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.

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.

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. 

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.

Negotiations over the fiscal year 2023 budget are heating up during the lame-duck session as the self-imposed deadline of Dec. 16 draws ever closer. In the fall, Congress passed a continuing resolution to fund the federal government until mid-December, giving elected officials time to negotiate until after the midterm elections. One of the main sticking points is the debt limit. Republicans want to tie raising the debt limit to entitlement reform, which President Joe Biden vehemently opposes. Another pressure point is a potential bipartisan tax deal to include certain tax breaks for businesses while extending tax breaks for working families, like the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and the Earned Income Tax Credit. The potential deal would not include the version of the CTC from the American Rescue Plan, which provided monthly installments to families with children. However, it would provide expanded tax relief to families come tax time.

The social sector is also pushing for the inclusion of the Universal Charitable Deduction (UCD) in the end-of-year tax bill. The UCD, implemented for the first time in 2020 and expired last year, provided a $300 above-the-line deduction that encouraged more giving to charitable organizations. After a full year of bipartisan talks and hearings, Senate negotiators are also putting forward mental health proposals in light of the increase of suicides and drug overdoses in recent years. Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Shelley Capito (R-W.Va.) have endorsed the Resilience, Investment, Support, and Expansion (RISE) from Trauma Act, which would connect different entities in communities to increase awareness of trauma and generate strategies around prevention, intervention, and treatment for children and families. Social Current has publicly supported both the UCD extension and the RISE from Trauma Act, and we will keep you updated as the negotiations progress.

Midterms Create New Balance of Power in Congress

The vote counting continues following the midterm elections last month, but the balance of power in Congress is decided. As of the end of November, Republicans had won 222 seats to the Democrats 213 in the House of Representatives, with two seats still waiting to be called. In the Senate, Democrats had won 50 hearts and the Republicans 49, with the runoff in Georgia still to come on Dec. 6. With Republicans gaining control of the House and Democrats retaining power in the Senate, many commentators predict two years of bickering and political brinksmanship. While leadership in the parties will remain the same in the Senate, both parties in the House have been undergoing internal debates about who will lead their caucuses. Democrats voted for a generational change in leadership by appointing Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) as party leader, replacing Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) after 20 years as leader of the House Democrats. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), current House Minority Leader, is angling for Speaker of the House in the new Congress, though it is unclear at this moment whether he will earn enough votes in his caucus to gain that title. To set a productive tone for the new Congress, President Biden met with the leaders of both parties last week to hash out priorities for the lame-duck session.

Pause on Student Loan Payments Extended Again

After a U.S. District Judge rendered President Biden’s student loan forgiveness program unconstitutional, the Department of Education (DOE) requested a federal appeals court to lift the hold on the program, which was denied on Thursday. The administration says almost half of eligible borrowers have applied, and over 16 million applications have been approved. Nevertheless, the program’s fate will have to wait for a decision by the Supreme Court, which could take months. In response to these setbacks in court, the DOE has extended the pause on student loan payments, which has been in effect since the beginning of the pandemic and extended multiple times after that. The administration argues it is unfair to make borrowers make payments on loans that will ultimately be forgiven, partially or in full. The DOE says it will end the pause 60 days after the Supreme Court makes a decision, or by Sept. 1 of next year, whichever comes first.

USDA Proposes New Rules for WIC Program

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced proposed changes to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). WIC food packages supplement the diets of mothers and newborns with healthy foods and beverages that benefit maternal and childhood health. The new changes would increase the size of the food packages, give state agencies more flexibility to accommodate cultural preferences and dietary needs, and provide increased choice to the 6 million moms, babies, and young children enrolled in WIC. Some changes include increased allowance for fruits and vegetables (four times more than previously) and new items, like quinoa, soy-based yogurts, canned fish, and canned beans. National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025, informed USDA’s decision to propose these science-driven changes to the WIC program.

