Last week, Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) released his long-awaited proposal to increase the debt limit, now standing at $31.4 trillion. In exchange for lifting the debt limit by $1.5 trillion until March 31, 2024, the plan proposes a series of budget cuts McCarthy says will decrease budget deficits by $4.5 trillion over the next decade. President Biden has dismissed budget negotiations, calling for a “clean” debt ceiling increase and delaying any negotiations about the federal budget until after. The Treasury Department says the debt ceiling must be raised as soon as possible and the government could run out of money as soon as June, setting up a tense few months on Capitol Hill.

McCarthy’s plan would immediately return the federal budget to FY 2022 levels, a $130 billion cut, as well as limit yearly increases to one percent for a decade. The plan doesn’t specify the programs that will be cut; however, Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee, Rosa DeLauro (C-Ct.), says different agencies have reported the 2022 level budget would lead to drastic impacts, including one million senior citizens losing nutrition services, 1.1 million families losing housing assistance, and 200,000 children losing access to Head Start.

Additionally, McCarthy’s plan would implement work requirements in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for adults without children until age 56, instead of age 49 under current law. Under the plan, Medicaid would also implement a work requirement of 80 hours per month, which could lead to millions being kicked off. Finally, President Biden’s student debt cancellation program, which is under consideration by the Supreme Court, would be scrapped.

Social Current will continue to monitor budget negotiations and aggressively challenge cuts to critical programs that support the health and wellbeing of vulnerable communities across the country.

HUD Selects Grantees for Choice Neighborhoods Program

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced $98 million in funds for the Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grants program. The Choice Neighborhoods program takes a holistic approach to developing housing and increasing wellbeing in marginalized neighborhoods. Its three-pronged approach – “housing, people, and neighborhood” – involves redeveloping HUD-assisted properties while simultaneously supporting health, education, and income services in the community. New grocery stores, parks, services, and jobs, for example, are included in the program’s approach. These neighborhood improvement programs lead to private financing and economic growth. Since its inception, the Choice Neighborhoods program has led to 11,000 new mixed-income units in 44 cities, with another 32,000 units under consideration. This batch of grantees come from states across the country, including Arizona, California, Florida, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Oklahoma, and Virginia. 

CSBG Receives Third Funding Installment for the Year

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released $375 million to tribes, territories and over 1,000 local Community Action Agencies through its Community Services Block Grant (CSBG). CSBG is a federally funded block grant program in the Office of Community Services within the Administration for Children and Families tackling poverty head on in communities lacking resources. The Community Action Agencies have wide leeway to choose what types of services their communities need, including housing, nutrition, employment, education, or healthcare services. Over nine million people are served annually through CSBG. The $375 million installment is the third for FY 2023, bringing the total to $750 million.

New Opportunity to Provide Health Care to Individuals Transitioning Back to Community

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a new program to allow states to provide health care to incarcerated individuals as they are about to reenter their communities. The Medicaid Reentry Section 1115 Demonstration Opportunities would allow the utilization of Medicaid funds to cover health services like substance use disorders and other chronic health conditions for up to 90 days prior to release. CMS cited a study from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which says as much as 65 percent of people who are incarcerated suffer from substance abuse disorders. It goes on to say this population is at increased risk of overdosing in the first few weeks of reentry without treatment. Providing critical health care services to this population before release lessens the challenges of transitioning back to the community and reduces recidivism.

Subscribe to the Policy and Advocacy Radar to receive our biweekly policy roundup, which includes commentary on issues in Social Current’s federal policy agenda, opportunities to take action, and curated news and opportunities.

At the beginning of the pandemic, states began receiving substantially more Medicaid funds from the federal government to expand access to necessary healthcare coverage. In exchange, states paused reviews of beneficiaries, a practice that had allowed states to regularly determine whether individuals or families were still eligible. This arrangement led to a 28 percent increase in enrollment in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. However, in Dec. Congress voted to allow states to commence eligibility determinations after March 31.

Arkansas, Arizona, New Hampshire, South Dakota, and Idaho will begin making eligibility determinations in April, while the rest of states will start this summer. Enrollees will be forced to provide information and documentation, like income and household size, to continue receiving health care benefits. Kaiser believes between 5 million and 14 million people could lose health coverage, while the Department of Health and Human Services estimates up to 15 million could be terminated. Georgetown University Health Policy Institute predicts almost 7 million children and teens could potentially lose coverage.

Social Current will continue to monitor these developments and work with our coalition partners in Washington, D.C., to mitigate the damage of these policy changes.

