The 2022 edition of updates to the standards for COA Accreditation, a service of Social Current, have recently been released. These targeted enhancements to the standards are the result of our annual process and include changes based on ongoing collection and analysis of feedback received from our network, collaboration with diverse groups of subject matter experts, and a review of research and professional literature on identified trends and evolving practices.

Our collaborative update process is designed to ensure the standards remain up-to-date and field-informed, promoting improved outcomes for individuals, families, and communities.

Who’s Affected

These changes impact private, public, and Canadian accredited organizations. The 2022 edition of updates will not impact organizations that are currently pursuing accreditation or re-accreditation and have already been assigned standards in the MyCOA portal.

When It’s Happening

Standards will officially be released on the Social Current website on March 30.

Standards assignments for COA Accreditation begin April 4.

What’s Changing in Our Standards

New Standards for Office-Based Opioid Treatment (DTX)
We have revised our standards for Day Treatment Services (DTX) to accommodate providers offering medication-assisted treatment under the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000. The American Society of Addiction Medicine identifies ongoing maintenance medication with appropriate psychosocial treatment as the gold standard of care for opioid use disorder. Within the context of the opioid epidemic, this work supports improved access to quality programs offering this evidence-based treatment. The 2022 updates to DTX include:

Additional Revisions
In response to feedback from our network, we are also releasing many minor revisions throughout the COA Accreditation standards to provide clarity and/or remain current with trends in the field. Some of the highlights include:

A full list of standards impacted by the 2022 updates can be found online.

Our Process

The 2022 COA Accreditation standards updates reflect changes made based on evolving practices, ongoing review of relevant literature, and the continuous feedback we receive from our network, including volunteer reviewers and accredited organizations. More specifically, updating the 2022 Standards involved:

Questions?

If you are an in-process or accredited organization, reach out to your accreditation coordinator.

If you are seeking accreditation for the first time, contact Joe Perrow.

For additional information about COA Accreditation standards, contact Melissa Dury.

Last week, Congress voted to pass the fiscal year 2022 omnibus budget bill after months of delays. This bipartisan bill represents significant investments in many priority areas for the Social Current network, including advancing trauma-informed care, investing in early childhood education, developing whole-child approaches through partnerships with K-12 education, increasing funds for rental assistance and public housing to address the housing crisis, bolstering maternal health equity through new interventions, supporting the behavioral health workforce crisis with new investments, and more. The package also includes supplemental funding of over $13 billion for Ukraine relief.

In addition, this legislative package included the passage of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act. This legislation takes steps to strengthen services, invest in prevention efforts, and expand access to survivors in rural areas and those requiring culturally specific services. Download our full summary for human and social service organizations.

Social Current Comments on Impact of the Economy

Last week, The Chronicle of Philanthropy quoted Social Current President and CEO Jody Levison-Johnson in an article about how the economy continues to impact our sector. You can read the full article, “Economic Data Shocks Charity Officials Just as they were Hoping for a Post-Pandemic Boom,” online.

Universal Charitable Deduction Hearing in the Senate

On Thursday, the Senate Finance Committee, chaired by Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), hosted a hearing on the Universal Charitable Deduction (UCD), featuring speakers from the nonprofits, academic institutions, and think tanks. The first-ever UCD was implemented in the CARES Act in 2020, but it expired at the end of last year. It allowed all taxpayers, whether they took the standard deduction or not, to claim a deduction of up to $300 for charitable contributions. During his remarks, Dan Cardinali, CEO of Independent Sector, emphasized the importance of the charitable sector as the third largest employer in the country. He asked members of the committee to not only extend the UCD, but also raise the cap of the deduction. Susannah Morgan of the Oregon Food Bank shared her on-the-ground experiences running a food bank during the height of the pandemic, and stressed that government programs, such as SNAP and the expanded Child Tax Credit, are also central to helping families in need. Another highlight was Dr. Una Osili from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University, who noted that over the last two decades, giving has increasingly become dominated by higher income households and argued that the UCD would make giving more accessible to the rest of the population. The Universal Charitable Deduction remains a major advocacy priority for Social Current.

