General

Legislative Update

As of the writing of this update, the House of Representatives still has not elected a new Speaker to lead them. As we reported last week, Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy was voted out of the position following his successful bipartisan agreement to avoid a government shutdown. The Continuing Resolution that is currently funding the government

House Loses Precious Time While Awaiting Speaker Vote

On October 3rd, 2023, the House of Representatives removed Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) from his position of Speaker of the House, marking the first time in history that a Speaker has been voted out. Eight Republicans led the effort and were joined by the House Democrats. Representative Patrick McHenry (R-NC) was appointed as Speaker Pro Tempore,

Improving How Poverty Is Measured: Webinar

The Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison conducted a webinar to enhance poverty measurement in the United States. The panel of experts proposed elevating the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) to become the Principal Poverty Measure (PPM), which would include health insurance and child care as essential needs in addition to traditional

Housing Costs Are Too High for Families with Low Incomes

On June 14, 2023, the National Low Income Housing Coalition released Out of Reach 2023: The High Cost of Housing. Published annually, the report highlights the gulf between the wages people earn and the price of modest rental housing in every state, county, metropolitan area, and combined non-metropolitan area in the U.S. This year’s report

Congressman Davis Presents Extension of Remarks for CWLA CEO Christine James-Brown

On April 20th, 2023, Congressman Danny K. Davis (D-IL) offered an Extension of Remarks recognizing Christine James-Brown, President and CEO of CWLA, honoring her upcoming retirement from the organization. From the remarks: "Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the exceptional service of Christine James-Brown, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Child Welfare

Children’s Bureau Announces Resumption of Title IV-E Foster Care Eligibility Reviews

On Thursday, March 16, 2023, the Children’s Bureau announced the resumption of Title IV-E Foster Care Eligibility Reviews. Due to the pandemic, the Title IV-E Reviews to monitor child welfare agencies’ compliance in meeting certain child welfare eligibility requirements had been suspended in March 2020. Their review will start up again at the start of

On the Hill: Tracking Committee Assignments

House and Senate Leaders have made clear their intention to complete committee assignments for the 118th Congress before the end of January. By the end of next week, we should know who will serve on each of the House and Senate Committees. Several key committees are already taking shape, particularly in the House of Representatives.

New Congressional Dads Caucus Announced

On January 26th, 2023, Congressman Jimmy Gomez (D-CA) and his colleagues Representatives Rashida Tlaib, Joaquin Castro, Andy Kim, Jamaal Bowman, Rob Menendez, Dan Goldman, Joe Neguse, launched the Congressional Dads Caucus to bring attention to and build support for policies that benefit working families. According to the National Women’s Law Center’s (NWLC) press release, “the

Supportive Housing Needs Assessment

CSH released a new, first-of-its-kind national needs assessment of supportive housing, which was developed by looking at data across a spectrum of public systems and found that an estimated 1,125,000 homes are needed to meet the need for supportive housing. From the Summary: “Supportive housing is affordable housing with flexible services that help vulnerable people

Webinar: Missing From Care: Preventing and Responding to Child Trafficking

On January 18th, 2023, the Children’s Bureau Learning and Coordination Center (CBLCC) hosted a national webinar with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) focused upon child trafficking. Featuring NCMEC Executive Director, Melissa Snow, the digital dialogue specifically focused upon understanding the types of child sex trafficking (CST), shifting the language and perspective

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