HUD Announced New Funding for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced $30 million in funding for public housing authorities to address housing instability for youth who have already left or are transitioning out of foster care. The funding is part of HUD’s Foster Youth to Independence Initiative, which provides public housing agencies with funding for housing choice vouchers that can be employed in partnership with local child welfare agencies. The program is geared toward easing the transition to independence and mitigating homelessness among young people, particularly foster care youth. The Biden-Harris Administration, as part of its goal of reducing overall homelessness by 25 percent by 2025, has proposed $9 billion in its FY 2024 budget to create a permanent housing voucher program for youth, ages 18-24, who are transitioning out of foster care.  

GAO Publishes Report on CCDF

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released a report on the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), which is the main federal program that provides subsidies to states to assist low-income families access child care. The report analyzed data from FY 2019, the most recent data available, and found only 2 million out of the 8.7 million children who were eligible for CCDF subsidies participated in the program in an average month. GAO stated the discrepancy is caused by the lack of funding, requiring states to prioritize certain children over others. Also, some families are unfamiliar with the program or dissuaded from applying because of the procedural hurdles. GAO found that even families who did receive subsidies still struggle to afford child care, forcing difficult choices between child care and other priorities, like food.

New Ratings from the Family First Prevention Services Clearinghouse

The Family First Prevention Clearinghouse has posted new ratings for 12 prevention services. Two were found to be “supported,” three “promising,” and seven rated as “does not currently meet criteria.” The programs included mental health, substance abuse, and in-home parent skill-based services. So far, 141 programs and services have been reviewed, and 71 have been rated as promising, supported, or well-supported.

The new ratings are as follows:

Subscribe to the Policy and Advocacy Radar to receive our biweekly policy roundup, which includes commentary on issues in Social Current’s federal policy agenda, opportunities to take action, and curated news and opportunities.

Secretary of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra, testified in front of the Senate Committee on Finance to tout President Biden’s Fiscal Year 2024 budget for the department. Health and Human Services (HHS) covers a wide variety of programs and services, including physical healthcare, behavioral healthcare, early childhood, child care, healthcare innovation, and the public health system. The proposed budget reflects the president’s continued pursuit of social policies that strengthen the care economy through investments in behavioral and substance use programs, home and community-based services, and child care. The secretary began his remarks with a focus on transforming behavioral healthcare. The president’s budget, he said, invests in the 988 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, increases funds for community mental health and substance use prevention and treatment, and makes the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics program permanent. 

The secretary also stressed the need to meet the challenge of maternal mortality through increased resources to maternal and child health programs. Care for older adults and people with disabilities is a major focus for the administration, exemplified in a proposal to spend $150 billion over ten years on the Medicaid home and community-based services program. Pre-k and child care also gain prominence in the budget, with a $200 billion proposal for universal preschool and a $400 billion proposal for high-quality child care for families earning up to $200,000. 

Social Current will continue to monitor the negotiations on the HHS budget as it is debated in Congress throughout the summer and into the fall.

Contribute to Social Current’s New Voter Outreach Toolkit

Social Current is updating its Voter and Civic Engagement Toolkit, a collaborative project with NonprofitVOTE that provides guidance, advice, and tools for community-based human services nonprofits that want to begin or expand their voter outreach efforts.

For the updated toolkit, Social Current is searching for stories from network organizations that have run successful voter engagement campaigns. If your organization has led or participated in any voter engagement activities, either in the workplace or the community, please contact Derry Kiernan, our field mobilization and policy manager.

We’d love to feature you in the new toolkit, which will be an available resource for the network and the broader nonprofit community as we head into elections this fall and next year.

Aging Committee Hearing on the Care Economy

The Senate Special Committee on Aging hosted a hearing called “Uplifting Families, Workers, and Older Adults: Supporting Communities of Care.” Chairman Bob Casey (D-Penn.) opened the hearing by calling for the passage of two bills: the Better Care Better Jobs Act, which would invest funds in the home care workforce, and the Home and Community-Based Services Access Act, which would allow everyone eligible for long-term Medicaid care services to also access home-based care. Ranking Member Mike Braun (R-Ind.) drew attention to the Prioritizing Evidence for Workforce Development Act, which supports education and workforce programs that help workers build skills in high-demand sectors, like health care. The first witness, Kezia Scales of the Paraprofessional Health Institute, explained that 2.6 million home care workers make up half of the total direct care workforce, which is the largest occupation in the country; yet 43 percent of home care workers live below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. She called on Congress to pass the Better Care Better Jobs Act because it would increase the federal match for Medicaid home and community-based services, thereby raising wages and benefits for the workforce. The testimony of Jacinta Burgess, a home care worker, illustrated the challenges that the workforce faces. As her mother’s caregiver, she earns $13.38 per hour for only 15 hours per week, even though she works around the clock. Pam Lowy, the Executive Director of Great Bay Services, said her organization serves adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and can’t afford to pay their workers a living wage because of the low reimbursement rates in the Medicaid program.