Public Charge Updates

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a new rule that would change how some immigrants are considered for citizenship and green cards. Under the Trump administration, a rule was passed that expanded the ability of the department to consider whether an applicant who wished to change their status would become a “public charge,” meaning likely to depend on the government for assistance. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid, Section 8 Housing, public housing, and other government benefits programs were added to the list of programs that could be used to assess applicants. Under the proposed rule from DHS, these programs would be explicitly removed from consideration when making a public charge determination. The rule would also forbid relatives’ participation in government programs from being considered when determining likelihood of an applicant becoming a public charge. The rule will now go through a public comment period until April 25.

House Hearing on Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (MIECHV)

Last week the House Ways and Means Committee’s Subcommittee on Worker and Family Supports led a hearing on improving family outcomes through home visiting program. The Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program helps at risk-women and families by connecting them with supports through home visiting. Chairman Danny Davis (D-Ill.) and Ranking Member Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.) co-led the hearing. Witnesses included Steven Pascal, director of home visiting at the Children’s Trust in Boston; Myia Smith, Healthy Families America family support specialist at Henry Booth House in Chicago; Erica Beck, Healthy Families American program participant at Henry Booth House in Chicago; Angella Dancer, senior director of home visitation services at the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma; and Debie Coble, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries of Michiana in South Bend, Indiana. These witnesses, several of whom shared their lived experience, made a strong case for the importance and effectiveness of MIECHV. Since its enactment in 2009, MIECHV has played a vital role in strengthening local and state efforts. Seven home visiting models met the gold standard of evidence that the law required at that time, and today 12 more research-tested models appear on that list. The committee is looking to reauthorize the program. Some of the goals of Reps. Davis and Walorski include expanding access to home visiting to more families, helping to retain the home visiting workforce, continuing to tailor home visiting to the needs of specific communities, and maintaining a high standard of evidence.

In early March 2022, Congress voted to pass the fiscal year 2022 omnibus budget bill after months of delays. This bipartisan bill represents significant investments in many priority areas for the Social Current network including advancing trauma-informed care, investing in early childhood education, developing whole-child approaches through partnerships with K-12 education, increasing funds for rental assistance and public housing to address the housing crisis, bolstering maternal health equity through new interventions, supporting the behavioral health workforce crisis with new investments, and more. The package also including supplemental funding of over $13 billion for Ukraine relief.

In addition, this legislative package included the passage of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act. This legislation takes steps to strengthen services, invest in prevention efforts, and expand access to survivors in rural areas and those requiring cultural-specific services.

Download our full summary for human and social service organizations. It includes highlights from:

Download Summary

Johnson Bam moved to the U.S. from Ghana with his wife and children six years ago, and the family soon outgrew their Chicago rental apartment. With three kids, he wondered if he could become a homeowner in their new country. Johnson set out to learn everything he could about the home-buying process in the U.S. Using Bank of America’s Better Money Habits® financial educational resources, which are offered online and through community-based partners, Johnson was able to budget, save up for a down payment, and, once a homeowner, manage his new expenses. Through the additional support of his loan officer, who guided him through the process, the Bam family now has a place to call their own. Hear more about Johnson’s experiences and read the stories of other community members finding financial success.

Bank of America’s free Better Money Habits® tools, which include videos, articles, and resources, available in both English and Spanish, provide practical information around money and personal finance. Community-based organizations can leverage these resources in a variety of current programs by engaging staff in train-the-trainer Better Money Habits sessions.

Social Current network organization Northwestern Settlement House in Chicago has worked with Bank of America to train its staff on these financial literacy education tools. “The Better Money Habits website and tools were really easy to access and use, said Katie Taylor, director of development at Northwestern Settlement. “Our program staff are able to easily pull what’s needed for our different populations and specific needs.”

Additionally, a handful of other Social Current network organizations are working with local Bank of America teams to offer Better Money Habits trainings to their community members across the lifespan.

Social Current is in its third year of collaborating with Bank of America to support communities in becoming more financially resilient by connecting people to the tools, resources, and education they need to help them achieve their financial goals.

