While the House of Representatives spent time on more than two dozen opioids-related measures this week, the Senate Finance Committee approved their bills that will eventually be combined with other Senate bills that in turn will be a response to a House package. The Senate Finance bill, the Helping to End Addiction and Lessen (HEAL)
If they keep to the agreed to bipartisan schedule, the Senate will clear out all 12 of the appropriations bills this month before they reach the July 4th break. Senators started that process before the Memorial Day break. The Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee will take up its bill the week of June 25. That is the same
The Children’s Bureau has released instructions (ACYF-CB-PI-18-05) on how states can draw down $20 million in FY 2018 Kinship Navigator funds. The $20 million was added as part of the March-approved FY 2018 appropriations bills. It was attached to Title IV-B part 2, Promoting Safe and Stable Families. Unlike the Kinship-Navigator funds (which require programs
The House Ways and Means Committee has released for debate and vote a TANF reauthorization. It is anticipated that the vote will take place this Wednesday. The announcement of the latest bill came last Thursday and would set a vote two weeks after the Human Resources Subcommittee released an initial draft. The bill makes superficial
The House Ways and Means Human Resources Subcommittee held a hearing, “Jobs and Opportunity: Legislative Options to Address the Jobs Gap,” with the purpose to unveil a TANF reauthorization. The reauthorization of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) was a Republican bill but in some respects was not as conservative as some had projected.
On April 26, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released a notice of $30 million in Family Unification Program (FUP) vouchers. The announcement combines 2017 funding that had not been released, with additional FY 2018 FUP funding. FUP vouchers are for families that lack of adequate housing and that lack of housing is
The new Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) was working with his Democratic counterpart in the Senate, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) to determine a path forward on 2019 appropriations. Shelby, who took over this month when Senator Thad Cochrane (R-MS) retired due to health issues, wants to move appropriations bills to
Shaquita Ogletree Last Wednesday, April 11, the Senate HELP Committee held a hearing on additional legislation to deal with opioids. The legislation, The Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018, has been called by some a second version of the 2016 Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA). The Committee released a discussion draft. The focus of
On Wednesday, the Senate HELP Committee will hold a hearing on additional legislation to deal with opioids. The legislation, The Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018, has been called by some a second version of the 2016 Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA). The Committee released a discussion draft on April 4 with public comments
Part of what the Senate (and future House) action is about is the funding that was included in the FY 2018 appropriations. The Congressional response includes several increases and provisions that add some actual dollars to address the issue. Some, like the child welfare spending increases have a dual purpose with part of the purpose