Harsh Cuts to Social Programs in the Offing

With both Democrats and Republicans publicly committed to not cutting Social Security or Medicare as a solution to the growing budget deficit crisis, an array of other social programs will come under intense scrutiny as targets of possible cuts. In fact, some lawmakers in the House are mulling proposals that could slash budgets for Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and Housing. Eliminating Medicaid expansion under Obamacare and cutting the Section 8 housing program by 43% are being considered. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, one proposal could kick 10 million people, or one in four SNAP participants, off the program by implementing stringent work and work-reporting requirements. This includes three million households with school-age children. This year the farm bill, which covers SNAP and other Agriculture Committee programs, will be reauthorized by Congress. Social Current will continue to monitor these developments and challenge efforts to cut back on integral safety net programs.

New Factsheet on the Child Care Stabilization Program

The American Rescue Plan, passed in March 2021, provided $24 billion for the Child Care Stabilization Program to aid providers as they came out of the pandemic. A new factsheet from the Office of Child Care details how these funds were spent. More than 220,000 child care providers received funds to pay for wages and benefits, rent and utilities, and materials and supplies. This impacted 9.6 million children. Eight out of 10 child care centers received assistance. On average, child care centers received $140,600 and family homes received $23,300. These dollars helped centers stay in business and provide child care services that were pivotal to the successful emergence of the economy from the pandemic.

Subscribe to the Policy and Advocacy Radar to receive our biweekly policy roundup, which includes commentary on issues in Social Current’s federal policy agenda, opportunities to take action, and curated news and opportunities.

Last Thursday, President Biden released a $6.9 trillion spending request for the fiscal year 2024. The Presidential Budget Request is merely a recommendation – appropriations committees in both chambers of Congress will draft their proposals. However, the budget does represent the president’s priorities for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins on Oct. 1, 2023.

Here is a summary of essential line items that may be of interest to the Social Current network:

Administration for Children and Families

Substance Use and Mental Health Services Administration 

Department of Education 

Department of Agriculture 

Contribute to Social Current’s New Voter Outreach Toolkit

Social Current is updating its Voter and Civic Engagement Toolkit, a collaborative project with NonprofitVOTE that provides guidance, advice, and tools for community-based human services nonprofits that want to begin or expand their voter outreach efforts.

For the updated toolkit, Social Current is searching for stories from network organizations that have run successful voter engagement campaigns. If your organization has led or participated in any voter engagement activities, either in the workplace or the community, please contact Derry Kiernan, our field mobilization and policy manager.

We’d love to feature you in the new toolkit, which will be an available resource for the network and the broader nonprofit community as we head into elections this fall and next year.

Hearing on Community Health Centers

On March 2, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions hosted a hearing called “Community Health Centers: Savings Lives, Saving Money.” The hearing highlighted the vital work community health centers (CHCs) and their workforce do in local communities nationwide under its unique model. As the speakers argued in their testimonies, health centers help expand healthcare to vulnerable populations while minimizing healthcare costs through extended primary care and innovative integrated care approaches. According to a Kaiser Permanente study, Amanda Pears Kelly, CEO of Advocates for Community Health, argued that community health centers saved the Medicaid and Medicare programs $25.3 billion in 2021 by focusing on cost-saving primary care. Sue Veer of Carolina Health Centers focused on the creative side of CHCs, citing the emphasis on integrated care models, like Nurse-Family Partnership and Parents as Teachers, that improve outcomes for vulnerable populations. Ben Harvey of the Indiana Primary Health Care Association cited a study that said CHCs had an economic impact in the state of nearly $1 billion annually through the employment of direct and indirect workers and the increased spending of healthy people in the community. Finally, a representative from the Government Accountability Office, Jessica Farb, showed that the number of patients served by CHCs increased from 19.5 million in 2010 to 30 million in 2021.