Learn more about how your organization can be a Better Money Habits® curriculum provider by watching our on-demand webinar or by contacting Emily Merritt at Social Current.

Learn more about advancing social and economic mobility so that all families and communities can thrive:

At the beginning of March, President Joe Biden offered his first official State of the Union address, in the midst of the violent crisis in Ukraine, the COVID-19 pandemic, rising inflation, and other challenges. While the speech began with a focus on foreign policy and the war in Ukraine, it quickly moved to domestic policy. While President Biden’s Build Back Better plan seems doomed after it failed to get the votes necessary to pass in the Senate, he attempted to revive a new version of his agenda called “Building a Better America.” Since the speech, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) said he is concerned about inflation and has hinted about raising taxes on the rich and corporations to bring down deficits. Biden talked about individual elements of Build Back Better as cost-saving measures for families worried about rising prices, which represented a change in messaging.

While it is unclear what will happen with the Build Back Better agenda, Biden announced a new framework, his “Unity Agenda,” which is focused on four areas of potential bipartisan compromise and support:

Of interest to the social sector, his proposal for a new mental health bill includes a focus on strengthening system capacity, improving access, addressing parity, improving youth mental health, strengthening children’s privacy and banning targeted advertising for children, and instituting stronger online protections for young people. His proposal is clearly laid out in a new fact sheet. Many of his ideas align with the priorities and expertise of community based organizations, including investing in programs that bring more providers into behavioral health, promoting the mental well-being of the front-line workforce, expanding evidence-based community mental health services, expanding telehealth for mental health care, expanding access to supports in schools, co-locating mental health and substance use providers in community-based settings, and increasing behavioral health navigation resources.

As reported by Social Current last month, the Senate is beginning work on a bipartisan mental health bill, and Social Current will continue to identify opportunities for advocacy in this process.

Federal Budget Negotiations Gaining Steam Before Deadline

Lawmakers are rushing to pass the budget for FY 2022 before a self-imposed deadline of March 11. The 12-bill omnibus package, which must be passed every year to fund the entire federal government, is finally in the last stages of negotiations after months of delays. Appropriators would also like to add two supplemental packages on Ukraine aid and COVID-19 relief. However, the Ukraine aid, which could amount to up to $10 billion, seems to be a sticking point. On Wednesday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said that Democrats were trying to fit in the Ukraine aid by shrinking the defense budget in the omnibus bill, something Republicans oppose. However, Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) insisted that the Ukraine aid would be on top of the already negotiated defense bill. In the House of Representatives, Chair of the Appropriations Committee Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) said that everyone is “negotiating in good faith” and that she hopes to reach an agreement in the next few days. If Congress does not reach a deal before March 11, they are likely to pass another short term extension for a week or two, to buy more time to complete negotiations.

Source: Bloomberg Government

ACF Releases Anticipated Guidance on Advancing Equity

From the National Child Abuse Coalition:

On Feb. 2, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) released a new Information Memorandum (IM) focused on advancing race equity. Titled “Equity in Action: Prioritizing and Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities,” the IM calls for ACF grantees to assess and address how its programs and policies perpetuate systemic barriers for children and families of color. It also includes three attachments which include key equity definitions, references from the IM, and selected resources for supporting race equity.

Among other things, it details the history of racism in America and its impact on children and families, and it calls out racism as a social determinant of health, calls for comprehensive action to address structural racism in policy, and highlights promising practices that jurisdictions have implemented to address racial equity. It concludes with four key recommendations for the field in advancing equity for children and families:

  1. Review policies and commit to revising them in partnership with a diverse group of people the policies are meant to serve.
  2. Create and promote a statewide policy to meet the needs of children and families of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds.
  3. Identify contract and procurement opportunities that are barriers to full equitable participation. At a minimum, ensure these opportunities are promoted and communicated to providers of goods and services owned or operated by members of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds.
  4. Establish a diverse and culturally competent workforce that acknowledges the importance of culture, has the capacity for cultural self-assessment, recognizes the dynamics resulting from cultural differences, strives for expansion of cultural knowledge, and adapts services to meet culturally unique needs.