Subcommittee Hearing on the Student Mental Health Crisis

The Subcommittee on Children and Families on the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, hosted a hearing last Wednesday called “Caring for Our Kids: Supporting Mental Health in the Transition from High School to College.” The hearing stressed the often-overlooked effectiveness of mental health services and the importance of providing these services to young adolescents, especially considering the national mental health crisis affecting teens. The first witness, Sharon Hoover of the National Center for School Mental Health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, told policymakers to focus on three ideas: Investing in prevention by creating safe environments in families and schools, establishing comprehensive school mental health systems, and providing students with high school-to-college transition skills. Curtis Wright, vice president of student affairs at Xavier University of Louisiana, a historically black and Catholic institution, spoke about the importance of creating a sense of safety on campus, especially in light of the bomb threats that have impacted historically black colleges and universities this year. Ashley Weiss, director of medical student education in psychiatry at Tulane University, discussed the hidden pandemic of severe psychiatric disorders like psychosis. Citing national statistics to shed light on a local university, she explained 800 students at George Washington University likely experience psychosis annually and do not receive care for over a year. The final witness, Brooklyn Williams, a high school senior in Pittsburgh, described her mental health struggles after her mother passed away from breast cancer. These powerful testimonies build momentum toward Congress enacting policies to address the mental health crisis affecting America’s teenagers, hopefully as soon as possible.

New AFCARS Data Shows Fewer Children in Foster Care in 2021

A new report from the Administration of Children and Families (ACF) says the number of children in foster care decreased for the fourth year, and the number of children adopted from foster care decreased for the second consecutive year. The data was pulled from the annual Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), which showed that the foster care population declined from 407,000 at the end of fiscal year 2020 to 391,000 at the end of fiscal year 2021. ACF says these decreases correspond with the department’s focus on keeping families together and promoting kinship care. As ACF discusses policy options with states, family preservation and kinship care have been priorities.

New Grants for Mental Health from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced over $100 million in funding from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) for emergency preparedness, crisis response, and expansion of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The BSCA passed earlier this year following the school shooting tragedy in Uvalde, Texas. $59.4 million will be disbursed to states through the Community Mental Health Services Block Grant program. SAMHSA recommended to the states that these funds be used for mental health emergency preparedness and response plans, creating mobile crisis teams, and providing mental health training to providers, among other things. Another $50 million will go toward standing up the 988 hotline, developing response capacity, diversifying accessible languages, and increasing marketing and awareness around the hotline.

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Though the final vote counts in many close races will take days, if not weeks, to tally, Election Day has provided surprising results that go against the historical norm for midterm elections. Virtually all midterms are referendums on the president’s party, often resulting in massive gains for the party out of power. However, Democrats aggressively messaged this election as a “choice” rather than a referendum and managed to win some races that many pundits thought would be easy wins for Republicans. Inflation, the economy, abortion, crime, and immigration topped the issues driving voters to the polls.

Though Republicans gained seats in the House of Representatives and are likely to have a slight majority when it’s all said and done, Democrats avoided an expected thumping and held on to critical seats in suburban areas across the country. In the Senate, Democrats picked up a seat in Pennsylvania and successfully defended seats in Nevada and Arizona, clinching control of the Senate. A runoff election in Georgia next month will decide whether Democrats increase their margin in the chamber to 51-49. Democrats maintained control of critical statehouses across the country, while Republicans had only a handful of state-level surprises, including Ron DeSantis’ win in Florida by a margin that was larger than expected.

Impact of the Midterms on Nonprofits

The “Federal Mid-Term Elections: Impact on Charitable Nonprofits” webinar featured perspectives from leaders of national nonprofits including Social Current President and CEO Jody Levison-Johnson. Watch now!

