On December 6, 2023, Representative Kevin Mullin (D-CA) introduced the Poverty Line Act, which would update the way the Federal government calculates the federal poverty line by accounting for real costs and adjusting for regional differences. This would make millions more families eligible for safety net programs such as Medicaid, SNAP (food stamps), LIHEAP (energy
On December 6, 2023, the House Ways and Means Tax Subcommittee held a hearing to “Expand Growth and Increase Prosperity for American Families”. Chairman Mike Kelly [R-PA] opened the conversation by talking about the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, many of the codes of which are set to expire in 2025, and how he would
The National Women’s Law Center, held a webinar on December 4th entitled, “Providing Care for the Care Workforce - How Kentucky is Supporting Early Educators,” to discuss Kentucky’s strategy to eliminate childcare staffing shortages by giving childcare workers free childcare for their children. Across the country, 50% of the childcare workforce qualifies for assistance to
On December 5, 2023, Spotlight on Poverty & Opportunity hosted a briefing, “Family Economic Mobility: Finding Bipartisan Pathways to Support Pro-Family Policies,” on Capitol Hill that featured Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA). They highlighted the Connected MOM Act, which would allow expectant mothers to receive medical monitoring remotely during their pregnancies, and
On November 30, 2023, the House Ways and Means Committee held a markup to examine HR 2426 the “Find and Protect Foster Youth Act” and HR 3058 “Recruiting Families Using Data Act of 2023.” Both bills are bipartisan and bicameral, and both were passed out of committee and will proceed to the full House of
On November 15, 2023, CWLA submitted comments for the record regarding the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on “The Human Rights of Foster Children.” From the testimony: “The National Blueprint states that children have rights to survival, protection, and participation in decision-making regarding their care. Several of the rights championed by CWLA are relevant to the
On November 28, 2023, the Senate Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing entitled, “The Gun Violence Epidemic: A Public Health Crisis.” Chairman Dick Durbin [D-IL] referred to gun violence as a public health epidemic and highlighted impact of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, passed in 2022, that implemented several changes to mental health systems,
Between November 13 and December 4, 2023, there were six Notices of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRMs) deadlines that were directly related to child welfare. CWLA submitted comments in support of four of the six proposed rules: Discrimination on the Basis of Disability in Health and Human Service Programs or Activities Safe and Appropriate Placements Requires for
The Foster Care Youth & Alumni Policy Council held a webinar on November 20, 2023, to discuss their recommendations for decriminalizing the foster care system and preventing foster youth from entering the juvenile justice system. The panelists shared stories of three African American youth who were killed by law enforcement while in the foster care
The Food Research and Action Center held a webinar on November 30, 2023 to discuss the benefits and need for free school meals, regardless of household income, to be provided to all children. These benefits include students being ready to learn, reduced stigma in the lunchroom, the end of school meal debt, and more. There
