On Thursday, March 11, 2021, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies held a hearing to discuss COVID-19 and the mental health and substance use crisis. Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) opened with remarks about the pandemic and how it has increased anxiety and depression, worsened mental health,
After an initial delaying tactic by Senator Ron Johnson (R-WS) that called for a reading of the bill throughout Thursday, the Senate moved on the American Rescue Plan on Friday morning. A CWLA description of the still-changing package can be found here. Earlier in the week, the Senate Democratic leadership was negotiating various alterations from the
Last week, the Health and Human Service (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a new report confirming that HHS's Administration for Children and Families (ACF) cannot ensure that all children who have been abused or neglected have court representation during judicial proceedings. The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) mandates that a State
While the Senate has acted slowly on filling the HHS Secretary position two months after Xavier Becerra’s nomination by President Biden, important lower-level non-Senate confirmation positions are being filled. Last week the Senate Finance Committee split 14 to 14 on sending Xavier Becerra’s nomination to become the next Secretary of HHS. The tie means
In addition to the Children’s Bureau, other critical appointments included Katie Hamm, Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary for Early Childhood Development; Dr. Bernadine Futrell, Director Office of Head Start; Cindy Huang, Director Office of Refugee Resettlement; and Dr. Lanikque Howard, Director Office of Community Services. Hamm has a lengthy resume in the child care arena.
The Special Enrollment Period (SEP) for Marketplace Affordable Care Act (ACA) that opened on February 15 continues through May 15, 2021, as more customers are using the opportunity to get health insurance. Last week, the Administration announced that the number of consumers who chose coverage through HealthCare.gov from February 15 through February 28 totaled 206,236. That was approximately
Fostering Families Today and the National Foster Parent Association (NFPA) hosted a webinar on Thursday, March 4, to discuss recent findings from a survey they conducted. This survey was created to discover how foster families are coping through the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 300 foster parents in the U.S. were surveyed during January and February 2021,
On Monday, March 1, 2021, the ABA Center on Children and the Law, Casey Family Programs, Children’s Defense Fund, and Generations United hosted a webinar presenting a new tool that lays out the necessary steps for effective implementation of the kinship provisions under the Family First Prevention Services Act (Family First Act) which includes kinship
On Tuesday, March 2, 2021, the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) hosted an event on child allowances, presenting an array of arguments for and against, including conversations on welfare reform. The Biden Administration, House Democrats, and Republican Senator Mitt Romney have child allowance proposals that address child poverty in America with different measures. Senator Romney (R-UT)
On Wednesday, March 3, 2021, FosterClub, Juvenile Law Center with California Youth Connection, the John Burton Advocates for Youth, ACTION Ohio, and the Ohio Youth Advisory Board hosted a webinar on how to impact the implementation of the Supporting Foster Youth and Families through the Pandemic Act. Specifically, the organizations provided tips for getting implementation moving in