A divided Congress is likely to have a direct impact on the social sector and our communities. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who may be the Speaker of the House, and other Republicans have promised to refuse to raise the debt ceiling without forcing cuts to social services, clean energy, and Social Security and Medicare. President Joe Biden has resolutely opposed these measures. This standoff could lead to a government shutdown that would send the country into default and temporarily pause needed federal funds for nonprofits until lawmakers figure out a solution. Without a federal budget for next year, many of the funding streams the social sector relies on would be in danger. In the background of this potential showdown, the Federal Reserve would raise interest rates, and the economy would be teetering on the edge of a recession. Nonprofits must redouble their efforts to help their communities grapple with these challenges. The social sector must act now to temper the passions of both sides and support bipartisan pathways forward.

Voter Turnout Soars in Midterm Elections

Votes are still being tallied, but initial counts and projections suggest that voter turnout will land around 46% of eligible voters. Though this estimate falls short of the massive turnout in the 2018 midterms of approximately 49%, it still surpasses every other midterm election this century. In a handful of states, like Pennsylvania, Arizona, Michigan, Utah, and Oregon, voter turnout exceeded 2018 levels. One of the surprises of the night was the turnout among young voters. In this midterm, 27% of voters between the ages of 18-29 cast a ballot—the second-highest turnout rate of that age group in 30 years. Youth voter turnout averages about 20% in midterm elections. In key states like Michigan, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, this demographic averaged 31%. Youth activists credited the increased turnout in these states to increased engagement with young people through targeted outreach and voter registration efforts.

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Federal student loans continue to make news in Washington, DC. On Oct. 25, 2022, the Department of Education, led by Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, announced an executive action to change and streamline the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program permanently. This executive action is designed to work in tandem with regulatory changes, set to go into effect in July 2023.

Starting on Nov. 1, 2022, the Department of Education will allow borrowers with 20 years (240 months) or 25 years (300 months) of payments to start receiving loan discharges through these changes. Borrowers who applied for PSLF before Oct. 31, 2022, and reached 120 payments due to the deferment and forbearance changes, will also receive loan discharges. The Department of Education will continue implementing federal loan discharges for borrowers who reach the forgiveness threshold in the months after November 2022.

In July 2023, the Department of Education will automatically apply the same payment count treatment to all Direct and Department-managed Federal Family Education Loans (FFEL) for borrowers who do not otherwise reach the number of months necessary for forgiveness.

A complete list of the improvements can be found in this fact sheet. The regulations will be published in the coming days and will go into effect on July 1, 2023.

Coverage for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program Expanded (CHIP) Expanded

On Oct. 27, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that more than half of all U.S. states had taken steps to expand the coverage period for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage to 12 months after pregnancy. This announcement comes after the states of Pennsylvania and Georgia took the necessary steps to expand Medicaid and CHIP coverage this Fall, a move that will make an additional 57,000 individuals in those two states eligible for expanded healthcare. A signature plank of the Biden Administration’s domestic policy agenda has revolved around Maternal & Fetal Health, as outlined more fully in the Administration’s Maternal Health Blueprint. The ability for individual states to expand eligibility criteria for their Medicaid and CHIP programs is a direct result of provisions found in the American Rescue Plan, signed into law by President Biden in March of 2021. An estimated 418,000 Americans across 26 states and the District of Columbia now have expanded access to postpartum coverage due to the 2021 American Rescue Plan.

IRS Warns Nonprofits of Tax Savings Schemes

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS), on Oct. 19,  advised businesses, including nonprofits, to be careful of individuals or groups who erroneously advise organizations to improperly claim the Employee Retention Credit (ERC) on their organization tax return. Some third parties are taking improper positions related to taxpayer eligibility for and computation of the credit. The groups and individuals providing the fraudulent advice have been known to charge non-profits costly upfront fees. The IRS advises non-profit organizations and businesses to remain cautious about tax savings schemes and plans. The organization is always responsible for the information reported on its tax returns. Improperly claiming the ERC could result in taxpayers being required to repay the credit along with penalties and interest.

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