On Thursday, December 14th, the Children’s Bureau announced new program ratings in the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse. Five new programs were found to meet the standards for inclusion among the evidence-based programs that can be utilized under the Family First Prevention Services Act. One new program was categorized as “Well-Supported,” the highest rating in
On Tuesday, December 13th, 2022, President Biden signed bipartisan legislation to safeguard marriage equality after Congress approved federal protections for same-sex marriage. The Respect for Marriage Act repeals the 1996 law known as the Defense of Marriage Act that the Supreme Court found to be largely unconstitutional in a 2013 decision and includes some religious
On Wednesday, December 13th, 2022, Representatives Jimmy Gomez (D-CA) and Danny Davis (D-IL), Chair of the Worker and Family Support Subcommittee on Ways and Means, introduced the Fostering Secure Family Partnerships Act, a bill to increase federal funding for state Kinship Navigator Programs — which provide caregivers with information, education, and referrals to a wide
The Continuing Resolution (CR) that Congress passed in September to avoid a government shutdown is set to expire this Friday, December 16th, 2022, and no Appropriations deal has been reached at this time. This week will be critical in determining if the twelve Appropriations bills will get done, or if another CR will be necessary.
The House of Representatives passed the amended Respect for Marriage Act on Thursday, December 8th, 2022, in a 258-169-1 vote. Thirty-nine Republicans joined all Democrats in supporting the measure, which had previously been passed in the House in July of this year. The bill now awaits President Biden’s signature, which is likely to happen in
On December 1st, 2022, the Senate Finance Committee released its fifth and final mental health discussion draft, this one focusing on mental health parity. Led by Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Richard Burr (R-NC), policies in the draft include: Strengthening the accuracy of provider directories in Medicare Advantage plans. Strengthening requirements in Medicaid for managed
There are a couple of bipartisan immigration negotiations currently happening on Capitol Hill, but with the end of the year quickly approaching, lawmakers and advocates are questioning whether a deal can be reached. Senators Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) have outlined a potential immigration proposal that would provide a path to legalization for
A new report from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) presents estimates of the number and percentage of children whose parents engage in problematic substance use. Estimates are also provided for each state. The results can support policy, programmatic, and budgetary decision making as leaders seek to provide solutions to
The Sentencing Project released their last publication of 2022 highlighting valuable data on youth incarceration rates and trends. This data and research showed that youth incarceration not only fails to deter youth delinquency, but many studies show that confinement increases negative behavior while reduction in confinement does not lead to an increase in youth criminal
An article in the November issue of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice details systematic review evidence supporting housing voucher programs. The Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF) recommends tenant-based housing voucher programs to improve health and health-related outcomes for adults and to advance health equity. Health-related outcomes include housing quality and security,