Tax Policy Solutions to the Housing Crisis

Last week, the Senate Committee on Finance held a hearing on the role of tax policy in incentivizing the construction of affordable housing across the country. In their opening statements, Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Oreg.) and Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) highlighted the main issue: the failure of housing construction to keep up with rising demand has led to sky-high rental rates and property prices. Mark Calabria of the Cato Institute stated that housing affordability decreased unprecedentedly from 2021 to 2022. Sharon Wilson Geno, a representative from the National Multifamily Housing Council and National Apartment Association, cited a study that said the percentage of households paying more than 30 percent of their income on housing increased from 28% in 1985 to 36.9% in 2021. The presenters supported numerous tax policy solutions that could incentivize more housing production, meet housing demand, and reduce prices. Garrett Watson of the Tax Foundation discussed reforms to the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, a $13.5 billion annual credit that helped build more than 3 million housing units between 1986 and 2020. Steve Walker of the Washington State Housing Finance Commission discussed the role of the Housing Credit, particularly in tight markets that developers often overlook. Geno called for the passage of the Middle-Income Housing Tax Credit, which would support the construction of 344,000 rental homes over ten years.

USDA Equity Commission Report Released

The Department of Agriculture released its first Equity Commission report, a requirement of President Biden’s January 2021 Executive Order on racial equity. The report outlines various ways the department can advance equity and justice, given its history of racial discrimination in funding and resource allocation. Though the report primarily focuses on policy proposals that impact farmers, it also makes recommendations about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The report states that current policy limits program access based on residency and immigration status, which should be rectified. The report also recommends lifting restrictions on residents of Puerto Rico, people with previous drug felony convictions, and unemployed people without dependents. USDA says these existing policies disproportionately impact BIPOC and harm their nutrition and health.

Social Current, APHSA Partner to Co-Create New Framework for Community-Based and Public Sector Human Services Leaders

The American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) and Social Current have a long history of collaboration. With support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the two organizations will continue partnering to develop a new leadership framework for health and human services leaders to work together across system boundaries.

Read more in this article by APHSA President and CEO Tracy Wareing Evans and Social Current President and CEO Jody Levison-Johnson from the latest edition of Policy & Practice.

Subscribe to the Policy and Advocacy Radar to receive our biweekly policy roundup, which includes commentary on issues in Social Current’s federal policy agenda, opportunities to take action, and curated news and opportunities.

On Feb. 15, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) voluntarily checked himself in to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to receive treatment for clinical depression, setting off a heated national debate about self-care and leadership. While on the campaign trail last year, Fetterman suffered a stroke which impacted his cognitive abilities and reportedly led to his current bout of depression. By seeking care, Fetterman demonstrates solidarity with millions of people in this country suffering from depression. By publicly announcing his decision, he also helps to eliminate the stigma behind seeking mental health care, particularly in the workplace. He is part of a growing line of prominent figures, like Simone Biles and Jason Kander, who have modeled a new approach to mental health challenges.

The social sector, like other sectors, is making progress toward breaking down the stigma around mental health. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when instances of suicide ideation, addiction, and anxiety began to increase rapidly, more organizations and leaders have begun to engage openly with mental health challenges in the workforce. One helpful resource is Mental Health First Aid at Work, a training program that gives participants the tools to support co-workers with mental health or substance use issues. Another resource, Up to Me from WISE, guides individuals through whether and how to safely disclose their mental illness to others, if they so choose.

Social Current offers workforce resilience consulting to help social sector leaders build a workplace culture based on equity, connection, and psychological safety.

President Biden Signs New Equity Executive Order

On Feb. 16, President Biden signed an executive order to support racial equity and strengthen the federal government’s efforts to combat systemic racism and poverty. This builds upon another executive order he signed on the first day of his presidency which advanced an all-of-government approach to eliminating systemic inequities of all kinds. The new executive order requires federal agencies to create annual equity action plans that steer policies and programs toward underserved communities. Per the order, as agencies develop their plans, they must actively and frequently engage with local communities and organizations. Further, agency equity teams must be created in each agency, with high-ranking leaders implementing equity plans while working across agencies to foster collaboration and accountability. Finally, the executive order requires a more comprehensive, detailed collection and analysis of demographic data.

2021 Child Abuse and Neglect Report Released

The Children’s Bureau within the Department of Health and Human Services released the latest version of its annual series, “Child Maltreatment 2021.” Drawn from data provided by states to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS), the series details the nature and extent of child abuse and neglect cases across the country each year. The 2021 report found Child Protective Services responded to referrals of over three million children through investigation or other means. In 2021, an estimated six hundred thousand children were victims of maltreatment (the lowest number in the last five years). Of those children, 76 percent were neglected, 16 percent physically abused, 10.1 percent sexually abused, and 0.2 percent sex trafficked. Tragically, 1,820 children died from abuse and neglect. 67 percent of reporters were professionals, including education, medical, legal, and law enforcement personnel, 17.1 percent were nonprofessionals (friends, neighbors, and relatives), and 16 percent were unclassified, including anonymous and unknown sources.