This IM is the latest action by the Biden Administration to advance racial equity within ACF. Last year, the agency launched an internal equity advisory group and an agency-wide council on diversity. They have also solicited program-specific equity action plans, in response to the Biden Administration’s Jan. 20, 2021 Executive Order calling for all federal agencies to review their policies and procedures and make recommendations for how to advance equity. And they have taken steps to diversify their workforce, implement staff trainings, and create employee resource groups focused on equity. The Children’s Bureau also recently released a resource for child welfare agencies titled Advancing Equity and Inclusion Through the CFSRs.

New Report on Poverty Reduction Due to American Rescue Plan

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published a new report that details the impact of the American Rescue Plan (ARP) on poverty in 2021. The ARP, which passed in March last year, included large investments in state and local governments, stimulus checks, expanded unemployment benefits and the newly expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC). It aimed to give aid to those most impacted by the economic effects of the pandemic, particularly the unemployed and children.

The report found that the ARP kept 20.1 million people out of poverty, including 7.8 million children. Accounting for the aggregate impact of all the provisions in the ARP, the poverty rate decreased by 45% in 2021 from pre-pandemic levels. The child poverty rate was 8.3% in 2021, a decrease of 42% compared to 2019, due to the advanced payments of the CTC and federal and state stimulus efforts. For Black, Latino and American Indian/Alaska native people, the impacts were greater compared to the entire population. Even without accounting for the CTC, the annual poverty rate fell by 6.2 percentage points among American Indian/Alaska Native people, 5.3 percentage points among Black people, and 5.0 percentage points among Hispanic people.

Social Current, in partnership with the Hathaway Center for Excellence, is proud to offer the first in a series of APA and CAMFT continuing education eligible courses for practitioners working in and with the child welfare and therapeutic systems. The course is now available for on-demand registration and completion: Working with LGBTQ Youth and Young Adults.

This self-guided course is designed for front-line staff who are working with LGBTQ youth and young adults in community or residential settings. It focuses on how to:

The course is eligible for 1 CE, as the Hathaway Center for Excellence is a continuing education vendor of the American Psychological Association (APA), or 1 CE, as the Hathaway Center for Excellence is a continuing education vendor of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. Course participants receive their CE after completing all quizzes, post-tests, and evaluations associated with the course.

The cost is $75 per person. Organizations who are interested in sending five or more staff to this training should contact the Social Current Organizational Learning Team.

Enroll in this course online, or browse the Social Current learning catalog.

About the Hathaway Center for Excellence

The Hathaway Center for Excellence (HCFE) is the esteemed research and training program of Sycamores. HCFE enables Sycamores to collect and share evidence-based research discoveries to clinical professionals across the U.S. and beyond, ensuring findings help to inspire informed care to all consumers in the therapeutic field.

Contact HCFE with questions about the content of this course.

About the Social Current Learning Exchange

Organizations that have developed courses related to social sector topics can gain exposure and revenue by sharing them through the Social Current Learning Exchange.

Social Current can assist you in converting your training to an online, on-demand course and offer it publicly through our learning catalog. We also can assist in promoting your course to our national network of social sector professionals.

If your organization is interested in making learning available via the Social Current Learning Exchange, contact the Social Current Organizational Learning Team.

Every person, family, and community is more likely to achieve their full potential when they have a strong foundation that enables them to weather life’s challenges and thrive, no matter their current situation, socioeconomic status, or geographic location. These building blocks are essential for creating and sustaining the well-being of every family and community:

Building the Essentials of Financial Well-Being

Because so many of these building blocks are tied to financial well-being and opportunity, Social Current has collaborated with the Washington University Brown School’s Center for Social Development (CSD) and its partners to publish new research in Social Current’s peer-reviewed journal, Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services. In recognition of Black History Month, the issue is freely accessible without a subscription through February 2022.

