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Child Welfare Legislative Updates: June 7-18, 2021
Please review the following child welfare legislative updates pertinent to children and families from June 7-18, 2021. These bills and other important legislation can be tracked at GovTrack.us.
Health
S. 1977 — Sen. Bob Casey, Jr. (D-PA)/Finance (6/8/21)
A bill to provide Medicaid coverage for all pregnant and postpartum women, to provide coverage under the Medicaid program for services provided by doulas, midwives, and lactation consultants, and for other purposes.
H. Res. 471 — Rep. David Scott (D-GA)/Energy and Commerce (6/11/21)
A resolution recognizing the seriousness of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and expressing support for the designation of the month of September 2021 as “PCOS Awareness Month.”
S. 2047— Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME)/ Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (6/14/21)
A bill to ban the use of intentionally added perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl substances in cosmetics.
S. 2051 — Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)/Finance (6/15/21)
A bill to provide coverage for custom fabricated breast prostheses following a mastectomy.
S. 2100 — Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)/Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (6/17/21)
A bill to ensure the safety of cosmetics.
H.R. 3993 — Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-TX)/Judiciary (6/17/21)
A bill to ensure the humane treatment of pregnant women by reinstating the presumption of release and prohibiting shackling, restraining, and other inhumane treatment of pregnant detainees, and for other purposes.
ASCI Connection: These bills will aid ASCI in providing families knowledge of the health resources available to them.
Family Support
S. 1991 — Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)/ Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs (6/9/21)
A bill to authorize a new type of housing choice voucher to help achieve the goals of ending homelessness among families with children, increasing housing opportunities, and improving life outcomes of poor children.
H.R. 3992 — Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-TX)/Education and Labor (6/17/21)
A bill to amend the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 to prohibit employers from limiting, segregating, or classifying applicants for employment.
H.R. 3905 — Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK)/Ways and Means (6/15/21)
A bill to amend Title II of the Social Security Act to waive the two-year duration of divorce requirement, and for other purposes.
H.R. 3915 — Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY)/Ways and Means (6/15/21)
A bill to amend title II of the Social Security Act to improve social security benefits for widows and widowers in two-income households, and for other purposes.
ASCI Connection: These bills will support ASCI’s dedication to providing safety and protection through the highest-quality kinship care services to the triad.
Child Safety & Protection
S. 2040 — Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX)/Banking, Housing, Urban Affairs (6/14/21)
A bill to prohibit consumer reporting agencies from furnishing a consumer report containing any adverse item of information about a consumer if the consumer is a victim of trafficking, and for other purposes.
S. 2049 — Sen. Sherrod Brown (D- OH)/ Banking, Housing, Urban Affairs (6/15/21)
A bill to require a study and report on the housing and service needs of survivors of trafficking and individuals at risk for trafficking.
H.R. 3891 — Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH)/ Financial Services (6/15/21)
A bill to require a study and report on the housing and service needs of survivors of trafficking and individuals at risk for trafficking.
H.R. 3957 — Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI)/Education and Labor (6/16/21)
A bill to direct the secretary of Labor to train certain Department of Labor personnel how to effectively detect and assist law enforcement in preventing human trafficking during the course of their primary roles and responsibilities, and for other purposes.
S. 2136 — Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (6/17/21)
A bill to provide for the implementation of curricula for training students, teachers, parents, and school and youth development personnel to understand, recognize, prevent, and respond to signs of human trafficking and exploitation in children and youth, and for other purposes.
ASCI Connection: These bills will support ASCI’s dedication to providing safety and protection through the highest-quality kinship care services to the triad.
Child Care
H.R. 3797 — Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN)/Education Labor (6/8/21)
A bill to authorize states to expand the uses of the child care stabilization funds to include support to improve and increase the availability of safe child care facilities, and for other purposes.
H.R. 3878 — Rep. Michelle Steel (R-CA)/Education and Labor (6/14/21)
A bill to authorize states to expand the uses of the child care stabilization funds to include support for grants to increase access to child care through the establishment and expansion of child care programs by businesses.
ASCI Connection: These bills will aid ASCI in providing guidance and resources to caregivers and birth families concerning child care options available to them through our community support groups.
Important Policy Update:
On June 17, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Philadelphia Catholic Social Services in the case of Fulton v. The City of Philadelphia—the case that considered whether taxpayer-funded, private foster care agencies can discriminate against prospective LGBTQ+ foster and adoptive parents. The unanimous decision declared that the private Catholic agency was entitled to renewal of its contract with the City of Philadelphia for screening foster parents, despite the agency’s violation of the city’s discrimination law by refusing to consider married LGBTQ+ couples.
Visit our blog for more information about the case.