Announcement of New Emergency Food Assistance Funding

As part of a $1 billion investment in the country’s emergency food system, the U.S. Department of Agriculture set aside $100 million for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) Reach and Resiliency grant initiative. $60 million in round-two grant funding is available to pursue the program’s goal of extending TEFAP’s impact to remote, rural, tribal, and low-income areas currently neglected by the program. In round one, grantee states received $40 million. They worked with food banks on various activities, including studies and surveys, cultural competency training, mobile food bank infrastructure, equipment and technology purchases, and proactive outreach to tribal areas.

Social Current, APHSA Partner to Co-Create New Framework for Community-Based and Public Sector Human Services Leaders

The American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) and Social Current have a long history of collaboration. With support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the two organizations will continue partnering to develop a new leadership framework for health and human services leaders to work together across system boundaries.

Read more in this article by APHSA President and CEO Tracy Wareing Evans and Social Current President and CEO Jody Levison-Johnson from the latest edition of Policy & Practice.

Subscribe to the Policy and Advocacy Radar to receive our biweekly policy roundup, which includes commentary on issues in Social Current’s federal policy agenda, opportunities to take action, and curated news and opportunities.

Last Tuesday, President Biden delivered his State of the Union address, which outlined his policy priorities for the first two years of his term. In one of the most animated environments for a State of the Union speech in recent decades, which included much back-and-forth between the president and the audience, Biden celebrated the legislative achievements of the past two years. He lauded the bipartisan infrastructure bill, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act; all of which, according to the president, advance his goal of creating blue-collar jobs and a manufacturing revival in the U.S.

With his constant refrain of “finish the job,” President Biden called on Congress to help him pass additional legislation from his plans that hadn’t yet been passed. He reiterated his commitment to strengthening the care economy with investments in paid family and medical leave as well as community-based care for people with disabilities and the elderly. Biden also spoke about the importance of universal pre-K, expanded child care supports, and reinstating the monthly installments of the child tax credit. In one of the more emotional moments of the address, he introduced the parents of Tyre Nichols, who died after police brutally beat him, and pleaded with Congress to pass bipartisan policing reform. Social Current will continue to monitor Congress’s progress on these issues and others as the 118th Congress moves forward.

New National Early Care and Education Workforce Center

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the creation of the new National Early Care and Education Workforce Center. The Center’s activities will focus on creating a robust early care and education workforce with formal paths for attaining credentials and degrees. They will also identify strategies for increased compensation and benefits for the workforce. After a competitive process, Child Trends – in concert with the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, BUILD Initiative, ZERO TO THREE, University of Massachusetts-Boston, and the University of Delaware – will run the center. With a starting budget of $30 million, the center will provide research and technical assistance to states, communities, territories, and Tribal Nations to help them support a sector hit hard by the pandemic. According to HHS, the child care sector lost nearly 80,000 jobs, about 7.5 percent of its workforce, since 2020. Last month, HHS also announced $300 million in preschool development grants, birth through five, to 42 states.

Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program Gets Increase in Funding

The Food and Nutrition Service within the U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded $50 million in grants to 47 states and tribes to enhance and grow the Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program, which helps low-income seniors buy locally grown fruits, vegetables, honey, and herbs at farmers’ markets, stands, and community agriculture programs. These new grants will expand the program into new geographic areas, increase the benefit level to $50, and benefit 250,000 more seniors. The increase in funding was implemented in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. It will also support the program’s modernization by transitioning from a coupon-based system to an electronic benefits system. The grants will also support outreach to vulnerable populations through coordination with community-based organizations.

Social Determinants of Health Investments Highlighted in HHS Report

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released “Snapshot: How HHS is Building a Healthier America,” a report covering all areas where the agency had an impact in 2022, including fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, improving mental and behavioral health care, advancing equity, and supporting the public health workforce. One crucial section highlights investment in the social determinants of health carried out by various sub-agencies. For instance, the Administration for Children and Families spent $4.5 billion in heating and cooling assistance to states, helping low-income families pay utility bills as well as choose low-cost home energy repairs. The Administration for Community Living created the Community Care Hub National Learning Community, which will enhance the ability of community-based organizations to partner with health care organizations to tackle social and public health needs. The Center for Disease Control financially supported the work of community health workers in 68 communities, contributing over 14,000 referrals for transportation, food, and housing services.

Social Current, APHSA Partner to Co-Create New Framework for Community-Based and Public Sector Human Services Leaders

The American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) and Social Current have a long history of collaboration. With support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the two organizations will continue partnering to develop a new leadership framework for health and human services leaders to work together across system boundaries.

