Status Quo Housing Policy.” Chairman Davidson (OH-R) stated that the American people have been adversely impacted by bad government decisions and failed federal housing policies. Further,
Representatives Judy Chu (D-CA) and Erin Houchin (R-IN) introduced H.R. 7010, the Increasing Access to Foster Care Through 21 Act on January 17, 2024, ahead of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee hearing on supporting older youth in foster care. The bill would provide an incentive for all states to extend child welfare support and
On February 22, 2024, the Biden Administration announced a new Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would update the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis Reporting System to increase data collection on American Indian/Alaska Native children's status and experiences. “Over the years, tribal leaders have consistently advocated for ICWA-related data to be included in AFCARS and
The hearing entitled, Protecting Missing and Exploited Children, was convened by the House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education and led by Chairman Bean (R-FL) advocated for the bipartisan Missing Children’s Reauthorization Act of 2023. The hearing addressed the significant increase in child exploitation and the critical role of
Introduced by Senator Lujan (D-NM) on February 7, 2024, the Alternative Pathways to Child Abuse Prevention Act would require states to submit an alternative response plan to receive federal grant funding under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA). This bill would authorize $500 million for CAPTA Title I state formula grants and $1
Representatives Danny Davis (D-IL) and Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) introduced the Housing for Homeless Students Act on February 7, 2024, which would increase access to affordable housing for students who are homeless, including veterans and youth formerly in foster care. From the press release: “The Low Income Housing Tax Credit reduces the tax liability for developers
Generations United’s National Center on Grandfamilies, along with the American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law and Think of Us, held a webinar to overview and explain their 2024 Kinship Unity Action Agenda. This agenda, introduced by Generations United’s Executive Director Donna Butts, was created through a convening of national advocates with professional
On January 31, 2024, the House of Representatives passed the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act, the bipartisan tax package that includes an expansion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC), in an overwhelmingly bipartisan 357-70 vote. The bill, which would help about 16 million children in families with low incomes in the first
On Wednesday, January 31, 2024, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing where five CEOs of major social media platforms were subpoenaed. Mark Zuckerberg was in attendance representing Meta, Linda Yaccarino for X Corp. (formerly known as Twitter), Evan Spiegel for Snap Inc., Jason Citron for Discord Inc., and Shou Chew for TikTok Inc. Throughout
On January 31, 2024, the Senate Budget Committee held a hearing entitled, “A Blueprint for Prosperity: Expanding Housing Affordability.” It was generally agreed that to address the current housing crisis, the root causes must be identified. Some of the primary factors posited were market failure as evidenced by high demand and low supply of housing,
