The House of Representatives passed the Build Back Better Act reconciliation bill (HR 5376) on Friday, November 19, 2021, after a week of waiting. The waiting was driven by the need for a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) “score” or estimation of costs and savings. That score came back on Thursday at the expected $1.7 trillion.
Current funding for federal fiscal year ends on December 3, 2021, and while it appears likely Congress will pass another CR for a matter of weeks, a full year long appropriation adding new funds now seem much in doubt. A CR that extended for the rest of FY 2022 means that there would be a
On November 17, 2021, CLASP released a new national CTC survey findings. According to the research parents reported reduced financial stress, help in affording necessities and, for about one-quarter of respondents receiving monthly payments, working more hours outside of the home. The survey included 1,012 eligible families with children ages 0-17 living at home. It
CWLA joined over 300 other state and national organizations in calling on Congressional leadership to support the historic inclusion of the child care and pre-kindergarten expansions in the Build Back Better plan. The groups tell Congress: “The historic investment and policies outlined in the framework would support the transformative work of building a strong,
On Monday, October 25, 2021, the National Association of Counsel for Children (NACC) started a new campaign, Counsel for Kids. According to a statement by the organization, “With 673,000 children navigating America's child welfare courts every year and enduring concerns about unequal access to justice, today the National Association of Counsel for Children (NACC) launches
The Democratic strategy to try and keep as much and as many parts of the original House reconciliation bills, meant that many program will be reduced in length. Perhaps the prime example is the fate of the Child Tax Credit (CTC). Continuing and making permanent the CTC has been one of CWLA prime issues this
On Monday, October 18, 2021, Senate Democrats put out a series of 12 appropriations bills that would fund the government through the rest of FY 2022 (September 30, 2022). The Labor-HHS-Education numbers are similar to the House numbers; however, any final Senate bills will have to have at least some agreement with Senate Republicans. The
Domestic violence is a critical issue that, according to recent reports, has been made worse since the pandemic. On average, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men experience intimate partner violence. Nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner (NCADV). Escaping domestic violence can result in homelessness as many
As very high-level negotiations continue over what should be included in a final reconciliation bill one of CWLA prime issues is the CTC. The internal debate is how to reduce the overall cost of the reconciliation bill (even if paid for by tax increases and other revenue). One easy way is to simply drop a
On October 5, 2021, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the reauthorization of Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). Chairman Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco, the witness for the hearing. Prior to questioning, Chairman Durbin emphasized the importance of the reauthorization of the law as the pandemic has created an increase in