Read more in this article by APHSA President and CEO Tracy Wareing Evans and Social Current President and CEO Jody Levison-Johnson from the latest edition of Policy & Practice.

Subscribe to the Policy and Advocacy Radar to receive our biweekly policy roundup, which includes commentary on issues in Social Current’s federal policy agenda, opportunities to take action, and curated news and opportunities.

With the commencement of the 118th Congress this month, it is time to identify the leadership of both chambers of Congress, as well as the chairs and ranking members of key committees.

In the Senate, Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will retain their positions as majority leader and minority leader, respectively. Their whips will continue to be Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and John Thune (R-S.D.). Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) will step into the powerful leadership roles of chair and vice chair of the Appropriations Committee, which controls the annual process for passing the federal budget. The Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, which authorizes funding and decides policy on important social and education programs, will be chaired by Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who will be joined by ranking member Bill Cassidy (R-La.). Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Ranking Member John Boozman (R-Ark.) will remain the leaders of the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, which has jurisdiction over nutrition policy.

Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has the speaker’s gavel in the House after Republicans won a majority of congressional seats in the November midterms. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) is the minority leader, replacing Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) as leader of the Democrats. On the Appropriations Committee, Kay Granger (R-Texas) and Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) will switch positions, the former becoming the chairwoman and the latter the ranking member. The Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee on Appropriations will be chaired by Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.), with Rosa DeLauro serving as ranking member. Finally, Glenn Thompson (R-Penn.) will become chair, and David Scott (D-Ga.) will become the ranking member of the Committee on Agriculture.

Enhanced Nutrition Assistance Ends, Summer Meal Program Made Permanent

In the omnibus appropriations package passed last month, Congress made several changes to the child nutrition policy. Significantly, the package included $40 million to continue the Summer Electronic Benefit program, which provides low-income families with $40 per month per child for meals during the summer months. The summer program was started during the pandemic as a temporary program but will now become permanent. Unfortunately, the funding to make this program permanent was created by ending the enhanced Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, which were implemented during the pandemic to ensure families could put food on the table during the economic crisis. February will be the last month that the enhanced emergency allotments will be available to states.

Anti-Transgender Bills Also Hurt the Social Sector Workforce

Social Current has been following a story out of Texas, where, last year, Attorney General Ken Paxton wrote an order to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, requiring social workers to investigate parents of transgender children. The state argued that certain types of care for transgender children constituted child abuse. Numerous lawsuits have been brought against the department, putting the order on hold. Moreover, it is reported that 2,300 workers in the state child welfare agency workforce quit in protest. These types of orders present a danger, not just to transgender children, but also to the social sector workforce, which is already facing serious retention challenges coming out of the pandemic. Last year, a raft of anti-transgender bills was introduced and passed in state legislatures across the country. Social Current will continue to monitor these bills and others that threaten transgender children and the social sector workforce.

New Report from The Children’s Bureau on Title IV-B Funding Allocations

The Children’s Bureau in the Office of the Administration for Children and Families released a new report that outlines the planned and actual state expenditures on title IV-B programs. The two programs called the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Child Welfare Services Program and the MaryLee Allen Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program (PSSF), give funds to states to provide protective, family reunifications and preservation, foster care, and adoption services, as well as to cover administrative and workforce development costs.

Since actual expenditures for FY 2022 have not been identified, the report outlines the planned expenditures for FY 2022.
The report showed that states planned to spend over 45% of the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Child Welfare Services Program funding on protective services, compared to around 12% each on family reunification and preservations services. For PSSF, the Department of Health and Human Services strongly encourages states to spend about 20% of their funding allocation on each of the four service areas. In FY 2022, the states planned to divide their funding along these lines. The only actual expenditures covered in the report are for PSSF in FY 2019, which showed that states spent between 21% and 26% on the four main service areas: family preservation, family support, family reunification, and adoption promotion and support services. The report shows that these proportions remained consistent for F.Y. 2015 through F.Y. 2019.

Social Current, APHSA Partner to Co-Create New Framework for Community-Based and Public Sector Human Services Leaders

The American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) and Social Current have a long history of collaboration. With support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the two organizations will continue partnering to develop a new leadership framework for health and human services leaders to work together across system boundaries.

Read more in this article by APHSA President and CEO Tracy Wareing Evans and Social Current President and CEO Jody Levison-Johnson from the latest edition of Policy & Practice.