The special issue, Building Financial Capability and Assets in America’s Families, was guest edited by Jin Huang, Margaret Sherraden, Jenny Jones, and Christine Callahan. Articles were developed from presentations made at a national conference hosted at CSD and the Financial Social Work Initiative at the University of Maryland School of Social Work.

“We began this project to develop a better understanding of how financial well-being has become elusive for families,” explained Margaret Sherraden, a research professor in the Brown School at Washington University and a faculty lead of CSD’s Financial Capability and Asset Building (FCAB) initiative.

Many families and communities, especially communities of color, face hurdles that they alone did not create or control that obstruct their ability to flourish. “Counteracting multigenerational disparities and trauma resulting from systemic racism and oppression requires intentional interventions aimed at addressing root causes. Otherwise, those conditions may be insurmountable and will impede social change and justice that can benefit all Americans,” according to Jody Levison-Johnson, president and CEO of Social Current.

Helping Families Overcome Barriers

For families in crisis, guidance from community-based organizations and social services professionals can be critically important. “Financial and economic issues underlie many of the problems that bring families to social services,” the editors write in the issue introduction. “Intake interviews … often reveal insufficient income and assets, overwhelming debt, lack of emergency savings, limited access to public benefits and social assistance, challenges obtaining a bank account or credit, and worries about their future financial well-being.”

Jin Huang, professor of social work at Saint Louis University and a faculty lead of CSD’s FCAB initiative, noted takeaways: “This collection shows that families who bring financial struggles to social workers can find guidance on operating in an increasingly financialized society and on improving financial security. It also shows that those outcomes – financial capability and financial security – require a broader framework of supportive programming and sound policies.”

Building Financial Knowledge in Social Services

As dean of the Whitney Young Jr. School of Social Work at Clark Atlanta University, Jenny Jones brought to the project her insights from training students for financial capability practice. “I began incorporating financial content into social work classes to introduce students to issues related to families that are referred to social service agencies for various services,” Jones said. “Students embraced the skills when they saw how pivotal these issues are in the lives of their clients.”

Christine Callahan, research associate professor with the University of Maryland’s Financial Social Work Initiative, also came to the project through her efforts to develop social workers’ capacity for guiding clients in their financial struggles. “Social workers recognize that a better understanding of financial matters and addressing financial distress to a greater degree would enhance their work with individuals, couples, and families who often are dealing with complex, intertwined psychosocial and financial problems and stressors.”

Advancing Equity and Economic Freedom

It’s clear that all people need to be supported by families, who in turn fuel vibrant communities and economies. “Families and communities today are experiencing both acute and persistent needs that are varied and interconnected. That’s why it’s so critical that solutions focused on building well-being are evidence-informed, diverse, and cross-cutting through the lens of advancing equity,” notes Undraye Howard, senior director and special advisor to the CEO on Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement at Social Current.

More practice and policy innovations, training and education, and research are necessary to ensure that all families—and particularly families of color with added burdens resulting from America’s long history of systemic racism and a culture of white supremacy—have the “opportunity to generate new collective narratives of genuine economic freedom where they can realize their hopes and capabilities” as envisioned in the essay by Devin Fergus and Trina Shanks.

Special Issue Articles

Articles in this issue can be accessed through Black History Month 2022 without a subscription.

Guest Editors

Christine Callahan

Jenny L. Jones

Jin Huang

Margaret Sherraden

The Senate Finance Committee is beginning work on a mental health bill to address current challenges. A few weeks ago, it held several hearings focused on youth mental health challenges, one featuring U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. Senate Finance Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) has selected four core focus areas:

The committee has identified a bipartisan pair of co-chairs from among its members to lead the work on each focus area. Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Steve Daines (R-Mont.) will work on the workforce issues. Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) are working on integration and access to care. Sens. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Richard Burr (R-N.C.) are working on parity issues. Finally, Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and John Thune (R-S.D.) are working on telehealth.

Their goal is to produce bipartisan legislation this summer that brings together these various pieces of work. Parity seems to be a big issue heading into this discussion, as health insurance companies often violate laws and refuse to pay for mental health or substance abuse services. Insurance companies are already bracing to fight policy ideas around enforcements and fines. Social Current will be involved in advocacy efforts around this legislation and will continue to track this closely.

