An update from the new APA Advocacy Office
The past year has been one full of transitions for the government relations team at APA, after the four separate directorate-based offices became one in January of 2019. Katherine B. McGuire joined APA as our first chief advocacy officer and the Advocacy Coordinating Committee (ACC) embarked on their inaugural year. As we approach the end of the 2019, the ACC has finished their recommendations to the Board of Directors on policy priorities for APA in 2020. The process involved sending out a survey to all of membership and welcoming submissions from APA boards, divisions and committees. With assistance from APA Advocacy staff, the ACC members reviewed the submissions and developed a list of recommended priorities, which were submitted to the board for approval in November 2019. Pending board approval, the 2020 advocacy priorities will be shared with all of APA membership. The plan for the next round of APA member outreach on advocacy priorities has not yet been established, but Div. 37 should certainly keep an eye out for any request for input in 2020.
Federal Children’s Policy updates
Mental health screenings in foster care
Representative Brenda Lawrence (D-MI-14) introduced the Timely Mental Health for Foster Youth Act after incorporating key changes requested by APA. The bill requires that children and adolescents entering foster care receive a mental health screening within 30 days and a follow-up assessment within 60 days if mental health concerns are identified. The new version of the bill includes a technical assistance package APA suggested to help states and child welfare agencies implement the new requirements safely and effectively. APA submitted a letter of supportopens in new window, thanking the bipartisan pair of members for this important first step, while identifying additional measures that might be taken to strengthen this bill as well as future legislation related to the mental health of foster youth.
Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act Reauthorization S. 2971opens in new window, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) Reauthorization of 2019, was introduced early in December and passed the Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions committee on Dec. 12, 2019. The Senate’s CAPTA Reauthorization makes modest but positive changes, including an increased focus on prevention services, enhancing coordination between agencies, and some improvements in reporting requirements on fatalities and near fatalities related to child abuse and neglect. APA sent a letter of supporopens in new windowt for S. 2971 and will continue to advocate for much overdue increases in funding levels for CAPTA, as well as for the retention of essential reforms as reauthorization moves forward next year.
Condemning the rollback of anti-discrimination regulations for HHS grantees
In November, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) moved to rollback a 2016 rule, which prohibited recipients of HHS grants from discriminating based on sex, disability, religion, sexual orientation and gender identity. HHS issued a noticeopens in new window of non-enforcement and opened a brief window for public commentopens in new window, which ended Dec. 19, 2019. The change will enable grantees, such as foster care and adoption agencies, to refuse to serve sexual and gender minorities and religious minorities. The child welfare policy community has long been anticipating this proposed rule and is coordinating in coalition to oppose it on the grounds that it will reduce the already limited pool of potential foster and adoptive parents and cause more children to age out of the system without a permanent family placement. APA criticized the move in a press release and followed up with formal commentsopens in new window, which more thoroughly detail the potential harm to vulnerable populations, especially foster youth and families, served by HHS grant-funded services.
Resisting proposed changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
APA has been following and opposing proposed changes to eligibility rules in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed changes would reduce access to nutrition assistance by changing rules which allow states to offer SNAP to households that are above the poverty line but are still considered low-income. The proposed rule would push an estimated 3.1 million households out of SNAP, increase the administrative burden on families and communities, and reduce food security for children both at home and at school. APA condemned this proposal in September and submitted a second comment expressing our further opposition to the rule in October after FDA released additional analysis showing the estimated impact on children’s eligibility for the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. Both commentsopens in new window are available.