Subscribe to the Policy and Advocacy Radar to receive our biweekly policy roundup, which includes commentary on issues in Social Current’s federal policy agenda, opportunities to take action, and curated news and opportunities.

Just before Christmas, Congress passed a $1.7 trillion bill to fund the federal government for fiscal year 2023. The House voted 225-201 to support the package, while the Senate passed the bill 68-29. On Dec. 29, President Biden signed the bill into law. The enormous bill, passed on a bipartisan basis after months of intense negotiations, includes $772.5 billion in non-defense discretionary programs, an increase over FY 2022. Though a deal to expand the child tax credit while extending some corporate tax breaks was in the works at the end of negotiations, it failed to make it into the final bill. Several provisions of interest to the social sector, however, were included. Here is a summary of some of these provisions, courtesy of our friends at the American Public Human Services Association:

New Mental Health Funds from Bipartisan Safer Communities Act

On Jan. 9, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) received a new $245 million tranche of funding from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Made available through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act passed last June, these funds will help address the youth mental health crisis, provide the health care workforce with mental health resources, and fill other gaps in the mental health care system. Specifically, the SAMHSA grants will provide:

HHS also awarded the HRSA $60 million to fund mental health training for primary care clinicians.

988 Lifeline Receives New Grants

Last month, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced $130 million in new funding for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. The funding is part of almost $500 million the Biden administration has disbursed to the 988 Lifeline in the last two years. These latest grants include $47 million to states and territories to improve the program, and $21.1 million for 988 Lifeline Tribal Response Grants and technical assistance for tribal communities. HHS also announced $64.8 million for Vibrant Emotional Health, the 988 Lifeline administrator, for various capacities, including language-based services, practical training, call routing, center expansion, and specialized care for vulnerable populations. The 988 Lifeline, which Congress began funding in 2020, provides free and confidential counseling to people with mental-health-related stress.

New Independent Sector Report on the Nonprofit Sector

On Dec. 31, 2022, Independent Sector released its Quarterly Report, Health of the U.S. Nonprofit Sector, which provides data and analysis on the social sector for the second and third quarters of 2022. The report included good and bad news for the sector. The nonprofit sector contributed $1.5 trillion to the economy in the third quarter, up $1 billion from prior quarters. Its gross value added was 5.6 percent of GDP, which is typical for recent years. The number of volunteers declined by 19 percent from 2019 to 2020, and the number of donors decreased by seven percent in 2022 compared to the year before, though the number of dollars donated increased by 6.2 percent year-over-year. Nonprofit workers’ family income increased by 4.2 percent in the third quarter of 2022, with the largest growth in employees earning less than $40,000. Finally, 56 percent of the public trusted nonprofits to do what was right in 2022, 3 percentage points less than in 2020.

Social Current, APHSA Partner to Co-Create New Framework for Community-Based and Public Sector Human Services Leaders

The American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) and Social Current have a long history of collaboration. With support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the two organizations will continue partnering with purpose to develop a new leadership framework for health and human services leaders to work together and across system boundaries.

Read more in this article by APHSA President and CEO Tracy Wareing Evans and Social Current President and CEO Jody Levison-Johnson from the latest edition of Policy & Practice.

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Several Social Current network organizations recently participated in two focus groups with the Department of Education to discuss ideas for advancing equity in the federal Full-Service Community Schools program. This program focuses on using local partnerships to integrate academics, youth development, family support, health and social services, and community development. Community schools also work to advance equity through efforts to pool resources, maximize community assets and engagement, and allow supports to be tailored to each student.

Community-based organizations, through their expertise and extensive experience, play a critical role in supporting educational success by:

Recognizing the potential of community schools to reduce disparities and increase educational success for all children, Social Current advocates for increased funding as part of its federal policy agenda. In the most recent fiscal year budget, funding for this program more than doubled—from $30 million to $75 million.

Social Current also works to champion the expertise of its network to policy leaders in the administration and on the Hill. In working with Dr. Bernadine Futrell in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Social Current serves as a key resource for the Department of Education in its ongoing efforts to gain insight from community-based organizations, elevate partnerships to support students and their families, and encourage new program applicants.

Social Current coordinated two focus groups for community-based organizations in the network to share their experiences as potential applicants, previous applicants, and grant recipients. Participants included:

“We are thankful to Social Current for setting up the focus group with Dr. Futrell,” said Lynn Kyle, executive director of Lampion Center. “We found it to be very helpful in hearing her passion and hopes, sharing some of our thoughts and wishes, and also just having the real-time connection with her and the Department of Education.”