In other news, Congress voted to pass another short-term continuing resolution that would keep the government funded through March 11. Senate and House Appropriations Committee leads have agreed on a bipartisan funding framework for the 2022 fiscal year budget and are now working out the details. They are hoping to pass an omnibus budget bill before March 11 but may need another short-term extension to buy time if negotiations are not complete by then.

Equity Commission at USDA Formed

On Feb. 10, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the creation of the new Equity Commission, an initiative authorized and funded by the American Rescue Plan, which passed last March. The commission also includes a subcommittee on agriculture, and an additional subcommittee on rural community and economic development is forthcoming. The 15-member commission and its subcommittee will provide ideas and recommendations to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack on ways the department can give all farmers and ranchers an equal chance at success and prosperity and close the racial wealth gap and other inequities in agriculture. Members will focus on tackling racial equity issues inside the department as well as in its programs. The commission launched after the one-year anniversary of the Biden administration’s executive order requiring federal agencies to reevaluate all internal and external programs and policies with a specific focus on advancing racial equity.

USDA Delivers $1.4 Billion for Rural Economic Development

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a $1.4 billion investment in rural business and cooperative services that is estimated to create or save over 50,000 jobs. These funds will be distributed across 49 states, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico, and will help businesses and regional cooperatives hire and retain staff, create new opportunities for historically disadvantaged communities, and expand to new customer bases. For example, one grant for the Pella Cooperative Association will shore up its loan fund, which will help build a new women’s housing and health care building. Another grant will support rural microentrepreneurs and microenterprises in 12 Nebraska counties, including Native American business owners. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack says that these investments will make rural economies whole and equitable.

New Brief on Transition-Age Youth

First Focus on Children recently released the policy brief, How Tax Credits Could Provide Transition-Age Youth Greater Financial Stability, which outlines challenges that youth aging out of foster care have faced in recent years and opportunities to alleviate hardship moving forward. There are approximately 700,000 youth (ages 16-24) with experience in foster care. Among findings in the brief:

At the start of the pandemic in Spring 2020, the unemployment rate for this population rose from 8.4% to 24.4%. However, changes to the tax code in 2021 disproportionately helped youth with foster care experience. For example, the Earned Income Tax Credit was expanded to include eligibility for former foster youth and homeless youth ages 18-25, benefiting an estimated 380,000-500,000 youth. Youth with children became eligible for monthly payments and expanded care support through the Child Tax Credit and the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit. The brief calls on Congress to make these changes and others permanent, so that youth with foster care experience continue to receive support.

A new white paper has been released by the Vaccine Equity Cooperative, whose members include Social Current, Partners In Health, National Association of Community Health Workers, and Health Leads. It provides recommendations based on lessons learned from the collaborating organizations’ shared experiences at the local, state, and federal levels in responding to COVID-19 and in addressing health disparities in communities.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated underlying inequities in the U.S. health care system, disproportionately affecting communities of color. Those inequities make it clear that the U.S. needs systemic investment in public and community health systems—focused on serving the most marginalized individuals and communities.

The newly released white paper provides a roadmap by focusing on four key pillars of health equity that reflect the challenges faced by implementers during the COVID-19 response:

By ensuring our approaches include improved access to care, strong data systems, a shift in decision-making power, and access to resources, communities in the U.S. will be able to build a more equitable health care system.

Download the white paper online.

About the Vaccine Equity Cooperative

In fall 2020, Health Leads, NACHW, Partners In Health, and Social Current, came together to form the Vaccine Equity Cooperative to share trusted resources, expand funding, and strengthen policy in support of community-based and public health workforces. This initiative, a collaborative approach to addressing structural barriers and building vaccine confidence, aims to further support the rebuilding of public trust necessary to address long-term disparities and prepare for future crises.

Learn more about the Vaccine Equity Cooperative and how to get involved online.

