Senate Legislation

Administration Budget Sets Up Cuts And Debates for 2020

The Administration released its FY 2021 budget on Monday, February 10, 2020. This year’s budget, A Budget for America’s Future, proposes a number of human service cuts and human service funding increases but overall includes reductions in non-defense spending despite last year’s budget agreement. The President’s FY 2021 budget should be based on last summer’s

Administration Proposes Changes to Family First Act

The Administration’s budget proposes a clarification under the Family First Act, the relationship between al Qualified Residential Treatment Programs (QRTP), and the definition of Institutions for Mental Diseases (IMD) under the Medicaid program. Additionally, the Administration would allow ACF to better align the ratings of child welfare programs under the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse, the HHS

CAPTA and Adoption Programs Not Targeted For Reductions

The Administration proposes the same level of funding for the two CAPTA-related grants for FY 2021 with an increase in one of the grants. State Grants would be funded at $90 million, Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (CB-CAP) grants would be funded at $55 million, and CAPTA Discretionary Grants would be increased by $16 million to

Administration Proposes Billions in Medicaid Cuts

Building on their Thursday, January 30, 2020, their Medicaid Healthy Adult Opportunity waiver proposal, the Administration proposes cuts to Medicaid of $920 billion over the next ten years. The reductions are the result of various restrictions, new requirements (such as work), and various block grant options, as evidenced by January waiver notice to states. Both

Administration Proposes Elimination of SSBG and Cuts to TANF

The President’s budget again proposes the elimination of the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG), eliminating the $1.7 billion entitlement fund to states. They recommend keeping in place the SSBG law to allow the use of the block grant for emergencies and disasters. The rationale they state is the same as past budget justification (2019): “The

Administration Proposes to End the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program

With the $5.6 billion cuts to the Department of Education, the Administration’s proposal for the fiscal year 2021 included eliminating the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. In 2007, the Bush Administration created the PSLF program under the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-84) for individuals who work ten years in

Child Poverty in Puerto Rico

On Tuesday, February 11, 2020, the Youth Development Institute of Puerto Rico (Instituto del Desarrollo de la Juventud, IDJ), held a briefing entitled A Future of Child Poverty in Puerto Rico: How Much it Costs and What We Can Do About It. Congresswoman, Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon [R-PR] explained how alarming the issue of child poverty in

Administration To Release FY 2021 Budget Today

The President is scheduled to release his proposed budget for FY 2021 on Monday, February 10, 2020. The release of the proposed budget by the Trump Administration will be just one week behind the official required release date for annual budgets, so it becomes the most timely release for this Administration. Last summer the Congress

Solving America’s Child Care Crisis

On Thursday, February 6, the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary hearing, "Solving America's Child Care Crisis: Supporting Parents, Children, and the Economy" sought understanding from a panel of experts regarding how the federal government can better support families around the country find and afford high-quality child care. Every day across this country, regardless

Administration Moves on Optional Medicaid Block Grant

On Thursday, January 30, the Trump Administration followed up on last week’s reports with their Medicaid Healthy Adult Opportunity proposal. The announcement came through CMS Administrator Seem Verma with careful avoidance of using the term block grant. The Administration is attempting to use their waiver authority to allow a more limited Medicaid block grant. In

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