In the weeks since the focus group, the 2022 Full-Service Community Schools grant awards were announced. The number of awardees doubled from last year as a result of collective advocacy and increasing the dollars appropriated to this funding stream. Congratulations to the awardees! The 2023 application will be available in spring 2023. View the latest information about the federal program online.

Additional Opportunities and Resources

Last week, leaders in the House and Senate appropriations committees announced a deal framework for funding the federal government for the fiscal year 2023. The omnibus package has a $1.7 trillion price tag, with Democrats and Republicans agreeing to $858 billion in defense spending. The parties are still about $26 billion apart on domestic spending. To buy time to complete the negotiations, both chambers of Congress passed continuing resolutions to fund the government until Dec. 23, one week past the original deadline. Until recently, speculation was growing that the negotiations would need to continue into next year under the new Congress; however, both Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) have voiced support for this year-end deal, building momentum for its passage. Lawmakers are still negotiating the inclusion of a potential tax deal in the omnibus package that would include an expanded child tax credit and renewed corporate tax breaks. However, it remains to be seen whether the agreement will survive. It is also unclear whether the universal charitable deduction, a social sector priority, will be included. Social Current will continue to monitor the negotiations.

MIECHV Passes the House, Heads for the Senate

On Dec. 2, the Jackie Walorski Maternal, Infant, and Child Home Visiting (MIECHV) Reauthorization Act of 2022 passed in the House with a vote of 390-26. Named after the late congresswoman who advocated for MIECHV, the bill reauthorizes program funding for five years and improves program oversight. The bill increases the annual base funding by $100 million starting in the fiscal year 2023. It creates an additional phased-in federal matching component, through which the federal government contributes $3 for every $1 the states contribute. The new funding also includes asides for workforce support, research, administration, and technical assistance. The bill improves oversight by implementing a new “outcomes dashboard” for Congress to track the program’s outcomes for families, along with a requirement of a new annual report detailing the results of the program to Congress. These changes are geared toward helping new parents and their children from pregnancy until kindergarten with health challenges and school readiness. The Senate is expected to vote on the bill this week.

New Report from DHS on the Youth Mental Health Crisis

The Department of Health and Human Services (DHS) published a new report entitled National Guidelines for Child and Youth Behavioral Health Crisis Care in response to the rising toll of mental health challenges on children and youth in the US. The report rolls out guidelines to communities on providing this vulnerable population with services that are not currently delivered. For example, it encourages communities to take advantage of the new national 988 suicide and crisis lifeline, which gives youth and families around-the-clock access to counselors. The report also recommends using mobile response teams that meet children and youth in their homes, schools, and communities. Finally, the report suggests crisis receiving and stabilization services, like in-home and crisis care facilities. Overall, the new guidelines encourage crisis response teams to build formal connections with entities in the community to create a full continuum of care. 

Mental Health Parity Discussion Draft Released

Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-ID), and Senate Finance Committee members Sens. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Richard Burr (R-N.C.), released the fifth and final so-called “discussion draft” of the bipartisan mental health initiative that began earlier this year. This final report centers on mental health parity and ensuring mental and physical health are equally accessible and covered through health insurance. The team made several recommendations. For instance, the report asks Medicaid managed care organizations and Medicare Advantage plans to provide accurate and updated directories of providers and information on whether providers are accepting new patients. It also would require the Government Accountability Office to conduct two studies comparing the cost of mental health and substance use disorder services with the cost of physical health care under Medicare Advantage and Medicaid. Finally, the report requires that Medicare give providers guidance on how long they can provide partial hospitalization and particular outpatient services to beneficiaries with SUDs.

Hearing on AmeriCorps Focuses on Program’s Financial Health

Last Wednesday, the House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Investments hosted a hearing called “Examining the Policies and Practices of the Corporation for National Community Service.” Chairwoman Frederica S. Wilson (D-FL) opened the hearing with positive words for the CNCS, also known as AmeriCorps. Since 1993, she said, over one million Americans had participated in AmeriCorps, helping rebuild neighborhoods after Hurricane Katrina, for example, and aiding food-insecure families and mentoring students throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Though Congresswoman Wilson stressed that AmeriCorps is “essential for our communities” and that the program has earned bipartisan support since its inception, it struggles from poor financial health. Deborah Jeffrey, from the Office of the Inspector General, detailed some of the agency’s challenges in accounting for its $1.3 billion budget, including reporting its grant funds in real-time. Michael Smith, CEO of CNCS, testified that financial management had been his top priority since he began as CEO last year and that needed reforms had begun to be implemented. He noted that the American Rescue Plan and recent annual appropriations had provided resources the CNCS needs to address some of these long-standing issues. 

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