Social Current Resources on Health Equity

Here are some ways to join our work on equity, diversity, and inclusion today:

The current federal budget is set to expire on Feb. 18. The House of Representatives has passed nine out of 12 appropriations bills. However, none of those bills have passed in the Senate, which has an even split of Democrats and Republicans. Appropriations Committee chairs in the House and Senate are currently discussing a budget for the remainder of the 2022 fiscal year, but they have not reached a resolution yet. Remaining issues include the division of funding between defense and non-defense items and policy riders. Last week, Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), who serves as the top Republican on the Senate Committee, said he thought another short-term continuing resolution would be necessary to avoid a government shutdown. Negotiations will continue over the coming weeks, and we will see if Congress can come to an agreement.

Make Your Voice Heard in Our Policy Agenda!

Social Current is currently leading a highly inclusive and collaborative process to engage its network in developing its federal policy agenda for 2022-2024. The agenda-setting process will determine the federal policies and issues of focus for our network’s collective policy and advocacy work.

This series of focus groups, held in February and March, will capture critical feedback from the Social Current network on policy issue areas. All Social Current network organizations, including those that have purchased engagement packages or are pursuing or have achieved COA Accreditation, are strongly encouraged to participate relevant focus groups. We welcome the input of leaders at all levels. Don’t forget to sign up for at least one!

The series of policy agenda-setting focus groups includes:

Build Back Better in Limbo

Last week, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), when asked about the status of President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better Act, replied that the package was “dead” and that any new negotiations must start from square one. At the end of December, Manchin had announced, to the surprise of the White House and other Democrats, that he couldn’t support the Build Back Better package, which included investments in child care, pre-K, health care, elder care and climate solutions, among other initiatives. An extension of the Child Tax Credit past December, a major priority of the administration, seemed to be a sticking point in the negotiations. In a press conference earlier this month, President Biden said he was hoping Manchin would accept “chunks” of the bill passing, if and when negotiations start back up.

In response to Manchin’s comments on Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) stated that there are many areas of potential agreement, such as drug costs, climate change, and tax code reform. It is becoming increasingly difficult to see how the Senate could fit Build Back Better into its hectic schedule over the next few months, as the chamber deals with competing priorities, such as a Supreme Court nomination, legislation boosting competitiveness with China, consideration of the Electoral Count Act, and a Russian offensive in Ukraine.

Source: Bloomberg Government

Heating and Cooling Relief Act Introduced in Congress

On Jan. 20, Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Congressman Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) introduced the Heating and Cooling Relief Act, which would bolster the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and provide more funds for weatherization. According to Markey’s office, only 16% of eligible households are enrolled in LIHEAP. The bill would boost uptake by increasing funding to $40 billion and ensuring that no household pays more than 3% of its annual income on energy costs. The bill would also increase funds to support community outreach and technological upgrades and ensure LIHEAP coordinators are paid a living wage. Finally, the bill would create a new Just Transition Grant for states and localities, which would help eligible households weatherize and adopt renewable energy sources.

FCC Finalizes Rules for Affordable Connectivity Program

Last month, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released the details of the Affordable Connectivity Program, a new $14.2 billion initiative that provides discounts to eligible households for internet services and technology, such as computers and tablets. The program will contribute $30 per month ($75 per month for households on Tribal lands) for broadband services and a one-time discount of $100 for technology. Any household that earns income at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines is eligible. Moreover, eligibility extends to any family that participates in certain public benefit programs, such as Medicaid, SNAP, federal housing assistance, WIC, SSI, and free and reduced-price lunch or breakfast programs. Under the new FCC rules, consumers will be protected from credit checks during enrollment, upselling and downselling practices, and measures that lead to bill shock.

New Ratings in Family First Prevention Services Clearinghouse

The Family First Prevention Services Clearinghouse recently announced new ratings. First, the Intensive Care Coordination Using High Fidelity Wraparound program was rated as a promising practice under mental health programs and services. The Intercept program, which went through a re-review process, was rated as well-supported under the in-home parent and skill-based programs and services category. The Lilliput Families Kinship Support Services program was deemed not eligible for review by the Clearinghouse.